Riya’ and the protection of the heart in the era of social media

The first part examined the inner crisis generated by the age of validation: the obsessive pursuit of approval, riya’, insecurity, envy, and the heart's fragility under the gaze of others. This second part, however, addresses a central question:

How can a believer protect their heart in a world designed to capture attention, fuel comparison, and turn identity into a public performance?

Part 2: A path to free oneself from riya’

Why social media makes riya’ even more dangerous

Sufism does not advise us to flee to a cave or throw all our gadgets into the sea. It is the art of managing the heart in a crowded marketplace without losing our awareness of Allah ﷻ.

Here are methodical and practical steps from the Sufi treasury to safeguard the heart in the age of validation.

Re-educating Intentions Through Tashih Ann-Niyyah

Intentions are not merely a verbal recitation before performing an act, but rather the driving force of awareness in the heart. Before taking any action—including before pressing the post button on social media—a spiritual seeker (salik) must pause to examine their intentions (tashih anniyah).

Sufis teach a three-fold intention-checking formula:

• Before performing an act: Ask: "Why am I doing this? Is it for God or for others to see me?". If there is any trace of showing-off, cleanse it before proceeding.
• When performing a good deed: Keep your heart from wavering when praise suddenly comes your way.
• After performing a good deed: Forget the deed. Don't constantly remember it, let alone count it in front of people.

Khumul Therapy (Voluntary Anonymity).

One of the most effective remedies offered by Ibn ‘Ata’ Allah al-Iskandari in his legendary book, Ḥikam , to treat the disease of riya (showing off) and validation addiction is the principle of khumul (concealment).

He wrote:

Bury your existence in the earth of anonymity. Because, what grows without being buried first, its fruit will not ripen perfectly.

In an era where everyone is competing to go viral and stand out, khumul is a spiritually revolutionary act. This does not mean we should be unproductive, antisocial individuals. Spiritual Khumul means:

• Being enthusiastic about performing secret deeds that are unknown to anyone except Allah (such as secret charity or crying for repentance at night).
• Having the mental readiness to be unknown, unpraised, and unimportant by people, as long as our position is solid with Allah.
• Eradicating the desire to always appear in public if it only pollutes the purity of the heart.

Cultivating Radical Sincerity

Sincerity is the absolute antidote to showing off. Dhu al-Nun al-Misri,, a great Sufi, provides one of the most beautiful signs of sincerity:

A sign of sincerity is when you view praise and criticism from ordinary people equally.

If our hearts are still soaring high because of netizen praise and then immediately sink and become insecure because If we are criticized or ignored, it's a sign that we haven't been sincere. We're still worshipping our own ego.

Radical sincerity means properly recognizing that creatures have no power to benefit or harm. Human praise does not increase our glory in the sight of Allah, and human insults do not diminish our value if we are noble in His sight.

Treating Insecurity with Contentment and Contentment

L’insicurezza nasce da sentimenti di inadeguatezza e insoddisfazione. Il sufismo la cura in due modi attraverso i concetti di qana‘ah and rida.

Contentment shifts the mindset from "What I don't have" to "What Allah has entrusted to me". This breaks the endless cycle of comparing material and social achievements.

Contentment is a higher level. A person with contentment understands that Allah distributes sustenance, talent, good looks/beauty, and popularity in the most precise and beneficial proportions for the servant's spirituality.

Allah knows that if Person A were given extraordinary wealth or popularity, he might be destroyed by arrogance. Therefore, the limitations we face today are often God's way of protecting us from destruction.

Intensive Muhasabah and Muraqabah Practices

Two practical pillars in Sufism that must be revived in the modern era are muhasabah (self-introspection) and muraqabah (full awareness of Allah's supervision).

Muhasabah

Every night before going to bed, turn off your device. Sit in silence and evaluate the day's sheet. How many of our actions are driven by the desire for attention?

Weep over the falsehoods we show to the world and ask for His forgiveness.

Muraqabah

Develop the feeling that Allah is looking at you directly, beyond your phone camera. When this awareness of muraqabah is strong, our mind's eye will see how ridiculous it is to seek praise from weak fellow creatures, while the Almighty, the Ruler of the Universe, is watching us.

A Sufi path to free oneself from riya’

Does the Sufism perspective require us to delete all our social media accounts? Not always. For some whose hearts are particularly vulnerable, a digital detox or total digital isolation may be the necessary emergency remedy.

However, for the majority of modern society, social media is a reality that must be faced. Sufism provides a navigational guide so we can use technology without being crushed by it.

Content Filtering: Guarding the Inner Sight

Imam al-Ghazali strongly emphasized the importance of guarding the gateways of the heart, namely the eyes and ears. What we see will enter the heart and shape our thoughts.

In the era of validation, guarding the gaze not only means avoiding visuals that contain immoral values and crude lusts, but also avoiding viewing that triggers envy and insecurity.

Unfollow or mute accounts whose content only displays the luxury of the ego, disguised arrogance, or makes us feel inferior in worldly terms. Fill our timelines with things that remind us of death, knowledge, and the majesty of Allah.

Transforming Aesthetics into Transcendence (Thought and I’tibar)

A Sufi views the world through the lens of i‘tibar (learning from others). When you see beauty, achievements, or luxury posted by others on social media, replace your response of insecurity or envy with transcendental remembrance and prayer:

Recite "Masha Allah tabarakallah" sincerely.

Pray that the person will be blessed and kept away from worldly temptations.

Remind yourself:

If a worldly beauty — fleeting and temporary — can appear so captivating, how immense must the beauty of Allah’s Paradise be?
O Allah, do not deprive me of Your true beauty.

In this way, visual stimulation, which initially had the potential to poison the heart, is transformed into a spiritual ladder that leads us closer to Allah.

Share Without Polluting the Soul

If we must share something in the digital space—whether due to work demands, religious observance, or simply to share happiness with family—do so with the principle of minimal ego.

This means:

• Reduce the excessive use of the word "I" (ananiyah).
• Avoid flaunting private acts of worship.
• Realize that every letter and pixel we upload will be held accountable before the divine court.

If the primary motivation is purely to benefit humanity for the sake of Allah, then share it. When in doubt, silence and self-restraint are far safer for the safety of the heart.

The Fruit of Healing – True Freedom of the Soul (Al-Hurriyyah)

When a servant successfully frees his heart from the shackles of the validation era through Sufi therapies, he will reach a very high spiritual station (maqam), namely al-hurriyyah (true freedom).

Freedom from the Slavery of Creatures

A person whose life depends on external validation is actually a slave. He is a slave to the opinions of others, a slave to algorithms, and a slave to ever-changing trends. He must constantly wear a mask to please his audience.

In contrast, a servant whose heart has been healed by Sufism has only one focus of attention: Allah SWT. He no longer cared whether he was at the peak of popularity or the depths of public ignorance. For him, this world was merely a temporary waiting room.

His inner peace was no longer fragile, as it was no longer tied to ephemeral digital numbers, but rather firmly anchored in the Eternal Being (al-Baqi).

Finding Self-Worth in the Sight of Allah

He properly understood his true worth. A person's worth lies not in how aesthetically pleasing their digital profile is, but in how pure their heart is from the stain of idolatry and ego, and how deep their piety is.

As Allah says:

Conclusion

The era of validation, with all its technological sophistication, is the greatest spiritual test for the modern generation. riya’ (showing off) and insecurity are two sides of the same coin: the disappearance of Allah from the center of the heart's consciousness and his replacement by creatures.

Riya’ (showing off) destroys deeds from within through subtle arrogance, while insecurity crushes the soul from without through constant anxiety.

Sufism does not exist as an escape from reality, but as an inner anchor that enables us to stand firm amidst the storm of modern distortions. Through purification of intention, the courage to cultivate anonymity when necessary, a firm sincerity that rejects praise and blame, and a willing resignation to fate, the heart can return to its original, natural function.

Let us guard our hearts. Do not allow the sacred space within us to be commodified by digital metrics that will not help us in the grave.

Turn off our screens periodically, enter into inner silence, and whisper to our weary souls that they don't need validation from the rest of the world.

Allah is sufficient as a witness, Allah is sufficient as a protector, and Allah is sufficient as the final destination of every breath we take.

And Allah knows best.

وما توفيقي الا با لله عليه توكلت و اليه انيب

Yusuf Daud
Founder SophiaCitra Institute
PhiloSufi centre for Interfaith and Intercultural dialogue
Surabaya-Indonesia