Part 6
By Khyber Jalal
4. Moderation in Worship and Obedience
Another beautiful expression of moderation and balance in Islam is moderation in worship and obedience. Islam does not ask a Muslim, in the name of worship, to neglect personal, family, or social responsibilities, nor does it encourage a person to place excessive hardship upon himself. Rather, it calls people to a form of worship that is within their ability, consistent, and balanced.
As Allah Almighty says:
لَا يُكَلِّفُ اللّٰهُ نَفْسًا إِلَّا وُسْعَهَا
“Allah does not charge a soul except [with that within] its capacity.”
(Surah Al-Baqarah 2:286)
The Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) always discouraged his noble Companions from excess and extremism in worship. As mentioned earlier, a group of the Companions resolved to increase their acts of worship. One decided to fast every day, another to spend every night in prayer, and a third chose to avoid marriage altogether.
When the Prophet (PBUH) learned of this, he said:
“By Allah, I fear Allah more than any of you and I am the most mindful of Him. Yet I fast and I also break my fast. I pray at night and I also rest. And I marry women. Whoever turns away from my Sunnah is not from me.”
This hadith clearly shows that the path of Islam is the path of balance and moderation. It is neither the path of monasticism and withdrawing from worldly life, nor the path of neglecting worship and the remembrance of Allah. A Muslim is expected to maintain balance between the rights of Allah, the rights of his own soul, the rights of his family, and the rights of society.
For this reason, worship that is marked by moderation, sincerity, and consistency is more beloved to Allah than burdensome acts that a person cannot continue.
Islam wants the Muslim to follow the middle path in every stage of life, so that he may benefit from the blessings of worship while also fulfilling his other responsibilities in the best possible way.
