Ostentation moves at a very slow pace. It walks even slower than an ant. There is an element of ostentation in every praise and insult. If a believer receives some form of good or benefit from anywhere, and they do not praise God before showing their appreciation to someone else, this is also a form of ostentation. Similarly, at a time of pain or grief, it is necessary for one to keep in view the wisdom of God. The excellence of a believer is in the fact that they do not want others to know about the relationship that they hold with God Almighty. In fact, some sufis have written that when a believer, moved by their extreme relationship and love, is making their entreaties to God Almighty in seclusion, if someone sees them in this state, they feel even more embarrassed than the fornicator who is caught in the act. And so, one ought to save themselves from ostentation and safeguard their every word and action from this evil.
ENDNOTES
Al-Hakam, vol. 5, no. 41, dated 10 November 1901, pp. 1-2.
Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad (as), The Essence of Islam – Vol. IV (Tilford, Surrey: Islam International Publications Ltd., 2004), 53-54.
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