Doing Good In Secret

“These people hid their deeds, so Allah the Most High hid for them that which no eye has seen and no
ear has heard.” (Hassan Al-Basri)

Performing good deeds away from the scrutinizing eyes of people overwhelms a believer with an aura of
a special kind, a thrill and an indescribable closeness to Allah swt. No words can ever describe such a
feeling as words are limited yet, the proximity to Allah swt is the complete opposite of that. Only those
who struggle to achieve this can experience it. An action done truly for the sake of Allah swt, with the
intention of pleasing Him alone rather than awaiting the recognition and appreciation of other people, is
what leads to the manifestation of contentment and absolute joy in the heart of a believer.

Moreover, in addition to the pleasure one feels when doing something solely for the sake of Allah swt,
the solitude helps a believer rid themselves of a destructive heart disease that if not treated as soon as
detected, could eventually decompose one’s eeman, hence leaving them with a hard heart,
na’oothibillah.

And this heart disease is called Riya/Hypocrisy

It is when one pretends to be doing good but their intentions are actually evil and corrupt. It causes a
person to perform an action for other people to see and applaud and not just for the sake of Allah swt.

Allah swt warns us in the Qur’an:

“He knows what is within the heavens and earth and knows what you conceal and what you declare.
And Allah is Knowing of that within the breasts.” 1

Many a times, when we perform good deeds, we feel satisfied every time a person notices and
complements. However, that should not be our attitude to praise. As scholars would always say, we have
to learn to be uncomfortable with praise. Naturally, but not all the time, excessive praise causes our
intentions to change, thereby leading us to perform a deed to please others and not just Allah swt. We
become accustomed to it to the extent that future actions are done for more praise to be earned rather
than for the pleasure of our Creator. To ensure that our intentions are always sincere and that our
actions are solely for the sake of Allah swt, we should increase the number of deeds done in secret as
that would result in truthful worship: that which Allah swt loves. Good deeds in solitude teach us that
Allah swt is the only one worthy of our attention and that we should expect our reward from Him alone,
and no one else.

Story Time!

Inspirational stories, especially from the time of the Prophet SAW, are absolutely important to refer to
because not only are they informative, but also transformative.

1) A man by the name of Daood ibn Abi Hind fasted for forty years without the knowledge of his family.
He would take some food with him in the morning and would distribute it to the poor whilst heading to
work (family members thought he had breakfast at work while colleagues thought that he had already
eaten at home). When returning home after maghrib, he would eat with his family, for him it was iftar
while for them it was dinner. 2

2) At the middle of the night, on a daily basis, Ali ibn Hussain (also known as Zayn-al-Abidin)ASused to
collect food in a large bag. Having his face covered up, he would knock on the doors of the poor and
needy and give them food. When they stopped receiving food from the generous stranger, the poor
rushed out of their homes to see who had died, thus identifying him as Ali ibn HussainAS. When
shrouding his body, a black mark was spotted at his shoulder from the heavy weight he used to carry
every night. 3

3) Ibrahim Al Nikha’y was a man who used to hide the Qur’an if a person entered while he was reading
from it. He wanted Allah swt to be the only witness of his action and to avoid people’s approving gaze. 4

How can we implement this in our daily lives?

1) If you visit some relatives or friends while fasting on Mondays and Thursdays and were offered some
food, rather than announcing to them that you are fasting, try to say something else like: “I’m not feeling
hungry” or “I’m bloated”. However, avoid lying and try to excuse yourself politely yet smartly.

2) At night, when all family members are asleep, collect the remaining food and give it out to those who
are in need.

3) When making dhikr in a public place, hide your fingers from the sight of others so that it may be a
secret action just between you and Allah swt.

4) Wake up at night and pray in solitude, even if it is just one rak’ah, but make sure that only Allah swt is
aware of your action.

And the examples are endless… secret-deeds_

The sareera (hidden action) does not necessarily have to be big or small. The only condition is that Allah
swt is the only witness. The pleasure one feels when connecting with Allah swt is infinitely superior to
the pleasure felt when receiving praise from other people. It is simply unfathomable!

*Important Note*

Do not confuse this with the concept of “enjoining in good.” When we find ourselves performing good
deeds, it is wise to remind others of them and as Allah swt says in the Qur’an:

“And remind, for indeed, the reminder benefits the believers.” 5

However, what is highlighted in this article are the spiritual benefits of hidden good deeds: that is of
strengthening one’s eeman, purifying the intentions and establishing a connection with Allah swt as it is
just between you and Him.
Whatever good deeds you do make sure they are for Allāh’s sake, and do some of them in secret, such
that nobody knows about them except you and your Lord. Make this investment, a treasure with Allāh
which you will find [and be rewarded] for on The Day of Judgment.