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Commentary on the Forty Hadith of al-Nawawi 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. "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 (Y4-:!l) 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 ( y.ll) and renders an act recommended. The obligatory acts include the prayers, zakah, 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): Hadith #9: "What I have Forbidden You, Avoid ... " "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. 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.