Sufi Classics · July 8, 2026

riyāʾ (Sufism Glossary)

(ashāb al-jāh; ashāb al-riyāʾ; awqāt al-riyāʾ; ḥadhar min al-riyāʾ; ikhlāṣ al-murīdīn; inād; riyāʾ min akhlāq al-madhmūma [blameworthy character traits]; riyāʾ al-ʿārifīn) Ashāb al-jāh of the dunyā (worldly life) (those …

(ashāb al-jāh; ashāb al-riyāʾ; awqāt al-riyāʾ; ḥadhar min al-riyāʾ; ikhlāṣ al-murīdīn; inād; riyāʾ min akhlāq al-madhmūma [blameworthy character traits]; riyāʾ al-ʿārifīn)

Ashāb al-jāh of the dunyā (worldly life) (those who, in their qalb (hearts), harbor desires for worldly rank and status); and the signs of those who possess riyāʾ (ostentation, hypocrisy) and the things they delight in regarding riyāʾ?

These are as follows: They are pleased by (any) praise and flattery concerning themselves.