Make Islam A Welcoming And Approachable Religion Rather Than One That Is Complicated And Difficult To Practise

By Kaniz Fatma, New Age Islam

9 September 2023

Is Islam A Very Difficult Religion To Practice?

Main Points

1.    The essay discusses the ease of adhering to Islam, highlighting its rich writings and comprehensive content, and calls for Muslim preachers to present Islam in a more approachable, friendly, and easy manner.

2.    Allah Azzawajal created comfort and ease for His servants, making Islam an easy-and-friendly religion through the teachings of the Quran and the Prophet’s Hadith.

3.    Understanding extremism is crucial for understanding moderation in Islam. Extremism is abnormal human behaviour that doesn't fit in a civilized society.

4.    Islam is simple but requires us to adhere to religious obligations like daily prayers, fasting, and zakat payments.

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Allah is Most Gracious. For His servants, He created comfort and ease in every situation.  It is not necessary to compel oneself to practise Islam or to do it in a difficult way. Instead, it ought to be practised with ease and compassion since Allah has made it simple for us by giving us a thorough manual in the form of the Quran and the teachings of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). Islam, which literally translates as "the religion of peace," is the name that Allah Almighty gave to this religion. In the Qur'an, the Almighty Allah declares:

“Truly, the religion with Allah is Islam.” (3:19)

Islam, which implies peace, security, and well-being, is derived from the infinitive Salama. So in its literal sense, it is a religion of absolute peace and security, teaching its adherents peace, love, tolerance, moderation and patience. It offers its adherents convenience and ease. Furthermore, respect for human rights and dignity, justice and equality are among topics that are well-covered in the Qur'an and Hadith. Islam's prohibition of all corruption, not even for the purpose of fostering peace and security, is evidence that it is a religion of peace and kindness.

Islam makes it very plain in various places that it is a very simple faith to follow. Below are a few verses as samples.

Allah Almighty says:

“Allah desires ease for you and does not desire hardship for you” (2:185)

“Allah will soon, after the hardship, create ease.” (65:7)

“So indeed with hardship is ease. Indeed with hardship is ease.” (94:5-6)

“And We shall create the means of ease for you.” (87:8)

“So We will very soon provide him ease.” (92:7)

Allah Almighty also says:

“And thus we have made you a “Wasat” (moderate) community that you will be witnesses over the people and the Messenger will be a witness over you.” (2:143)

The Arabic word "Wasat" has a number of meanings. It denotes what is finest, just, reasonable, and balanced. This verse illustrates Muslim belief that God wants them to be a moderate and well-balanced nation in order to act as a "witness" or role model for the rest of humanity. What does Islam intend by moderation, then?

Prior to appreciating the idea of moderation in Islam, it will be important to grasp extremism. In a nutshell, extremism in any form or context is abnormal human behaviour that has no place in a civilised society. Another way to exercise extremism is to have an unduly liberal or harsh interpretation of Islam, which is still another departure from mainstream Islam. As a result, each strategy drastically harms Islam's reputation in its own way.

The Prophet (peace be upon him) once stated:

"I fast, but not every day, I pray at night, but not all night, and I am a married man; whoever does not wish to follow my way, he is not from me." (Sahih Muslim/Sahih Bukhari)

The Prophet (peace be upon him) always counselled moderation in all things and warned his companions to stay away from extremism. When given a choice between two possibilities, he always went with the easier option as long as it did not violate Islamic law.  Islam encourages finding the middle ground in all situations. This pertains to the way Muslims interact with people and invite them to Islam, as well as the way they obey God's commands.

The honourable Prophet said:

‘The religion (Islam) is easy,’ (Sahih Bukhari)

Allama Badruddin Al-'Ayni writes the following in response to the question of whether Islam is an easy religion:

“The religion being easy” refers to Islam being easier than all the previous religions. This explains why the Muslim nation does not have the same problems as earlier nations. By way of Tayammum, for instance, previous nations were unable to achieve purity. Actually, the impure part of their clothing had to be cut out. By His mercy and favour extended to this Ummah, Allah Almighty abolished these limitations and challenges.

Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala says: “And (He) has not kept any hardship upon you in the religion” (17:78) (Summarised from 'Umda-tul-Qaari, vol. 1, p. 348)

The Prophet (peace be upon him) is reported to have said:

“Religion is quite simple, and anyone who overcommits to it will be unable to maintain their devotion. Therefore, instead of being extreme, strive to come close to perfection and believe that you will be rewarded. You can build up your strength by worshipping in the mornings, the afternoons, and in the wee hours of the night.” (Sahih Bukhari)

The Hadith advises against making religion difficult; rather, we should make sure that our intentions are good and have faith in Allah Almighty for every worship session. If we are motivated by good intentions, our Creator will reward us more.

Islam is simple to follow, but that does not imply we should slack up on our religious obligations, such as the five daily prayers, the Ramadan fast, and the payment of zakat, etc. Here, we need to evaluate ourselves and wonder how it is that we can work for eight hours a day but find it difficult to complete the Salah which takes only a few minutes. Similar to this, why are we prepared to spend a significant portion of our money on material goods yet find it difficult to pay the 2.5% zakat? In a similar vein, we find it challenging to find the time to learn the fundamentals of Islam even if taking a course of study to advance our careers is not only simple but pleasurable. We will definitely realise that these things are nothing more than excuses if we give them any attention.

The instances that are briefly discussed in this essay demonstrate that Islam is not a difficult religion to adhere to. The writings of Islam provide a great lot more material on this subject that is adequately covered for those who are interested in additional details. In addition to this answer, it is crucial to remember that many Muslim preachers present the interpretation of Islam in a way that is out of character for Islam as an approachable religion. They must take this into account and change their viewpoint in order to present Islam in a rightful, friendly and easy manner.

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Kaniz Fatma is a classic Islamic scholar and a regular columnist for New Age Islam.

 

URL:    https://newageislam.com/islamic-society/islam-religion-complicated-practise/d/130639

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