Page 24 - Islam: The Religion of Ease

ISLAM: THE RELIGION OF EASE

Allah has set and make religion harder, all in the name of piety.
This is actually a trap of satan. By showing things that are not
forbidden as being prohibited, such people think that it is their
privilege to make up other prohibitions. What's more, they do
not comply, as they should with the rules they lay down and so
suffer because of their conscience. On this topic Allah gives the
example of Christians, who altered Christianity after the
Prophet Jesus (as):
Then We sent Our Messengers following in their foot-
steps and sent Jesus the son of Maryam after them, giving
him the Gospel. We put compassion and mercy in the
hearts of those who followed him. As for monasticism,
they instituted it themselves—We did not prescribe it for
them. (Surat al-Hadid: 27)
Allah, therefore, warns believers against this danger and de-
clares in the Qur'an that those who go extremes in religion have
strayed from the true religion:
Say: "People of the Book! Do not go to extremes in your
religion, asserting other than the truth, and do not yield
to the whims and desires of people who were misguided
previously and have misguided many others, and have
themselves strayed far from the right path." (Surat al-
Ma'ida: 77)
The only rule that the individual has to follow is to carry out
the commands set forth by Allah in the Qur'an and to abstain
from whatever is prohibited. When Allah decrees everything to
be easy to believers, those who try to make religion harder will
have to account for their behavior on Judgment Day. As is true
of all else, our Prophet 's (saas) life and practices are a good ex-
ample for us. In one of his traditions, the Holy Prophet (saas) re-

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