Introduction (cont.)

He must neither be too lackadaisical, not performing the proper amount and quality of a deed, not should he go to the opposite extreme of overzealousness or exaggerationƓ 3 The person must consider the sunnah of the Prophet (peace be upon him) as the supreme example. He must realize that there is no good in going beyond the sunnah and there is great harm in falling short of the sunnah. This is a very important point. If one is ignorant of this point, he has opened the door for Satan to mislead him. It is stated that Satan smells the heart of the believer and then tries him. One of the early scholars stated that for every deed, Satan has two forms of evil 1 One's deeds are a "cause" for entering Paradise, as is clear in Al-Nahl verse 97. In other words, one will be rewarded Paradise because of one's deeds. However, at the same time, one's deeds are not deserving a reward as great and wonderful as that of Paradise. Hence, by one's deeds alone, one would not achieve Paradise if the reward were a comparable exchange. Instead, it is only by Allah's mercy that such a reward has been given for the deeds of this world that are filled with shortcomings and errors. This is all part of the great mercy of Allah, the All-Merciful. Cf., ibn Uthaimeen, Sharh Riyaadh, vol. 2, p. 534. 2 Cf., ibn al-Qayyim, Madaarij, vol. 2, pp. 107-108. 3 For more on this point, see Ahmad al-Daryuwaish, al-Istiqaamah: Arkaanaha wa al-Wasaail al-Mayinah ala Tatbeeqaha (Riyadh: Dar Balansiyyah, 1417 A.H.), pp. 31-3 7. Commentary on the Forty Hadith of al-Nawawi incitement. Either he will encourage him to be lazy or he will encourage him to go beyond the limits. Satan does not care which approach is effective. This is because if he is successful in either approach, he has gained a victory, as he has misled the person from the sunnah. If Satan finds a person very keen on following the sunnah, he will encourage him to go beyond what is considered a proper following of the sunnah. He will do things that the Prophet (peace be upon him) himself actually did not do while, all along, he will think that what he is doing is simply more of something good. He says to himself, "This is a good deed and an act of obedience. Therefore, more of it or a stricter approach to it must be an even better deed and also an act of obedience." By this means, Satan has been able to mislead many. This is what has led to many of the innovations in acts of worship, especially dhikr or words of remembrance of Allah. One goes beyond what the Prophet (peace be upon him) established and says some words, for example, one thousand times or until he becomes completely engrossed in those words, thinking that he is becoming one with Allah through such meditation and chanting. Instead, the person should ask himself, "If the Prophet (peace be upon him) did not go to this extreme and he is the excellent example, isn't this is a sign that this extreme actually is not something good but, instead, must be something harmful?" This is why the early scholars stated that not performing as many deeds but performing what is found in the sunnah is better than over­ exerting oneself in deeds that are innovations and not found in the sunnah. This aspect has been aptly summarized by the Prophet (peace be upon him) when he said to a group of people who felt that the Prophet's practice was not sufficient for them, "Every deed has its period of high emotion and zealousness. And every such feeling has its time of cooling down. That latter time is either toward the sunnah or toward innovation. If the person's time of this nature is toward the sunnah, he is rightly guided. And if his time of this nature is toward other than that, he is destroyed."1 The Prophet (peace be upon him) also said, 1 Recorded by ibn Hibbaan and others. According to both al-Arnaoot and al-Albaani, it is sahih. See al-Arnaoot's footnotes to al-Faarisi, vol. I , p. 188; al-Albaani, sahih al-Jaami, vol. I , p. 43 1. Hadith #21 : Say, "I believe in Allah and Remain Steadfast" "Stay away from exaggeration [and overzealousness] in the religion. Verily, exaggeration in the religion only destroyed those before you. "1 On the other hand, if Satan finds a person to be lackadaisical, lazy or weak-willed, he will try to lead him to the opposite extreme. He will show him every excuse and permission from the shareeah, so the person will not perform many of the deeds that he is supposed to perform. He may abandon the prayers on the basis that not praying is not tantamount to disbelief. A woman may not wear the hijaab claiming that it is only recommended or that modesty is what is required and not some specific dress.