1) On attaching too much importance to trivialities.
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In the name of Allah, the Most-Merciful, the All-Compassionate "May the Peace and Blessings of Allah be Upon You" Bismillah Walhamdulillah Was Salaatu Was Salaam 'ala Rasulillah As-Salaam Alaykum Wa-Rahmatullahi Wa-Barakaatuh ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1) On attaching too much importance to trivialities Tampering with religious principles or trying to overdo what has been prescribed by God is a sin. But, currently, it is a commonplace occurrence. We give too much importance to aspects that deserve less attention while ignoring the fundamentals of our religion. The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “Religion is very easy and whoever overburdens himself in his religion will not be able to continue in that way. So you should not be extremists, but try to be near to perfection and receive the good tidings that you will be rewarded.” (Sahih Bukhari, Volume 1, Book 2, No. 38) Unfortunately, we have made our religion very difficult and complex burdening ourselves with practices that are contrary to Islam. The Holy Qur’an says: “Allah burdens not a person beyond his scope. He gets reward for that (good) which he has earned, and he is punished for that (evil) which he has earned. “Our Lord! Punish us not if we forget or fall into error, our Lord! Lay not on us a burden like that which You did lay on those before us (Jews and Christians); our Lord! Put not on us a burden greater than we have strength to bear. Pardon us and grant us forgiveness. Have mercy on us. You are our Maula (Patron, Supporter and Protector, etc.) and give us victory over the disbelieving people.” (Surah Al-Baqarah: 286) The above verse underlines the fact that God does not burden people more than they can cope with. We have been advised to pray to God to make things easy for us. Whenever the Prophet (peace be upon him) had to choose between two options he opted for the easiest one. The Prophet at times used to fast for a few consecutive days, some of his companions tried to emulate him but he prevented them from doing so saying he got subsistence from God that provided him nourishment. The Prophet in all his dealings had been very simple and straightforward. He never wanted to complicate things. During the signing of the Hudaibiya Treaty, a situation arose that threatened to scuttle the agreement. The Holy Prophet dictated that it was a treaty between Muhammad, the Prophet of Allah, and the Quraish. Suhail B. Amr, an eminent citizen of Makkah, whom the Quraish sent to negotiate the treaty with the Muslims, objected to the preamble on the ground that the Quraish did not acknowledge him as the prophet of God and as such the reference to his prophethood should be omitted. Ali did not agree to omit the relevant words. Thereupon the Holy Prophet omitted these words himself. According to the treaty of Hudaibiya, truce was declared between the Muslims and the Quraish for ten years. The Prophet’s wise move helped materialize the treaty. Assuming that the treaty amounted to succumbing to the Quraish demands, Muslims were critical of the terms of the treaty. The Holy Prophet assured them that whatever he had done was under the command of God, and that the terms which appeared to be against the interest of the Muslims would turn out in their favour. While on the way back to Madinah, God sent a revelation that the treaty was a victory for the Muslims. The treaty of Hudaybiyah indeed set the stage for the expansion of Islam to the Arabian Peninsula. The Prophet who loved prayer more than anything else used to shorten it when he felt prolonging it would burden others. The Prophet said, “When I start the prayer I intend to prolong it, but on hearing the cries of a child, I cut it short because I know that the cries of the child will incite its mother’s passions.” We tend to make our religious practices difficult by resorting to difficult methods and burdening ourselves with secondary or marginal issues that are not the essence of our religion. Some of the religions prescribe shunning normal life and moving away from people — becoming monks who typically live under vows of poverty and celibacy. Unlike these religions, Islam stresses on living among the people and helping them in their adversity. It advocates a social order where people can live in peace and harmony sharing their problems and solving them with concerted efforts. The Prophet said: “Anyone who believes in God and the Last Day (of Judgment) should not harm his neighbour. Anyone who believes in God and the Last Day should entertain his guest generously. And anyone who believes in God and the Last Day should say what is good or keep quiet.” (Sahih Al-Bukhari, Volume 8, Book 73, No. 47). We tend to become extremists in our religious practices assuming we will be rewarded immensely for our deeds. But, in reality we are transgressing the limits set by our religion — that advocates moderation in all our day-to-day affairs. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2) Aspects of Islamic Faith — Comparing a miser to a charitable person Some people are very reluctant to give away anything to charity. Even when it comes to paying zakat, which is an incumbent duty on every Muslim who owns more than the threshold of zakat, they find it hard to pay it, trying to find ways to evade it. They feel that it is a tax that reduces what they have for themselves. Such people are often looking at their bank account balance and trying to explore ways of increasing it in whatever way they can. When the love of money becomes so keen, it is just like unquenchable thirst. Such people are oblivious of the fact that it is God who gives us whatever we have, and that He can give us from sources that we could not have ever thought available to us. People of genuine faith, on the other hand, realize this and discover that whatever they spend to help others is not merely rewarded in the hereafter, but also compensated for them. They end up increasing their money through spending it on others. Abu Hurayrah quotes the Prophet, peace be upon him, as saying: “A miserly person and the one who spends his money may be compared to two men with two robes made of iron, covering them from their breasts to their shoulders. Every time the charitable gives something, his robe extends and covers his skin, until it covers up his forefingers and wipes away his trace when he walks. As the miserly person wants to spend something, his robe sticks to the position it is in. He tries to extend it, but it does not.” (Related by Al-Bukhari) The first thing to note about this Hadith is the unusual comparison it makes. A miserly person should normally be compared to a generous one, but the Prophet draws the comparison with ‘one who spends his money’. He thus implies that spending one’s money on what is required or recommended by Islam contrasts with miserliness. It is not necessary, then, that one should be over generous in order not to be counted as miserly. A robe is normally worn from the top end, with the person putting his head through its opening. Therefore, it is first gathered at the top, then it stretches downward. These two persons are about to wear their iron robes. The robes are described as being made of iron, so as to indicate their additional use as shields protecting the wearers. Their initial status covers only the top part of one’s chest. As the generous person spends his money, whether on his dependents or helping strangers who are poor, the robe unfolds and covers a larger area of the wearer’s body. The more he gives away, the greater it extends, until it has covered him perfectly, including his forefingers. Moreover, it stretches to the ground, so that when he walks, it wipes away his trace so that he could not be pursued. By contrast, the one who is stingy is reluctant to spend his money, even on necessary matters for himself or his own family. Hence, whenever he has to spend something, his robe sticks in place. It covers nothing of his body, other than his top part. This is not the purpose for which robes are worn. The Hadith stresses the fact that charity, or sadaqah, provides protection from evil. It pleases God and wipes away one’s sins. It thus provides protection against hell in the hereafter. The Prophet says: “Shield yourselves from the fire, even though it may be by half a date.” Indeed the Prophet stressed these meanings in different ways. He is quoted to have said to Asma’: “Do not tie your purse tight; otherwise, God will tie things hard for you.” (Related by Al-Bukhari) - By Adil Salahi