These people hid their deeds, so Allahthe Most High hid for them that which no eye has seen and no ear has heard. (Hassan Al-Basri)Performing good deeds away from the scrutinizing eyes of people overwhelms a believer with an aura of a special kind, a thrill and an indescribablecloseness to Allah. No words can ever describe such a feeling as words are limited yet, the proximity to Allahis the complete opposite of that. Only those who struggle to achieve thiscan experience it. An action done truly for the sake of Allah, with the intention of pleasing Him alone rather than awaiting the recognition and appreciation of other people, is what leads to the manifestation of contentment and absolute joy in the heart of a believer.Moreover, in addition to thepleasureone feels when doing something solely for the sake of Allah, the solitude helps a believer rid themselves ofadestructive heart disease that if not treated as soon as detected, could eventually decompose ones eeman, henceleaving them with a hard heart, naoothibillah.And this heart disease is called Riya/HypocrisyIt is when one pretends to be doing good but their intentions are actually evil and corrupt. It causes a person to perform an actionfor other people to see and applaud andnot just for the sake ofAllah.Allahwarns us in the Quran:He knows what is within the heavens and earth and knows what you conceal and what you declare. And Allah is Knowing of that within the breasts.1Many a times, when we perform good deeds, we feel satisfied every time a personnotices and complements. However, that should not be our attitude to praise. As scholars would always say, we have to learn to be uncomfortable with praise. Naturally, but not all the time, excessive praise causes our intentions to change, thereby leading us to perform a deedto please others and not just Allah. We becomeaccustomedto it to the extent that future actions are done formore praise tobe earnedrather than for the pleasure of our Creator.To ensure that our intentions are always sincere and that our actions are solely for the sake of Allah, we should increase the number of deeds done in secret as that would result in truthful worship: that which Allahloves. Good deeds in solitude teach us that Allahis the only one worthy of our attention and that we shouldexpect our reward from Himalone, and no one else.Story Time!Inspirational stories, especially from the time of the Prophet, are absolutely important to refer tobecause not only are they informative, but alsotransformative.1) During the funeralof Sad ibn Muath, Prophet Mohammedwas seen to be lifting his thobe and walking on his tiptoes.When asked about it, he said he couldnt lay his feet on the ground from thenumber of angels that have descended from the sky to attend the funeral 70,000 angels they were. The reason behind that? Heused to perform an action just between him and Allah.2.SubhanAllah! It doesnt matter what the deed was, rather the fact was that he maintained a private actwith his creator and ensured that no one else was aware of it. What a heavenly honor!2)A man by the name of Daood ibn Abi Hindfasted for forty years without the knowledge of his family. He would take some food with him in the morning and would distribute it to the poor whilst heading to work (family members thought he had breakfast at work whilecolleaguesthought that he had already eaten at home). Whenreturning home after maghrib, he would eat with his family,for him it was iftar whilefor them it was dinner.33) At the middle of the night, on a daily basis, Ali ibn Hussain (also known as Zayn-al-Abidin)used to collect food in a large bag. Having his face covered up, he would knock on the doors of the poor and needy and give them food. When they stopped receiving food from the generous stranger,the poor rushed out of their homes to see who had died, thusidentifying him asAli ibn Hussain. When shroudinghis body, a black mark was spotted at his shoulder from the heavy weight he used to carry every night. 44) Ibrahim Al Nikhay was a man who used to hide the Quranifa person entered while he was reading from it. He wanted Allahto be the onlywitness of his action and toavoid peoples approving gaze. 5How can we implement this in our daily lives?1) If you visit some relatives or friends while fasting on Mondays and Thursdays and were offered some food, rather than announcingto themthat you are fasting, try to say something else like: Im not feeling hungry or Im bloated. However, avoid lying andtry to excuse yourself politely yetsmartly.2) At night, when all family members are asleep, collect the remaining food and give it out to those who are in need.3) When making dhikr in a public place, hide your fingers from the sight of others so that itmay be a secret action just between you and Allah.4) Wake up at night and pray in solitude, even if it is just one rakah, butmake sure that only Allahis aware of your action.And the examples are endlessThe sareera (hidden action) does not necessarily have to be big or small. The only condition is that Allahis the only witness. The pleasure one feels when connecting with Allahis infinitely superior to the pleasure felt when receiving praise from other people. It is simply unfathomable!*Important Note*Do not confuse this with the concept of enjoining in good. When we find ourselves performing good deeds, it is wise to remind others of them and as Allahsays in the Quran:And remind, for indeed, the reminder benefits the believers.6However, what is highlightedin this article are the spiritual benefitsofhidden good deeds: that is ofstrengthening ones eeman, purifying the intentions and establishing a connection with Allahasit is just between you and Him.Please share your ideas and suggestions on the kind of good deeds we can perform in secrecy. We would love to read your ideas.Share the khair.