Al-Ma'un · Makki · ayah 6 of 7

Al-Ma'un 107:6

ٱلَّذِينَ هُمْ يُرَآءُونَ

“Those who make show [of their deeds]”

Saheeh International

Essence

Showing off is a trade: you show people your good deed, they pay you in admiration, and the account is settled here.

A reflection

A market of looks

Yurāʾūn is built on a pattern of exchange, two sides doing something to each other. The classical explanation spells it out. The show-off lets people see his deed; they let him see their praise and admiration. It is a market, and looks are the currency.

The root is about seeing, and it has a lovely picture of shared looking. When people strained together to catch the new crescent moon, the Arabs said tarāʾaynā: we looked out for it together. That is seeing turned outward, towards something worth seeing. Riyāʾ turns it inward. Everyone is looking, but what they are looking at is you.

We have built that market into our pockets. The Quran app set to announce every finished juzʾ to your contacts. The recitation clip with the view count underneath. Not every post is showing off, and many are sincere. But the machine is designed to pay in exactly the coin this ayah warns about, and to pay instantly.

Sahih Muslim describes three people among the first judged on the Day of Resurrection. One fought, one learned and recited, one gave generously. Each claims he did it for Allah. Each is told: you did it so that it would be said you were brave, learned, generous. And it was said. The payment had already cleared.

That is the quiet horror of the market of looks. It does pay. The likes come, the praise comes, the reputation comes. The deal is honoured in full, in the currency you chose.

One old image fits well. The show-off fills his travel bag with sand. It weighs him down on the road and feeds him nothing at the journey's end. Every post made for applause adds a little more sand to the bag.

The full entry has 6 more reflections, questions to sit with, and "Live it today" - with the words, the roots and the tafsir alongside. Free, no account, works offline.