Ibn Ghanm, may Allah have mercy on him, says that when I entered the mosque of "Jabiyah" with Sayyiduna Abu Darda, may Allah be pleased with him, we met Sayyiduna Ubadah bin Samit, may Allah be pleased with him. He took my right hand with his left hand and the left hand of Sayyiduna Abu Darda, may Allah be pleased with him, with his right hand, and he himself started walking between us. We were talking along the way, the knowledge of which is best known to Allah. Sayyiduna Ubadah bin Samit, may Allah be pleased with him, said: If either of you or both of you live long, you will see that an excellent "Muslim" who has recited the Qur'an from the blessed tongue of the Prophet (peace be upon him), has repeated it, has considered its lawful as lawful and its unlawful as unlawful, and has descended at its stations, or has learned the Qur'an from his brother who learned it from the Prophet (peace be upon him), and has done all the aforementioned deeds, will be as astonished as the head of a dead donkey is astonished. During this conversation, Sayyiduna Shaddad bin Aws, may Allah be pleased with him, and Awf bin Malik, may Allah be pleased with him, also arrived and sat with us. Sayyiduna Shaddad, may Allah be pleased with him, said: O people! In the light of the saying of the Prophet (peace be upon him), the thing I fear most for you is hidden desire and shirk (associating partners with Allah). Upon hearing this, Sayyiduna Abu Darda and Sayyiduna Ubadah bin Samit, may Allah be pleased with them, said: May Allah forgive! Did the Prophet (peace be upon him) not tell us that Satan has despaired of being worshipped in the Arabian Peninsula? As for "hidden desire," we understand it to mean worldly desires, such as women and their desires. But Shaddad! What is this shirk that you are warning us about? Sayyiduna Shaddad, may Allah be pleased with him, said: Tell me, if you see a man performing prayer, fasting, or giving charity to show off to others, is he committing shirk? They replied: Yes, by Allah! He is committing shirk. Sayyiduna Shaddad, may Allah be pleased with him, said: I also heard the Prophet (peace be upon him) say: Whoever prays to show off, he commits shirk; whoever fasts to show off, he commits shirk; and whoever gives charity to show off, he commits shirk. Sayyiduna Awf bin Malik, may Allah be pleased with him, said: Is it not possible that the sincere part of the deed is accepted and the part of shirk is left? Sayyiduna Shaddad, may Allah be pleased with him, said: I heard the Prophet (peace be upon him) say: Allah says, "I am the best of partners. Whoever associates anyone with Me, his entire deed, whether little or much, is for his partner, and I am free from him."