What is the Ruling concerning ar-Riyaa (Showing off with ones deeds)?

From: MSN NicknameUmm_Amatillaah (Original Message) Sent: 3/20/2007 10:28 PM
What is the Ruling concerning ar-Riyaa (Showing off with ones deeds)?
Ash-Shaykh al-‘Uthaymeen (rahimahullah) was asked: What is the Ruling concerning ar-Riyaa (Showing off with ones deeds)?

Answer: ar-Riyaa (showing off ones deeds) is from ash-Shirk al-Asghar (the smaller form of associating partners with Allah in worship), and that is because the person has associated partners along with Allah in worship by excluding Him, thus it being connected to ash-Shirk al-Akbar (the highest form of associating partners along with Allah in worship), Ibn-ul-Qayyim (rahimahullah) gave examples of ash-Shirk al-Asghar in Yaseer-ur-Riyaa and it is here where he points out that many forms of Riyaa are connected to ash-Shirk al-Akbar.

Allah Most High says:

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{Say: I am only a human being like all of you, It has been revealed to me that your God is One so whoever desires to meet his Lord then let him do righteous deeds and not associate anyone in worship with his Lord.} Soorat-ul-Kahf: 110

The righteous act is what is done correctly and done with sincerity, the one who is Khaalis intends by his action to seek the Face of Allah, and that which is correct is what is in accordance to the Legislation of Allah, as for the one who intends to do an act for other than Allah then it is not righteous, and whatever is not in accordance with the Legislation of Allah is not considered righteous nor will it be accepted by the one who commits the act based on the statement of the Prophet (peace & blessings of Allah be upon him): “Whoever does an act that is not in accordance with our affair (meaning: al-Islaam) then it will be rejected.” And his statement: “Actions are by intentions thus every man will get what he intended.”

Some of the People of Knowledge said that these two prophetic narrations are the two scales of actions, the first one regarding the intention is the scale of the inward actions and the second narration is the scale of the outward actions.
Translated by: Aboo Imraan al-Mekseekee

Arabic source: http://fatawa.al-islam.com/fatawa/Display.asp?FatwaID=422&ParentID=799&Page=1