A desert Arab came to Allah's Apostle and asked
him about ablution. He demonstrated (washing each part of his body)
thrice, and then said: That is (the method) of the ablution.
And he who does more than this has done wrong, transgressed
the limit and has oppressed (himself).  
[Tirmidhi #417, Transmitted by Nasa'i, Ibn Majah,
and AbuDawud transmitted something to the same effect.]

The Noble Qur'an - An-Nisa 4:171

O people of the Scripture (Jews and Christians)! Do not exceed the limits in your religion, nor say of Allâh aught but the truth. ...

Reported by an-Nasaa'ee (5/268), ibn Maajah (no. 3029), Ahmad (1/215, 347) with a saheeh sanad.

The Messenger of Allaah (SAW) said, "I warn you of extremism in the Religion for indeed those that came before you were destroyed due to their extremism in the religion."

Hadith - Al-Bukhari 9.582, Narrated Ibn Abbas

(regarding the Verse): "Neither say your prayer aloud, nor say it in a low tone." (17.110) This Verse was revealed while Allah's Apostle was hiding himself in Mecca, and when he raised his voice while reciting the Qur'an, the pagans would hear him and abuse the Qur'an and its Revealer and to the one who brought it. So Allah said:

"Neither say your prayer aloud, nor say it in a low tone." (17.110) That is, "Do not say your prayer so loudly that the pagans can hear you, nor say it in such a low tone that your companions do not hear you." But seek a middle course between those (extremes), i.e., let your companions hear, but do not relate the Qur'an loudly, so that they may learn it from you.

Hadith - Muslim and Bukhari, Narrated 'Aisha, r.a.

Whenever Allah's Apostle was given the choice of one of two matters, he would choose the easier of the two, as long as it was not sinful to do so, but if it was sinful to do so, he would not approach it. Allah's Apostle never took revenge (over anybody) for his own sake but (he did) only when Allah's legal bindings were outraged in which case he would take revenge for Allah's sake.

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Shaykh al-Islaam ibn Taymiyyah says in 'Iqtidaa Siraat al-Mustaqeem' (1/72)

"Furthermore going to excesses with regards to the Prophets and righteous has occurred amongst some groups of the worshippers and sufis to the extent that many of these intermingled this with the belief of incarnation and ittihaad that ended being more vile than the saying of the Christians or sometimes similar to it or sometimes stopping short of it."

Imaam ash-Shaatibee said in 'al-Muwaafaqaat' (2/242)

I say: at this point is would be good to mention the book published by al-Luknawee Abu al-Hasanaat, 'Iqaamah al-Hujjah alaa anna al-Ikthaar min at-Ta'bbud Laysa bi Bid'ah.' He declares to be good what has been reported from some of the scholars and Imaams with regards to exerting oneself to the utmost in worship such as staying up the whole night for prayer, or reciting the whole Qur'aan in one rak'ah, or performing 1000 rak'ahs!

The vast majority of these narrations are reported by isnaads that cannot be depended upon! So are these quotes from the actions legislated by the Sharee'ah or from the newly invented innovations?!

I say: there is no doubt in the eyes of one who understands the meaning of Sunnah and the correct meaning of Bid'ah, and whose heart has adorned for him the continuous following of the Sunnah and made ugly the following of bid'ah that these ways and mannerisms and setting of limits are all in opposition to the Sunnah of the Prophet (SAW), in fact falling into that which has been forbidden from - going to excesses in the religion and despicable innovation.

Imaam Abu Shaamah said in 'al-Baa'ith' (pg. 165)

"It is not permissible to specify an action of worship to a time that has not been specified by the Sharee'ah, rather all the actions of righteousness are applicable to all times, there is no specific time that is better than another with the exception of what the Sharee'ah has declared to be so

ibn Taymiyyah - 'Ikhtiyaaraat al-Ilmiyyah' (pg. 54)

It is necessary to distance oneself from those who oppose the salaf for it is the most misguided and ignorant. 

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Al Hamdulilaah wa ba'd:
 
There have been increasingly numerous campaigns and refutations against extremism in religion lately, and they are with just right, because extremism in religion has been forbidden in the Book, the Sunnah and with the consensus of the scholars. Allaah Ta'aala stated:
 
{Say: "O people of the Scripture (Jews and Christians)! Exceed not the limits in your religion (by believing in something) other than the truth} Al Maa-idah: 77
 
In another Ayah:
 
{O people of the Scripture (Christians)! Do not exceed the limits in your religion, nor say of Allaah aught but the truth}
 
The Prophet - صلى الله عليه وسلم - said:
 
"Beware of extremism, for indeed the only thing that has destroyed those who came before you is extremism."
 
Extremism in religion is to exceed the limits of its legislated boundaries. It could be in worship, such as the three men, one of whom said: 'I will stand the whole night in prayer and not sleep.' The second said: 'I will fast continuously not missing one day without fasting.' The third said: 'I will not marry.'
 
Extremism can also be in rulings; such as making something that is recommended an obligation, or being extreme in the ruling of one who practices a major sin that is less than polytheism by declaring him to be a disbeliever who has left the fold of Islaam.
 
Extremism can be in ordering the good and forbidding the evil, such as the extremism practiced by the Mu'tazillah in the form of revolting against the rulers with the excuse of ordering good and forbidding evil as justification.
Extremism is also in declaring something permissible to be impermissible, or declaring something impermissible to be permissible.
 
Extremism in religion in all its forms is prohibited, it may cause the individual to exist the fold of Islaam or cause destruction, as it destroyed those who came before us, and no person who has been given understanding and foresight by Allaah in rulings and in placing things in the rightful place can doubt this.
 
However, there are people whose state is the exact opposite of the extremism of exceeding the limits in the religion, there are those who went to extremes in lenience and indulgence. There is no doubt that our religion is the religion of lenience, ease and justness, but this lenience must be within the legislated boundary, by acting upon the legislated permits when needed, and all the religion, and to Allaah belongs all praise, is free of hardship and restrictions.
 
{Allaah burdens not a person beyond his scope.} Al Baqarah: 286
 
{And [Allaah] has not laid upon you in religion any hardship} Al Hajj: 78
 
{Allaah does not want to place you in difficulty} Al Maa-idah: 6
 
Extremism in leniency is by overstepping the boundaries that Allaah has set, and this is not called lenience, rather this is hardship itself. Nullifying al Walaa and al Baraa in Islaam, equating the believers with the disbelievers with the justification of tolerance, invalidating the implementation of the nullifiers of one's Islaam upon those who have nullified all or some of them, equating religions such as equating Islaam to Judaism or Christianity, rather equating Islaam with all religions including paganism and atheism, claiming that 'there is no diety worthy of worship other than Allaah' does not necessitate the disbelief in Tahqhoot and does not negate false religions other than Islaam - as some columnists have written in some of our local newspapers.
 
All of these are examples of extremism in negligence and indulgence. It is an obligation to refute it, just as it is an obligation to refute the extremism of exceeding the limits in the religion. Rather, extremism in negligence and indulgence is more dangerous than the extremism of exceeding the limits in the religion, because this type of extremism reaches the point of equating the religions of the disbelievers with the religion of truth, and this is a form of disbelief by the consensus of the scholars, in contrast to the extremism of exceeding the limits, as a lot of the scholars consider it to be misguidance but does not reach the level of disbelief.
 
The scholars mentioned that from amongst the nullifiers of a person's Islaam, is not declaring disbelievers to be disbelievers or having doubt in that.
 
Those who made these grave errors must examine their own state and return to the truth, for indeed returning to the truth is a virtue, and returning to the truth is better than remaining upon falsehood.
 
May Allaah grant everyone success in attaining beneficial knowledge, righteous actions, and may the Salaat and Salaam be upon our prophet Muhammad, his family and companions.
 

Translator: Farhat Abbaas, Abu Yahya

Date Published: Thursday, 24 July 2008