Malfuzat – Volume X — Page 523
17 May 1908 523 Pretentiousness Renders Good Deeds Vain Some weaknesses render some good deeds vain. Pretentiousness is a dangerous worm that renders good deeds vain. For instance, some donations are being collected in a gathering. One person stands up and pledges 500 rupees. If he does this merely to show off and to hear the applause or to earn the fame, then he has already had his reward. There will be no reward for him with Allah. At this point I recall a narration from Tadhkiratul-Auliya. It is written that once there was a holy man who encountered an urgent need for 10,000 rupees. When he made mention of his need someone brought a bag with 10,000 rupees in it and placed it in front of him. The holy man began to praise him and continued praising him for a whole hour. At that point the man left but came back from his home and said, ‘I made a grave mistake. In reality, that sum of money belonged to my mother. I did not have the authority to give it on my own behest. The money should be returned to me. ’ Now, everyone started to curse him instead of praising him and said, ‘It is clearly obvious that he has made it up and is mak- ing an excuse, etc. ’ However, thereafter, the same man came to the home of the holy man quietly during a very late hour of the night and presented the same sum of money to him and submitted, ‘Sir, I had given the money for the sake of Allah and not to hear the praises. Now I bind you in the name of God that you will not make mention of this money to anyone. ’ Hearing this, the holy man began to weep on the thought that people would curse that man as long he would live; they would taunt and slight him; they would only rebuke him as they would remain unaware of the truth.