. I '/ } (cont.)

Similarly, the Muslim fulfillsto the best of his ability and potentialwhat 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 obligationsave 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 to thank 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."1 1Al-Suyooti, vol. 2, pp. 282-284. Hadith #9: "What f have Forbidden You, Avoid ... " 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, 0 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]."1 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 performingand Allah alone knows his complete potentialhe should sincerely seek Allah's forgiveness for his shortcomings while praying that Allah accepts his meager deeds. 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 ijtihaadbut 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.