He said, "During the time of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, we used to consider showing off to be the lesser form of polytheism."
قال كنا نعد الشرك الأصغر على عهد رسول الله ﷺ الرياء.
No references are available.
Bazzar narrated it in Kashf Astar (3565), and Tabarani narrated it in Awsat [Majma Bahrayn (4941)], both through Saeed bin Hakam bin Abu Maryam, who said, Yahya bin Ayub told us, from Umara bin Ghaziya, from Yaala bin Shaddad bin Aws, from his father, and he mentioned it. In Tabarani's version it reads "the greater shirk," but this may be a scribal error. Its chain of transmission is hasan because of Yahya bin Ayub and Yaala bin Shaddad, for both of them make the hadith hasan. Haythami said in Majma (10/222), "Tabarani and Bazzar narrated it, and the men of both chains are the men of the sahih, except for Yaala bin Shaddad, who is trustworthy."