Islam is simple-Two incidents from the life of the Messenger of Allah (S.A.W)
The Surah that we recite in every unit (rak'ah) of our prayers (Salat) is "Surah Al-Fatihah." One of the verses from this Surah is "Ihdinas Siratal Mustaqim," which means "Guide us on the Straight Path." Alongside Surah Al-Fatihah, there
are approximately 33 other verses in the Quran that instruct us to follow the Siratal Mustaqim, or the Straight Path. What is this highly important "Siratal Mustaqim," or the Straight Path? This Straight Path is the simple commitment that "In my life, I will obey no one but Allah." This is the declaration of "La ilaha illallah" (There is no god but Allah). Allah has sent numerous Messengers and Nabis and Rasuls to humanity with the call to fulfill this commitment. Whenever the previous religion was distorted, its simplicity ruined, and it became complicated and difficult to understand, Allah sent Messengers or Nabis and Rasuls to restore the balance and simplicity of the religion. In this continuity, Allah revealed the final religion or way of life to humanity through His last Messenger, Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him), with the main characteristics of balance, simplicity, and ease of practice. He said, "Allah intends for you ease and does not intend for you hardship" (Surah Al-Baqarah 2:185). He also said, "Allah does not burden a soul beyond that it can bear" (Surah Al-Baqarah 2:286).
In at least four verses of Surah Al-Qamar in the Holy Quran, Allah has said, "Indeed, We have made the Quran easy to understand for remembrance, so is there anyone who will remember?" (Al-Qamar 54:17, 22, 32, 40). This means that the divine book, which guides this religion, has been made easy for people to comprehend. Allah has repeatedly described the Quran as a "clear book" (Surah Az-Zukhruf 43:2).
If we look at the life of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) through whom this final way of life was sent to humanity, we will see that he practiced Islam in its simplest form throughout his life and taught his companions this simplicity. When he sent his companions to preach Islam and teach the religion in different areas, he instructed them, "Make things easy and do not make them difficult, give glad tidings and do not cause aversion, create calmness and tranquility, and do not create hatred or alienation among people" (Anas RA, Sahih Bukhari 69, Sahih Muslim 4626). In another hadith, the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said, "Indeed, the religion is easy. No one makes the religion difficult except that it will overwhelm him. So be moderate, seek closeness, and give good news, and seek help [from Allah] at morning and evening and some part of the night" (Abu Huraira RA, Sahih Bukhari 39).
Whenever he saw someone engaging in excessive interpretation and over-analysis of the simple and straightforward Islam, he became extremely angry and rebuked them harshly. He was always vigilant to ensure that no one complicated or made the straightforward teachings of Islam difficult, and that no one had the opportunity to exaggerate and expand upon its branches. Therefore, if we look at Allah's commands and the practices of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him), we will find no complexity, difficulty, or exaggeration. However, when we look at books on jurisprudence (fiqh), exegesis (tafsir), and various rulings (masail), we see strictness and boundless complexity. Who has made the straightforward Sirat al-Mustaqim (the Straight Path) of Islam so incomprehensible and complicated that people have turned away from Islam? To understand the simple and straightforward nature of Islam, we can refer to two incidents from the life of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him).
One day during Ramadan, a man came to the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) and said, "O Messenger of Allah, I have destroyed myself; I had intercourse with my wife while fasting." The Messenger (peace be upon him) told
him, "Free a slave." The man replied, "I do not have the means to do that." The Messenger (peace be upon him) then said, "Fast for two consecutive months." The man replied, "I am not physically capable of doing that." The Messenger (peace be upon him) then said, "Feed sixty poor people." The man replied, "O Messenger of Allah, I do not have the financial means to do that either." The Messenger (peace be upon him) then told him to wait.
After a while, a companion came and gave the Messenger (peace be upon him) a basket of dates as a gift. The Messenger (peace be upon him) called the man and said, "Take this and give it as charity among the poor." The man said, "O Messenger of Allah, who is poorer than me in this area?" Hearing this, the Messenger’s (peace be upon him) face broke into a smile and He said, "Alright, then take the dates and feed them to your family." (Bukhari, Hadith number: 1337, Muslim, Hadith number: 1111).
Allah does not want to cause hardship to people; He wants to purify them. Therefore, He has forbidden any form of extremism within Islam. Nowhere in the Quran does it state that someone will be sent to Hell or punished for not fasting. However, if a believer does not practice self-restraint through fasting, they will experience spiritual decline and fail to develop the desired moral qualities, becoming selfish. The people in society will not be endowed with virtues such as empathy, sacrifice, and self-control. Consequently, the society will not be peaceful but will be filled with unrest.
Another lesson from the hadith is that if one cannot fast, the expiation (kaffara) or compensation (fidya) should benefit society and alleviate poverty. This includes freeing slaves, feeding the poor, giving charity, etc. Providing charity or zakat during the month of Ramadan is also an important act that benefits people. When judged in this way, it becomes clear that the purpose of Islam is to bring about peace and prosperity in society.
Currently, the widely accepted fatwa regarding the expiation (kaffara) for breaking a fast includes three methods:
a) Freeing a slave,
b) Feeding sixty poor people two full meals each,
c) Fasting for sixty consecutive days. If someone breaks one of these fasts, they must start over and complete the full sixty days again. This fatwa is derived from the aforementioned hadith (Al-Hidayah, 1st volume, chapter on Siyam).
The question arises: such a strict ruling for expiation was never given by Allah or His Messenger (peace be upon him). There is no example in the lives of the Messenger's companions where such a strict practice was enforced. In the hadith mentioned above, while the Messenger (peace be upon him) initially mentioned these forms of expiation, his true intention is revealed through the subsequent conversation. It becomes clear that his intent was not to impose harshness when he, known as the Mercy to the Worlds, ultimately gave the poor companion the dates to eat with his family. Later on, jurists (fuqaha) and muftis made Islam intentionally stringent, which is a clear exaggeration.
Here is another incident: One day, a female companion came to the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) and proposed marriage to him. The Messenger (peace be upon him) showed a reluctance to accept her proposal. Seeing the
Messenger's (peace be upon him) refusal, another companion proposed to the woman. Upon hearing his proposal, the Messenger (peace be upon him) asked him what he had to offer for the marriage. The companion replied that he had nothing. The Messenger (peace be upon him) then sent him to his family to see if he could find anything. The companion left and returned, saying, "O Messenger of Allah, I found nothing."
The Messenger (peace be upon him) urged him again to look for even an iron ring. The companion once more said, "O Messenger of Allah, I found nothing, not even an iron ring." This questioning happened about three times, and each time the companion responded that he had nothing. Finally, the Messenger (peace be upon him) asked him how much of the Quran he had memorized. The companion mentioned the names of some Surahs he knew. The Messenger (peace be upon him) then arranged the marriage between the companion and the woman in exchange for the Surahs he had memorized. (Narrated by Sahal ibn Sa'd, Bukhari).
Notice that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) established a society where women sat in the mosque alongside men. There was no separate section for them or an area enclosed with black cloth. A woman directly proposed marriage to the Messenger (peace be upon him) in front of everyone. The Messenger (peace be upon him) did not accept the proposal, but another male companion did. How simple did the matter of marriage become? In contrast, today, a marriage involves countless discussions and costs thousands of dollars. At wedding ceremonies, using the excuse of modesty, the bride and groom are seated separately, and middlemen are hired to handle the proposal—among many other complications. Due to the excessive strictness of later scholars, Islam has become so complex that we are forced to turn to these intermediaries to practice our faith.
Nowadays, marriage has become so expensive that many people are forced to beg to cover the costs of a daughter's wedding and dowry. Conversely, in Arab countries, the groom's family often faces such high expenses that many men remain unmarried past the typical age because they cannot afford the dowry. According to a wedding company in the Arab Emirates, Emirati families spend an average of around 6.427 million taka on each wedding. This imbalance is precisely what Islam aimed to eliminate.
The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) promoted a very simple and straightforward method of marriage. He said, "The best dowry is the one that is easiest to give" (reported by Uqbah ibn Amir, Abu Dawud 2117, Hakim 2nd volume). The dowry (mahr) is essentially a token of respect, a gift from the husband to the wife, intended to honor and dignify her. This gift can be as costly as thousands of dollars or as modest as some dates, a small iron ring, or even a pair of shoes. It might sound surprising, but during the Messenger's time, many marriages were conducted in this simple manner.
Amer ibn Rabi'ah (may Allah be pleased with him) said, "A man from the Fazara tribe married in exchange for a pair of sandals. The Messenger (peace be upon him) approved of his marriage" (Sunan Ibn Majah, Tirmidhi 1113, Ahmad 15249, 15264, Irwa 1926).
Today, we see that during marriages, a hefty amount is written in the marriage contract (kabin-nama) as the dowry, but that money is not given to the wife. Instead, it is held in reserve to be settled in the event of divorce. We have witnessed how Islam, which was once simple and straightforward, has been made complex day by day, turning people away from the teachings of Islam. If we desire to lead our lives according to Islam again, we must break free from these complexities and return to following the simple and straightforward principles of Islam.
Images Related to this Post
Leave a Comment