means that one has forgotten something in a manner for which one is not blameworthy. By contrast, one who is heedless of his prayer deliberately treats it carelessly. Among those who are heedless of prayer are people who are called to pray with the congregation; there is no doubt that they neglect their prayer and therefore fall under this warning:
“So woe to those who pray, those who are heedless of their prayer, those who show off.”
Likewise, whenever they perform an act of obedience, their sole aim is to win people’s favor and gain standing in society; they do not intend to draw nearer to Allah—glorious is His majesty. Thus, one person gives charity so that people will say, “How generous he is!” Another performs his prayer well so that people will say, “How excellent his prayer is!” and so forth.
Such people show off. Their worship is fundamentally directed to Allah, but at the same time they want people to praise them for it. They use their acts of devotion to Allah as a means of winning people’s favor. These are the people who show off. As for someone who prays for the sake of people—in the sense that he performs prayer before a king, for example, or someone else, bowing or prostrating himself in submission to him—he is a polytheist and disbeliever. Allah has forbidden Paradise to him, and his abode is the Fire. The person under discussion, however, prays to Allah while also seeking people’s praise for his worship and wanting to be regarded as a worshipper of Allah—glorious is His majesty. This frequently occurs among the hypocrites. Allah Most High says:
“When they rise for prayer, they rise reluctantly, showing off before people, and they remember Allah only a little.” [al-Nisā’: 142]
Consider this description: when they rise for prayer, they rise reluctantly; thus, they are heedless of their prayer. They show off before people. Here Allah—glorious is His majesty—says: “those who show off.” Are those who seek to have their deeds heard the same as they are? That is, a person may recite the Quran aloud, beautifying his recitation, delivery, and voice so that people will say, “What an excellent reciter he is!” Is he like the one who shows off? The answer is yes, as stated in the hadith: “Whoever seeks to have his deeds heard, Allah will expose him; and whoever shows off, Allah will expose him” (1). This means that whoever seeks to have his deeds heard, Allah will expose him—