” On the authority of Abu Huraira Abdul Rahman ibn Sakhr (may Allah be pleased with him) who said: I heard the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) saying, “What I have forbidden you, stay away from. What I have ordered you [to do], do as much of it as you can. Verily, the people before you were destroyed only because of their excessive questioning and their disagreeing with their Prophets.” [Recorded by al-Bukhari and Muslim.]
- “What I have forbidden you, stay away from”
- “What I have ordered you [to do], do as much of it as you can.”
- “Verily, the people before you were destroyed only because of their excessive questioning”
- “Verily, the people before you were destroyed only because of. .. their disagreeing with their Prophets.”
- Related Issues
- Other Points Related to This Hadith
- Summary of the Hadith
General Comments on the Hadith: Although it is succinct, this hadith leads directly and indirectly to a number of important principles of Islamic fiqh. It also states the causes that bring about the destruction of a people.
The Circumstances Behind the Hadith: The narration in Sahih Muslim gives the circumstances that led to the Prophet’s (peace be upon him) statement:
On the authority of Abu Huraira: The Prophet (peace be upon him) once addressed us saying, “O people, Allah has made the Hajj obligatory upon you.” A man said, “Every year, O Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him)?” The Prophet (peace be upon him) remained quiet. The man repeated the question three times. Finally, the Prophet (peace be upon him) said, “If I were to say, ‘Yes,’ it would become obligatory upon you and you would not be able to do it.” Then he said, “Leave me with what I have left you with. Verily, the people before you were destroyed because of their excessive questioning and their opposition to their prophets. If I order you to do something, do what you can. If I prohibit you something, leave it.”
1. “What I have forbidden you, stay away from”
The Nature of Prohibition: The word nahi is translated here as “forbidden,” although it has two implications. There is a strict or complete prohibition of an act and then there is a recommendation to avoid an act out of dislike for the act. The first type is called (al-tahreem), which makes something haraam or forbidden. The second type is called (al-karaaha), which makes an act discouraged or disliked (makrooh). The most apparent meaning of this particular hadith is in reference to what is strictly forbidden, and not simply disliked. This includes adultery, fornication, drinking alcohol, taking interest, stealing, murder and so forth. These acts are all strictly prohibited and, based on this hadith, one must do one’s best to avoid them under all circumstances. Disliked acts are to be avoided but there is no sin upon the person who commits them, especially on an irregular basis. Even if there is no necessity involved, it is conceivable that a Muslim may perform some of these acts.
However, the person who wants to attain a purer level of taqwa and closeness : to Allah would definitely do his best to avoid this category of acts also. This , category would include, for example, eating raw onions or garlic before attending the congregational prayer
2. “What I have ordered you [to do], do as much of it as you can.”
The Nature of Order: Similar to the term, “prohibition”, the term “order” has two levels to it. One is when a person is ordered to do something and is, under normal circumstances, not excused for not performing the act. This kind of order is called eejaab and makes an act obligatory. The second type of order is more of a recommendation to do a specific act. This type is called nadab and renders an act recommended. The obligatory acts include the prayers, zakat, fasting, fulfilling one’s oaths and promises and so forth. A person must do his best to fulfill these acts. If a person fails to fulfill such an act, in general, he has committed a sin. The recommended acts include the sunnah prayers, spending for good causes and so forth. If a person does these acts, Allah will be pleased with him and will reward him. If a person fails to perform these acts on occasion, there is no sin imputed to him.
The Principle that “What One Can Perform is Not Excused because of What One Cannot Perform”: This legal maxim that is mentioned by the jurists is directly derived from this hadith of the Prophet (peace be upon him). In this hadith, the Prophet (peace be upon him) has told Muslims that, when he orders something, they must fulfill whatever is within their ability to perform. It is understood from this statement that certain acts may fall outside the limits of one’s ability. Suppose one is in a situation where he can fulfill part of what is ordered but is simply not able to fulfill all of it. What should he do in that case? The general principle is that he must fulfill all that he is able to fulfill and he is excused from that which he is not capable. As just stated, this conclusion is directly derived from this hadith as one must do whatever he is able to do.
An example commonly given is the case where a person is not able to pray while standing. In this case, he still prays but he does so sitting. This example is directly based on another hadith of the Prophet (peace be upon him):
“Pray standing. If you are not able to, then pray sitting. And if you are not able to [do even that], then pray while on [your] side.” (Recorded by al-Bukhari.)
There are, though, some cases in which, if one cannot perform part of the act, one does not perform the act at all. For example, if a person, such as a diabetic, can only fast half a day due to his condition, then he does not fast a portion of the day and break his fast for the remainder of the day. Instead, he is not obliged to fast whatsoever. This is because fasting half a day is not considered a form of worship in any sense. Hence, the person does not do that portion. Similarly, if a person must free a slave as an expiation, if he can only afford to free a third of a slave, that is pay one-third of his price, he does not do that because such is not fulfilling the act that he was supposed to perform.
2.1 The Relative Importance of Orders and Prohibitions
Every command or prohibition has its importance. However, the scholars have noted how, in this hadith, the Prophet (peace be upon him) spoke about orders and prohibitions in a completely different manner. In one case, the case of prohibitions, he told Muslims to stay away from them completely. In the other case, the case of orders, he told Muslims to perform as much of them as he can. This difference in his speech is quite significant and has been discussed in detail by the scholars.
If fulfilling an order becomes very difficult upon a person, he is, in many cases, excused from fulfilling that command. This is an implication from this hadith. However, the Prophet (peace be upon him) has left no such room for indulging in forbidden acts. Even if it is difficult upon a person to refrain from a forbidden act, he must do so. He cannot use “hardship” or difficulty as an excuse to fulfill his desire by performing a forbidden act. In fact, from the shareeah point of view, everyone is “capable” of refraining from a particular sin while not everyone may be capable of fulfilling what has been commanded. Al-Haitami notes how the shareeah allows one to not perform an obligatory deed if there is some hardship, such as breaking one’s fast or not praying while standing due to illness, however, the shareeah never allows one to take part in something forbidden unless the case is not simply hardship but extreme necessity.
This hadith, in hand with other evidences from the Quran and sunnah, have led most scholars to conclude that it is more important to remain away from forbidden acts than it is to perform the ordered deeds. This does not mean that one may be lax in performing what has been ordered. However, it does mean that one must be even more careful and stringent when it comes to avoiding the forbidden acts. One of the early scholars said, “The righteous deeds are performed by the righteous and the wicked. However, only the truthful ones avoid the sinful deeds.” Indeed, there is even a hadith in which the Prophet (peace be upon him) was advising Abu Huraira and he said, “Protect yourself from the forbidden acts and you will be the one who worships [Allah] the most of the people.”
This stage is reached after one has fulfilled the necessary obligatory acts, such as the acts related to tauheed, prayer and so forth. It is, however more important to avoid the forbidden acts then to go beyond those obligatory acts into the non-obligatory acts. Indeed, avoiding the forbidden is obligatory while the recommended acts are supererogatory.
Commenting on this aspect, al-Bugha and Mistu, two modem authors, Wrote, From this point, one can see the mistake that many Muslims commit, especially during these times. This spreads contradiction in their lives. One finds a person very keen on doing the acts of obedience and the obligatory acts. He might even be very strict in following the recommended and beloved acts. However, one also finds him, at the same time, lax when
it comes to doing forbidden acts. He might practice many forbidden acts. [For example,] one can find a fasting person taking part in interest transactions. A woman who made the Hajj and pays zakat leaves her house exposing her beauty [not wearing the proper hijaab ] … Such people think that their act of worship will save them in Allah’s sight. .. However, this goes against what Allah, the All-Wise, the Lawgiver has stated.
It is confirmed in the sunnah of the leader of the messengers and the understanding of the leading noble Companions and Imams that the foundation of worship is to avoid what Allah has prohibited. [And,] the path of success is to strive against one’s self and desires and make them avoid the forbidden acts … Abdullah ibn Umar, the Imam of the worshippers, stated, “To return one-sixth of a dirham [illegally gotten] is preferred to spending one hundred thousand [dirhams] in the way of Allah.” Al-Hasan al-Basri, the leader of the Followers, said, “The worshippers of Allah do not worship in any way better than avoiding what Allah has forbidden.” Umar ibn Abdul Aziz also once said, “Taqwa is not praying during the late night and fasting during the day and mixing [between permissible and impermissible] between those two. But Taqwa is to fulfill what Allah has obligated and avoid what Allah has forbidden. If, in addition to that, there are some [good voluntary] deeds, it is goodness upon goodness.”
This shows us that avoiding the forbidden takes precedence over doing the acts of obedience. This does not mean, as we said, that a Muslim should be lax in performing the obligatory deeds. This is how some of those people who have diseased hearts and weak souls behave. They are very lax and lazy when it comes to Allah’s law and they do not do what Allah has obligated. Then they claim that they are better than those who pray and fast due to the fact that their behavior with the people is good and the religion means to have good dealings with the people… These people, like those described above, have left the path of guidance ..
Hence, both approaches are wrong. A Muslim must perform the acts that are obligatory upon him while at the same time completely remaining away from the forbidden acts. Al-Baitaar, another modem author, echoed their views when he wrote, We see some people very keen on using the miswaak (the toothstick) while they do not avoid backbiting, spreading tales and having forbidden wealth. They will argue about covering the head if they are behind an Imam whose head is uncovered while they will not be careful about lying in their dealings or looking at what Allah has forbidden one to look at. [People must be aware of how incorrect this situation is.
3. “Verily, the people before you were destroyed only because of their excessive questioning”
As was clearly demonstrated in the Hadith of Jibreel, not all questioning is bad. The Angel Jibreel came and asked the Prophet (peace be upon him) important and beneficial questions. Indeed, there are some questions
that are considered fardh ain or an obligation upon the individual. Those are the questions that one needs to ask in order to understand and practice the religion correctly, such as how to pray, how to fast and so forth. Therefore, to understand this portion of the hadith, one has to understand what types of questions are being referred to. The same is true for the verse in the Quran in which Allah says,
“O believers! Ask not about things which, if made plain to you, may cause you trouble. But if you ask about them while the Quran is being revealed, they will be made plain to you. Allah has forgiven that, and Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Forbearing” (al-Maaidah 101).
The prohibition or censure in these two texts concerns questions for which answers are not needed. They are in relation, for example, to hypothetical questions, questions just for fun and ridicule, and questions due to obstinacy. These kinds of questions are not allowed. They were put forth by the hypocrites, disbelievers and those whose hearts were diseased of the Prophet’s time and are still prohibited today.
During the time of the Prophet (peace be upon him), in particular, it was not preferred to ask many questions about permissible and impermissible acts. This was because it may be due to somebody’s excessive questioning that a particular act would become forbidden. The Prophet (peace be upon him) once stated,
“The Muslim with the greatest sin with respect to the other Muslims is the one who asked about something which was not forbidden but became forbidden due to his questioning.” (Recorded by al-Bukhari and Muslim.)
In fact, in general, those Muslims who made the hijrah to Madinah were not allowed to ask questions, as the Companion al-Nawaas ibn Samaan stated. (Recorded by Muslim.) If something was needed for them to know, Allah would reveal it in the Quran or the sunnah of the Prophet (peace be upon him). It was only the bedouins and outsiders who did not have daily access to the Prophet (peace be upon him) that were allowed to come and put forth questions to the Prophet (peace be upon him). Anas stated that they were not allowed to ask questions. Therefore, they would be very happy whenever an intelligent bedouin would come and ask questions and they would be able to listen in. (Recorded by Muslim.)
Scholars point out that this fear of something becoming forbidden due to a person’s questioning ended with the death of the Prophet (peace be upon him). It was only during his time, when the Quran was being revealed, that such a possibility existed. Hence, that possibility is no longer a reason for the disapproval for asking questions. However, there are still many valid reasons for which it is disapproved to ask too many questions.
3.1 The Correct Approach
Ibn Rajah points out that everything a Muslim needs is made clear in the Quran and sunnah. The clear exposition is there. Therefore, one does not have to worry about theoretical questions. Instead, what is of utmost importance, is to tum to the Quran and sunnah and to study them, to learn and understand what they say and then to apply them in one’s life. This is the correct approach. The person should be most concerned about understanding and application. Different cases that one might be able to hypothesize in the future are of no concern because, in reality, they may never come up.
The Muslim must tum to the Quran and sunnah. He must do his utmost to understand them properly. Then he should busy himself with believing in them, if the texts are a matter of faith, and applying them, if the texts are related to action. If a text is an order, he should apply it to the best of his ability. If it is a prohibition, he must remain away from what is prohibited. This was the way of the Companions when it came to taking the knowledge from the Prophet (peace be upon him)
In this hadith, the Prophet (peace be upon him) has shown that one should be concerned with fulfilling the orders and staying away from the ; forbidden and not be concerned with asking questions. That is the relationship between the different parts of this hadith. Again, the Prophet (peace be upon · him) said, “What I have forbidden you, stay away from. What I have ordered ‘ you [to do], do as much of it as you can. Verily, the people before you were destroyed only because of their excessive questioning and their disagreeing with their Prophets.” That is, do not worry about asking too many questions. One should just take what has been clearly given and act upon it. It is either an order to do something or a prohibition. In order to implement it, one need not ask too many questions about it.
This was the way of the Companions. Umar would curse those who would ask about situations that had not occurred. If Zaid ibn Thaabit was asked about something, he would say, “Has that happened?” If the answer was in the negative, he would say, “Leave it until it happens.” Al-Auzaai once said, “If Allah wants to prevent His servant from getting the blessings of knowledge, He makes his tongue busy with the perplexing problems. Verily, I have seen those people and they are the people with the least amount of knowledge.” The Companion Abu al-Darda once stated, “You will not be a scholar until you are! a student. And you will still not be a scholar based on knowledge until you act [based on that knowledge]. And it is sufficient as a sin for a person that he continues to be argumentative. And it is sufficient as a sin for a person that he continues to be quarrelsome.” (Recorded by al-Daarimi.)
If the person is just concerned with hypothetical cases, it would lead him not to act at all. He may even come across some cases where what has been stated cannot be applied- in fact, in his ignorance, he may not even realize that the text does not apply at all to such a case. This weakens his faith in the text and weakens his application of the text. Ibn Rajah points out that, unfortunately, people also go to the opposite extreme. That is, instead of taking a text and asking questions about it and so forth, they simply take the text but fail to study and understand its meaning. Historically, this happened with some of the people busy with hadith. They passed on the texts but never realized what the texts meant. Consequently, they had some very strange ideas about how to apply the hadith.
Both of these approaches are incorrect. The correct approach is to accept whatever has been said in the Quran and sunnah. One should strive to understand it properly, in the light of the sunnah of the Prophet (peace be upon him), teachings of the Companions and the other great scholars of lslam. Then, when one understands the purport of the verse or hadith, one applies it in his life.
In fact, as ibn Rajah pointed out, when a new situation arises and this approach is properly followed, the person will be able to understand the situation properly. He will be able to apply what he has studied and understood from the Quran and sunnah to that new situation. Ibn Rajah then states that whoever tries to follow a path other than this one, will be confused and destroyed in the end.
The key to all of this is that the person must have the right intention. He must have the intention to get closer to Allah by knowing and understanding what Allah has revealed. He must have the intention to properly follow the Straight Path as it is shown in the Quran and sunnah. If the person does that, Allah will guide him and show him the straight path. Allah will teach him what he had not known. He will be from those truly knowledgeable people that Allah has described in the Quran: “It is only those who have knowledge among His slaves that fear Allah” (Faatir 28).
4. “Verily, the people before you were destroyed only because of. .. their disagreeing with their Prophets.”
Differences and bickering are one of the greatest means by which a people become weakened. They turn their attention and anger towards one another. They even disagree with their leader and guide, as is the case when people turn against the guidance of their own prophets. In this hadith, the Prophet (peace be upon him) stated a second reason for the destruction of the earlier peoples: their disagreeing with their prophets- that is, their lack of complete and absolute submission to their Prophets. This is in contrast to Allah’s description of the true believers:
“The only saying of the faithful believers when they are called to Allah and His Messenger to judge between them is that they say, ‘We hear and we obey,’ And such indeed are the successful. Whosoever obeys Allah and His Messenger, fears Allah and keeps his duty [to Him], such are the successful” (al-Noor 51- 52).
One of the classic examples of a people disagreeing with their prophet is found in the Tribes of Israel. Allah states in the Quran,
“And (remember) when Moses said to his people, ‘Verily, Allah commands you that you slaughter a cow.’ They said, ‘Do you make fun of us?’ He said, ‘I seek refuge in Allah from being among the ignorant.’ They said, ‘Call upon your Lord for us that He may make plain to us what it is. ‘ He [Moses] said, ‘He [Allah] says, “Verily, it is a cow neither too old nor too young, but [it is] between the two conditions. So do what you have been commanded.”‘ They said, ‘Call upon your Lord for us to make plain to us its color. ‘ He said, ‘He says, “It is a yellow cow, bright it in its color, pleasing the beholders.”‘ They said, ‘Call upon your Lord for us to make plain to us what it is. Verily, to us all cows are alike. Surely, if Allah wills, we will be guided. ‘ He [Moses] said, ‘Verily, He says, “It is a cow neither trained to till the soil nor water the fields, sound, having no other color except bright yellow.”‘ They said, ‘Now you have brought the truth.’ So they slaughtered it though they were near not to do it” (al-Baqara 67-71 ).
These verses describe the obstinate and disagreeable behavior of the Tribes of Israel. The Quranic commentators have presented a story related to this incident. 1 In brief, it states that a person was found murdered and, to discover the murderer, Moses (peace be upon him) told them to sacrifice a cow. In fact, the only cow that they finally found who met all the descriptions that they, in reality, forced upon themselves was an expensive cow. Hence, some of them were not willing to fulfill the order because of the expenses involved.
The important point is what is shown in the text of the Quran: how they responded to Moses’ command. Instead of accepting and submitting, they objected first and then quarreled about the details. It came to the point that they almost did not fulfill the command of Allah. Instead of simply fulfilling what Allah had ordered of them, they began to question. And because of their questioning and obstinate approach, Allah actually made the matter more and more difficult for them by giving more details about the cow that they should slaughter. In fact, on this point there is a hadith recorded by al-Bazzaar in which the Prophet (peace be upon him) stated, “If the Tribe of Israel had even taken the smallest [or least valuable] cow, it would have sufficed for them.” If this hadith is authentic, it demonstrates the point here in a beautiful fashion.
Allah has made a very clear warning in the Quran for anyone who: considers differing with the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) and not · completely submitting to his way. Allah has said, “And let those be warned who oppose [any] order of the Messenger that there will be a trial to befall them or a painful punishment inflicted on them” (an Noor 63).
5. Related Issues
5.1 The Principle that “Hardship Begets Facility”
A legal maxim that is derived from this hadith is that “hardship begets facility.” It is clear from this hadith that not all that the Prophet (peace be upon him) ordered is within the capacity of each individual. There may be times when fulfilling the order may lead to great hardship. In such cases, the Shareeah makes things easier for the individual so that he does not have to face any undue hardship. For example, it may become very difficult upon a person who is traveling to fulfill all of the regular practices of Islam. The shareeah has realized this fact and has taken the traveler’s particular situation into consideration. Therefore, for example, a traveler is allowed to break his fast, combine his prayers and shorten them as well.
A fiqh example based on this principle is the ignoring of small amounts of impurities that may be difficult to remove or continuously avoid. Similarly, in business contracts, there might be some amount of “ignorance” or lack of exactness involved that is overlooked by the shareeah. These are all based on this principle that undue hardship or difficulties are taken into consideration by the shareeah. This does not mean that if one faces any form of hardship, he is no longer to apply the shareeah. There are some types of “hardship” that the shareeah expects the person to bear. For example, prayer five times a day is a type of “hardship,” in the sense that it requires effort on the part of the person. However, that kind of “hardship” is approved by the shareeah and no one is allowed to abandon that act in the name of hardship. What is referred to by this principle is the undue or extreme hardship that one cannot normally meet on a day to day basis.
5.2 The Principle that “When Conflicting, Preventing Harm takes Precedence Over Producing Benefits”
This is another important principle that is discussed by the jurists. Once again, it is closely related to the meaning of this hadith wherein the Prophet (peace be upon him) gave more importance to refraining from forbidden acts than fulfilling what he had ordered.
Unfamiliarity with this principle has kept many people today from understanding a number of the rulings of the shareeah. For an act to be prohibited in the shareeah, it is not a must for it to be a “pure evil”, as some people seem to think. In other words, it is not necessarily the case that it does not contain any good in it at all. The important point is that the evil that usually results from it is greater than the good that may come from it. The shareeah is more concerned with preventing harm and will prohibit an act if the overall outcome is negative and not positive. This is very clearly shown in the Quran with respect to gambling and alcohol. Allah says, “They ask you concerning alcoholic drink and gambling. Say: In them is a great
sin and [some] benefit for men, but the sin of them is greater than their benefit” (al-Baqara 219).
Hence, acts must be judged by their overall good and overall evil. If the Quran or hadith has prohibited something, then it is known for certain that its overall result is something harmful. Someone may look at the fact that Islam, for example, prohibits interest. The person could present many possible aspects of interest that may be good for society. However, the evil of interest greatly outweighs any positive aspects that it may contain. Hence, the shareeah has disallowed it.
5.3 The Principle that “Necessity Renders Some Forbidden Acts Lawful”
As can be seen in the commentary to this hadith, the general principle is that under all normal or usual circumstances, a Muslim must do his best to remain away from any of the acts that have been forbidden by the shareeah. The Prophet (peace be upon him) said that if he has forbidden something, one must stay away from it altogether. A few scholars have even concluded from this hadith that a Muslim may never perform forbidden acts under any circumstances.
However, according to the vast majority of scholars, there are some exceptions to this general rule. These exceptions are based on the law of necessity. Forbidden acts are forbidden due to some evil or harm that they bring about. Sometimes, though, the harm that comes about due to abstaining from those forbidden acts is greater than the harm of the acts themselves. Islamic law recognizes that there are some aspects that are required for life to be lived in a proper manner. These aspects are five: religion, life itself, mental capacity, wealth and familial ties. The proper preservation of these five aspects takes precedence over the goal of avoiding forbidden acts. For example, a person may be starving to death. That is, his life, one of the five aspects, is now being threatened. The only food that is available to him, that will preserve his life, is pork. The following question must then be answered: What takes precedence, preserving his life or avoiding pork? In this case, preserving his life takes precedence. This is what is being referred to in the following Quranic verse,
“Say [O Muhammad]: I find not in that which has been inspired to me anything forbidden to be eaten by one who wishes to eat it, unless it be carrion, blood poured forth, the flesh of swine, for that surely is impure, or unlawful meat which is slaughtered as a sacrifice for other than Allah. But whosoever is forced by necessity without willful disobedience, nor transgressing due limits, [for him] certainly, your Lord is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful” (al-Anaam 145).
Like all other principles, though, it is important that this principle be applied correctly and not be abused. The scholars were well aware that this is a principle that many might try to abuse. People might start performing all sorts of forbidden acts in the name of necessity. Hence, the scholars derived from the Quran and sunnah the exact parameters or limitations by which this principle must abide. The first limitation is that one of the goals that the shareeah is attempting to preserve must be threatened or in danger. That is, either religion, life, wealth, mental capacity or familial ties are threatened. If one of these are not at risk or being greatly harmed, then one cannot invoke the law of necessity.
Second, the expected harm must be factual or probable. That is, a remote possibility of something occurring sometime in the distant future is not grounds to invoke the law of necessity. ‘ Third, the implementation of this law of necessity may not lead to some greater harm. For example, the preservation of one’s life is more important than the preservation of one’s mental capacity. Therefore, according to those scholars who allow it, it is preferred to consume alcohol than to die from thirst. Fourth, when invoking the law of necessity, one may not perform an act that will put another person in a state of necessity or harm any of his fundamental needs. The final limitation is that necessity is restricted to what it truly necessitates. In the above example, for instance, the person would eat what he needed of the pork to remain alive and capable. He would not be allowed to go beyond what he actually needed.
Al-Bugha and Mistu make an important point related to this concept of necessity, Getting more of this world is not part of necessity in any way whatsoever. Getting more of the amenities [non-necessities] of this life and having an easier life is not part of necessity. For example, if a person has a small amount of capital, he is not allowed to deal in interest to make more business. If a person has a feasible small living space, he cannot invoke the law of necessity to make it permissible for him to get a large living quarter through any means whatsoever. If a woman has a husband or guardian who is maintaining her, necessity would not then allow her to go out and mix with men and be alone with men in order to have employment or a job.
5.4 A Misunderstood Verse of the Quran
Before leaving this hadith, it would be proper to discuss a verse of the Quran that is very much related to the topic of this hadith. This verse is often misunderstood and misapplied. The verse is al-Taghaabun 16. Its wording is somewhat close to this hadith under discussion. The verse reads,
“So keep your duty to Allah as best you can, and listen, and obey, and spend; that is better for your souls. And who is saved from his own greed, such are the successful.”
According to al-Khaalidi, this verse is probably the most quoted verse as a defense for one’s failure to perform obligatory acts or as a justification for performing prohibited acts. He presents the understanding that some people have of this verse,
Some Muslims fail to perform some obligatory acts. They also perform some forbidden acts [believing] that they have a license to do so with respect to some laws. They escape some obligations. Hence, they do not achieve the kind of taqwa that Allah asks of them. All of these acts are in contradiction [to what is prescribed] and lead to punishment on the Day of Resurrection.
But for some of them, what they are doing is not sufficient. Instead, they add to it a greater sin that leads to an even more heinous punishment. They turn to this verse. They attempt to find in it some evidence and excuse for them; they seek from it a license and acceptance for their deeds. “So keep your duty to Allah as best you can.” So the verse orders the Muslim to have taqwa according to his ability- they say- so he must try to perform the obligatory deeds and abstain from the forbidden acts. But if he neglects some obligatory acts, there is no blame, hardship or sin on him. And if he does some forbidden acts, there is no harm or sin either. Because the verse excuses him. It gives him a license and escape.
The consequences of such an understanding of this verse are clear: Everybody has his own level of capability in fulfilling the obligatory and abstaining from the forbidden. Everyone is different and no one can be blamed for his shortcoming as long as he is doing what he finds he is able to do. Therefore, everybody’s application of Islam will be different. Everyone is allowed to practice Islam in his own manner according to what he sees is right and applicable to him. The result is that there is not one Islam but many “Islams”. Everyone will be free to apply what he says he can apply of Islam. And, furthermore, no one can say he is wrong in his application of Islam since he is fulfilling the command found in the verse, “So keep your duty to Allah as best you can.”
But is this the correct interpretation of the verse? Is it possible to make
such a conclusion? First, the verse should be looked at in the light of other verses of theQuran- in particular, those dealing with the requirement of taqwa. In surah ali-Imraan (verse 102), Allah says, “O believers, observe your duty to Allah with right observance, and die notsave as those who have surrendered (unto Him).”
Al-Khaalidi states that this verse in ali-Imran and the above verse from al-Taghaabun clearly explain each other. He states, The verse in ali-Imran orders us to have taqwa of Allah with right observance [or according to His right]. And the meaning of “with right observance” is: a true, sincere, pure and serious taqwa. [It means] that we should sacrifice to the limit of our ability and potential in fulfilling and achieving that taqwa. And [it means] that we remain at that level of taqwa for as long as we live- such that not one of us dies except as a Muslim …
And this is the same type of taqwa that the verse in surah al-Taghaabun requires from us. The verse of al-Taghaabun orders us to have taqwa of Allah according to our ability and potential. “So keep your duty to Allah as best you can.” And the meaning of “best you can” is explained in surah ali-Imran as “with right observance”. Therefore, a Muslim does not achieve the taqwa to the best he can unless that taqwa is the right observance of taqwa. Each of these verses clarifies and explains the other. They must be understood together in order for the meaning to be correct and acceptable.
Similarly, the hadith of the Messenger of Allah (peace be on him) shed some light on the meaning of this verse. In the hadith under discussion, the Messenger of Allah (peace be on him) stated, again, “Leave me as I leave you for the people before you were ruined because of their questions and their differences with their prophets. So, if I forbid you something, then keep away from it. And if I order you to do something, then do it as much as you can.” (Recorded by al-Bukhari and Muslim.)
This hadith clearly shows that whatever is forbidden must be completely avoided. The only exception to this is the case of necessity. But necessity has been well-defined and specified by the shareeah itself. That is, it is not up to the individual to decide for himself what is necessity. It is defined by the shareeah and not one ‘s personal likes, dislikes or feelings.
Similarly, the Muslim fulfills- to the best of his ability and potential- what he has been commanded. Even in this case, he may have some license or excuse for not performing specific acts. But, again, these licenses or sanctions have been defined by the shareeah itself and not by the individual. This is an important point that must be emphasized. Allah knows full well the capabilities of humans as well as their shortcomings. At the same time, He, the All-Merciful, the All-Knowing, prescribed certain acts upon the Muslims. He made prayer five times a day obligatory. He made fasting the month of Ramadhaan an obligation- save for those who are sick or traveling. He made honesty and justice obligatory. He made love for the believers an obligation. All of these acts (and many more) He has made obligatory on humans while knowing full well their capabilities and limitations. Hence, if anyone, for example, claims that prayer five times a day is too much of a hardship or difficulty and he does not have to perform them because Allah has stated, “So keep your duty to Allah as best you can,” he is lying and making a false claim against the practicality of the shareeah. Allah obliged all believers to pray five times a day and this is a proof that it is within the capabilities of humans. Even in extreme cases where the person cannot perform the movements of the prayer due to some physical ailment, they are still required to pray in the manner that they are able.
Furthermore, when one turns to the statements of the Companions concerning the verse, “O believers, observe your duty to Allah with right observance”, it becomes quite obvious that the meaning of this verse in surah al-Taghaabun is not as some people claim. lbn Masud said that the words, “O believers, observe your duty to Allah with right observance”, means to obey Allah and not to disobey Him, to remember Him and not to forget Him and tothank Him and not to be ungrateful to Him. Similarly, ibn Abbas proclaimed, “This verse has not been abrogated. But ‘O believers, observe your duty to Allah with right observance,’ is for people to strive in the way of Allah according to His right upon them, not to fear the punishment of anyone when working for the sake of Allah, and to be just for Allah’s sake even if it be against themselves, their fathers or their mothers.”
Al-Tabari summed up the meaning of this misinterpreted phrase, “So keep your duty to Allah as best you can,” when he explained it as, “Beware of Allah, O believers, and fear His punishment. And ward of His punishment by performing what He has obligated and abstaining from what is in disobedience to Him. And do the deeds that bring you closer to Him according to your capacity and exhort all of your efforts [for that goal].”
Hence, the Muslim should exhort all of his energy to fulfill Allah’s commands. He should work sincerely, fearing Allah and hoping for His acceptance and reward; then, for what he actually is not capable of performing- and Allah alone knows his complete potential- he should sincerely seek Allah’s forgiveness for his shortcomings while praying that Allah accepts his meager deeds.
6. Other Points Related to This Hadith
- Earlier, the circumstances behind this hadith were given. The Prophet (peace be upon him) was asked about performing Hajj every year. He replied that if he were to say, “Yes,” it would become obligatory. This is evidence that the Prophet (peace be upon him) himself made ijtihaad. It is also evidence that it is a must to follow the Prophet’s ijtihaad and one is not free to reject it, claiming it is only the Prophet’s ijtihaad. It is actually not just the Prophet’s ijtihaad-but it is also approved and sanctioned by Allah. Otherwise, if the Prophet were to ever make a mistake in his ijtihaad, Allah would correct him and would not allow him to mislead the Muslims.
- In this hadith, the Prophet (peace be upon him) is encouraging Muslims to be concerned with the most important matters and then move on from there to the lesser important matters. For example, in this hadith, there is an implied instruction to apply hadith, fulfill commands and avoid anything prohibited. The Muslim should not be concerned to go into details which are not of relevance or importance at the moment. If he has time for additional study and understanding later, that is well and good. But the first thing is the accepting, understanding and applying at the present moment.
If one does not apply what is stated in the Quran or sunnah but instead bothers himself with hypothetical questions or asking, “Why is this?” and “Why is that?”, then he is doing what the Prophet (peace be upon him) has censured in this hadith.
- This hadith is clearly related to the diseases that are afflicting the Muslims of today, even those who claim to be practicing Islam and following the way of the Salaf Instead of taking the teachings of Islam and applying them to the best of their ability, they sit, do little works and, instead, talk about theoretical issues that most Muslims can do little or nothing about. When they talk about these issues, they disagree with one another about those theoretical points. When they disagree, they begin to hate one another and call each other names, such as heretic and so forth. They are weak and on the verge of destruction. This is all because they are not heeding the guidance of the Prophet (peace be upon him) in this very important hadith. One should understand and apply what is found in the Quran and sunnah. One should do his best to fulfill what he is ordered and always remain away from what is forbidden. He should not indulge too much in questioning, theorizing and differing with others. Instead, he should concentrate on doing what he is able to do.
- If the Quran and sunnah have prescribed a specific way to do something, one should do it in that fashion. Any way that the person fulfills it will be sufficient if that is all that is stated in the Quran and sunnah. One need not even go beyond that and try to determine even further details if they are not mentioned in the Quran and sunnah. This furthering questioning was exactly the behavior of the Tribe of Israel that was condemned in the Quran.
7. Summary of the Hadith
- If something is prohibited, one must stay away from it completely. The only exception to that is the true cases of necessity. Due to necessity, an act may no longer be considered prohibited.
- If something is ordered, one must perform it to the best of his ability. It is not possible to completely and excellently perform everything that one is ordered to do. Hence, the Prophet (peace be upon him) has stated the cases of prohibition and order in different tones.
- Asking too many questions, beyond what is needed and not with the real intent of application, is blameworthy. It was one of the reasons that prior peoples were destroyed.
- Similarly, differing with any prophet is completely blameworthy. Instead of accepting and submitting, prior peoples showed some form of opposition to what their prophets requested of them. This was the second major cause for their destruction.
Books of Muslims 