Islam always teaches us to be moderate… Moderate in spending, moderate in eating, moderate in talking and everything else… Spending a life in moderate way is the easiest way… but unfortunately, many among us choose the hard way…
Moderate does not mean that you start giving up the luxuries of life, which you can afford… It means leaving that which is of no use… just for example… in today's heat, Air conditioners is a must… but having an A/C unit with Gold plated buttons is of no use… and also, It does NOT mean that when you can afford an AC (normal one), you still don't buy it… This is also an extreme example of not being moderate…
Similarly, Muslims must be moderate in their worship… a clear instructions of how to comply with Islam being in the limits is described in the Hadith of Prophet Mohammad (Peace and blessings of Allah be upon him)… when a group of men got together and one of them said, "I will pray at night and never sleep." Another said, "I will fast and never break my fast." The third one said, "I will never marry women." News of that reached the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) and he said, "What is wrong with people who say such and such? I fast and I break my fast. I sleep, and I marry women. Whoever overlooks my Sunnah does not belong to me."
If we observe our society closely, we can see that people usually are not moderate, either they will extreme on left, or be extreme on right… A common example can be seen in our weddings… Few years back, it was a common trend that parents did not allow the boy and the girl to see each other before marriage, even in some cases, the girl's opinion was never asked… This is contrary to Islam; As Islam clearly allows them to see each other, in proper hijab and in the company of guardians, and YES of both is required… The trend have changed today… but instead of being moderate, people have moved toward extremism… today, A boy is allowed to see the girl, in the clothes and style he likes… I have heard many cases that the boy ask the girl to walk in front of him, sit in this way, look that way… Which is PROHIBITED in Islam…
People forget that Marriage is a time, when people must do lots of good deed, to please Allah and make lots of dua, so that due to Allah's blessing, the couple remains happy for the rest of the life… unfortunately, they do the best to dis-please Allah… The occasion of marriage is a celebration… but in many cases, so called modern Muslims, they make it a Dance/Party festival… They don't forget to put a Quran above the head of the bride during her departure from her home… but usually forget to Pray the fard and the principals of hijab…
Another Extreme case is followed by our rigid Muslim brothers… who actually convert this celebration into a very trouble making session… I remember few months back, there was a marriage of a person, who strictly dictated his terms as, only 2 men and 5 women will go to bring the bride, No one should eat a single bite at bride's home, because that will create a burden on her parents… and few other terms… the intention of this person was to relax the parents of the bride… but actually, he made them in more trouble… "How could the daughter's parents-in-law will visit us and we can not serve them…" and what about the common hospitality, which Islam teaches us… The example of Abu Talha (May Allah be pleased with him) is very clear... when a person visited him, and he had food for only one person, The Sahaba asked his wife to turn off the lamp saying that she needs to clean it… when she did so, food was served and Sahaba made the visitor feel like he is eating and He did not eat… next day when he visited the Prophet Mohammad (Peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), The Prophet (Peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) Appreciated his act…
As for the married couples… it is the same… There are extremist, one who show their love in public… and there are other extremist, who shout/fight with each other in public… and there are very few, who live like normal husband and wife at home or in public… I read this somewhere... " The best gift parents can give to their children is... they live like husband and wife with each other"...
There are many families, when asked for contribution in a charity program or contributed get together, their answer is, We cannot afford… but when the same family is invited in a wedding party, birthday party or any sort of gathering… latest mobile phones, gold jewelries and latest dress designs, in view to compete others in status can be seen… Can't we be moderate in both… give some to charity and behave normal in such gatherings?
Even when teaching about Islam… I have seen many Muslims who keep on teaching and repeating their advice again and again… The scholars usually avoided giving lessons on daily basis... because they feared that the importance of the content could be lost... or the learners might lose interest in the topic...
And the most shocking part is... Whenever you advice both the extremist groups to become moderate… they usually tag you as an extremist… SubhanAllah…
May Allah Guide us all...
Everyone have the right to disagree... Please feel free comment, Correct, advice... please mail at asim.haroon@gmail.com
JazakAllah Khair
