In his book, Islamic Awakening between Rejection and Extremism, the prominent Muslim scholar, Sheik Yusuf Al-Qaradawi, states: “A Muslim should observe moderation in worship. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) is reported to have said: “Do not overburden yourselves, lest you perish. People [before you] overburdened themselves and perished. Their remains are found in hermitages and monasteries.”
Islam considers the whole earth a field for religious practice or the very business of religion. Islam also considers work a form of worship and a kind of striving in Allah’s Cause, if one’s intention is genuinely committed to the service of Allah, Exalted be He. As a result, Islam neither approves of the pursuit of spirituality at the expense of materialism nor of the tendency to “purify the soul” by neglecting and punishing the body, which other religions and philosophies prescribe and advocate. This is made very clear in the Qur’an: “Our Lord! Give us good in this world and good in the hereafter”, as well as in the following Hadith: “O, Allah, set right for me my religion which is the safeguard of my affairs; and set right for me the affairs of my [life in this] world wherein is my living; and set right for me my hereafter on which depends my afterlife; and make life for me [a source] of abundance for every good and make my death a source of comfort for me protecting me against every evil;” and: “Your body has a right over you.”
This is also manifest in the well-known Hadith that states: “Religion (Islam) is based on simplicity; and if a person wants to go to extremes in religion, he will find it difficult to do so.”
Anas Ibn Malik (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated: “A group of men came to the houses of the wives of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) asking about his worship. When they were informed about that, they considered their worship insufficient. One of them said, ‘I will offer Salah (prayer) throughout the night forever.’ The other said, ‘I will observe Siyam (fasting) throughout the year and will not break my Siyam.’ Allah’s Messenger came to them and said, ‘By Allah, I am more submissive to Allah and more afraid of Him than you; yet I observe Siyam and I break my Siyam, I sleep and offer night Salah, and I also marry women. So he who does not follow my Sunnah is not with me [i.e., not one of my followers].’
The Prophet’s Sunnah signifies his understanding of the faith and its application; i.e., his duty towards his Lord, himself, his family, and his followers – giving each the due right in a balanced and moderate way.”
Based on the forgoing proofs mentioned by Sheikh Al-Qaradawi, you should strike a balance between your worldly affairs and religious ones: don’t spend all your time in observing supererogatory acts of worship and try to carry out the obligatory ones in a perfect way; this would be better for you and your religion. When you observe a supererogatory act of worship, do not go to extremes and try not to do too many things. It is better if you do one thing and observe it regularly. But if the observation of a supererogatory act of worship contradicts an obligatory act, the latter is given priority over the former.
Observing Moderation in Worship
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