Q: Salaamu Alaikum Ya Sheikh, what, exactly, does moderation in Islam mean?
Marwa Abdallah, Bauchi
A: Amin Alaikil Salaam, What Allah requires from a Muslim is not overly burdensome. He prescribes moderation in every walk of life.
I remember a conversation I recently had with my neighbor and friend who happens to be a non-Muslim.
I had just returned from an Islamic conference. When she came to know about it, she looked worried, and asked: “No one advocates extremism at these sorts of things, do they?”
I almost laughed, but realizing the seriousness of her concern, I reassured her that advocating any kind of extremism was definitely not on the agenda.
I was struck by the unfortunate irony that extremism is often associated with Islam when in fact, moderation is supposed to be one of the most fundamental aspects of the Muslim’s creed. Allah Almighty says: “Thus We made you a “wasat” (moderate) nation, that you might be witness for all of humanity, and the messenger a witness over yourselves.” (Qur’an, 2:143).
The word “wasat” in Arabic can be defined in several ways. It means just, balanced, moderate, and the best.
This verse clearly explains the view Muslims have that God wants them to be a balanced and moderate nation so that they may serve as a “witness” or model for the rest of humanity.
It will be appropriate to understand extremism before we value the concept of moderation in Islam.
Extremism in any form, of anything, in brief is an abnormal human behavior, which is far from reasonable, or acceptable in a civilized society.
Being too liberal or too harsh in understanding Islam is also an exercise in extremism, which is again not in line with normative Islam. Either of the approaches hence greatly hurts the image of Islam in its own way.
The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “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.” (Al-Bukhari and Muslim,143).
The Prophet (peace be upon him) therefore often warned his companions against extremism and always advocated moderation in everything. When given two choices, he always chose the easiest, so long as it did not violate the rules of Islam.
Islam advocates a middle course in everything. This includes the way Muslims follow God’s commands, the way they think about God and the way they interact with and invite others to Islam.
Often, out of enthusiasm and ignorance, a Muslim may take on much more than he or she can handle in the way of acts of worship.
Imagine a person who one fine morning begins enthusiastically all the prayers, including all the sunnah and nafl prayers, waking up in the night for prayers and keeping fasts twice a week and reading Qur’an everyday without fail. He suddenly went to the extreme level in worshipping God, only to later find himself spiritually drained, which in turn made him indifferent and disappointed.
Allah knows best.