By Imam Murtadha Gusau

In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful

All praise is for Allah, we praise Him, we seek His help, we ask for His forgiveness, and we seek refuge with Allah from the evils of our own souls and the wickedness of our actions, whoever Allah guides, there is none that can lead him astray, and whoever Allah allows to go astray, there is none that can lead him to the right path.

I testify and bear witness that there is no deity worthy of worship in truth but Allah, alone, without any partners. And I testify and bear witness that Muhammad (Peace be upon him) is His Servant and Messenger. As for what’s after:

Dear brothers and sisters! Allah Almighty says in the Noble Qur’an:

“We have sent down the Book (Qur’an) to you which manifests the truth about all things and as guidance and mercy and good news for Muslims.” [Qur’an, 16:89]

Respected servants of Allah! It reminded me of a post I read on Facebook recently and I thought how true this is, but easy to forget. Society is often so focused finding complicated solutions when the answers are already in front of us. Muslims in particular have a lesson in it.

• Allah intends for you ease

The religion is easy, beautiful and simply perfect. Why make things hard? Allah Almighty says:

“Allah intends for you ease and does not intend for you hardship.” [Qur’an, 2:185]

This Qur’anic verse explains that Islam is easy to follow and rather encourages us to create ease in religion. Unfortunately some Muslims are under the misconception that the more stringent they are in following religion, the more pious they become. This is totally in contradiction to what our pure religion teaches us. The misconception is a result of lack of understanding of religion and at times drives some people away from religion, mainly because of the way it is presented to them.

Some people have aimed at causing religion to deviate from its essence, preventing religion from being practiced by attempting to add on many difficult practices and superstitions to it. Such practices have sadly resulted in people deviating from Islam. However from the information set forth in the verses in the Qur’an and the replete stories and Hadiths by the Prophet (Peace be upon him), we can ascertain that it is easy for sincere Muslims to be good Muslims.

In this life we are tested and according to the morals and faith we show in this world Allah determines where our real life will be lived, that being Hell or Heaven. The test is quite easy; Allah Almighty wishes for us simply to live the life that brings happiness and peace in this world; in short to live our life in moderation.

• Don’t go to extremes

It is known in fact that Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) always resisted any tendency toward religious excessiveness. He once said to his close companion Abdullah Ibn Amr:

“Have I heard right that you fast everyday and stand in prayer all night?” Abdullah replied: “Yes, O Messenger of Allah.” The Prophet (Peace be upon him) said: “Do not do that. Fast, as well as, eat and drink. Stand in prayer, as well as, sleep. This is because your body has a right upon you, your eyes have a right upon you, your wife has a right upon you, and your guest has a right upon you.” [Al-Bukhari]

This Hadith indicates that it is significant to maintain a delicate balance between the various obligations that demand our attention; between our obligations to Allah, our obligations toward others and our obligations toward ourselves. This is also demonstrated in many verses in the Qur’an illustrating that Allah is both merciful and kind.

Confucius once said:

“Life is really simple, but we insist on making it complicated.”

This deeply resonates as we read stories of how people strayed away from Islam because they failed to realise its beauty and were intimidated by restrictions feeling their life would be unhappy with Islam’s boundaries. There indeed is a need to clarify such misconceptions, and encourage and remind Muslims to question where did their beliefs originate from. Was it from the Qur’an and Sunnah or a tradition they have been following without knowing its origin?

In all reality, Allah Almighty created us and in turn He knows what’s best for us and those who do not know these truths feel they may lead happier and more comfortable lives when the limits are removed. Allah says in the Qur’an to pray for both the good in this world and the good in the Hereafter.

It also speaks about the enjoyment of life:

“O children of Adam! Wear your beautiful apparel at every time and place of prayer, eat and drink but waste not by excess, for Allah loves not wasters. Say: ‘who has forbidden the beautiful gifts of Allah which He has produced for His servants and the things clean and pure which He has provided for sustenance.” [Qur’an, 7:31-32]

Concerning matters of practice in Islam we have been taught that the rule is that you are expected to follow the truth as much as is possible. Allah has promised that His expectations are simple. However, in order to follow them we need to understand; in turn allowing that this strategy would ensure things are kept simple.

In sharing the message of Islam with people, the Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) was advised in the Qur’an:

“It is part of the mercy of Allah that you deal gently with them. If you were severe or hardhearted, they would have broken away from you’.” [Qur’an, 3:159]

It is on this note that when the Prophet sent his companions to teach Islam to the people he advised them:

“Facilitate religious matters to people and do not make things difficult. Obey each other and do not differ amongst yourselves.” [Al-Bukhari]

Allah has created a natural balance between what is easy to follow for humans and what is the minimal requirement needed to be a morally, ethically and spiritually pious person. This can be shown for example when we increase the price of a commodity, or make things more stringent, as mentioned earlier, in religion we will find lesser people wanting to buy that commodity.

However, we must remember that easiness in religion has to be done in the way that Allah wants us to do it. It should not be mistaken for casualness. This is simply a reminder for all including myself as sometimes Shaitan (Satan) attempts to divert us from religion, from Allah’s commands and good morals and even uses negative force on faith.

By insinuating unfounded suspicions in our thoughts, suggesting faithlessness or through actions and speeches, Shaitan (Satan) tries to divert us from Islam and or its simplicity setting up many different traps for us. In short, Shaitan (Satan) is our enemy, as mentioned in the Qur’an which narrates:

“O You who believe enter Islam totally. Do not follow in the footsteps of Shaitan (Satan) he is an outright enemy to you.” [Qur’an, 2:208]

• A balanced religion

One of the main features of Islam is that it is a balanced religion. It is known that whenever the Prophet had to choose between two options, he always chose the easier, unless it was explicitly forbidden. This again proves the beauty of Islam and Allah’s mercy toward us.

While aiming to reach the afore mentioned balances between human spiritual needs and material needs I have personally come to realise it can be done by simplifying our life and lightening our material baggage by focusing more on our spiritual and mental needs.

While I am not suggesting making vows of poverty, I support the idea of reducing our quest for material possession as one easy and balanced form of working in this world and doing good deeds for the next world.

I have learned one form of getting closer to Allah and obeying one of Islam’s pillars may be accomplished as we offer charity bringing happiness to those less fortunate. We must raise our children and remind ourselves that we can only keep what we have, by giving it away; somewhat like paying it forward, but for the afterlife if you may say so.

Balancing between individual rights and responsibilities, we find that as life continues to bring us down many familiar journeys, one of those being a quest of living, we must work toward making everything simpler including our worships if we are to continue on our steady pace toward our ultimate goal, Jannah/Heaven.

Dear brothers and sisters! Bear in mind we must allow others to influence us positively whenever we are going wrong. After all, Allah has promised that He is not going to make any soul accountable for anything more than what his potential is, promising that He will forgive those who repent.

I end my today’s sermon by saying: all praise is due to Allah, the Lord of all creation; may Allah extol the mention of our noble Prophet Muhammad in the highest company of Angels, bless him and give him peace and security―and his family, his Companions and all those who follow him correctly and sincerely until the establishment of the Hour.

Wishing you and all your loved ones a Joyous Jumu’ah Mubarak.

Murtadha Muhammad Gusau is the Chief Imam of Nagazi-Uvete Jumu’ah and the late Alhaji Abdur-Rahman Okene’s Mosques, Okene, Kogi State, Nigeria. He can be reached through: gusauimam@gmail.com or +2348038289761.

This Jumu’ah Khutbah (Friday sermon) was prepared for delivery today Friday, Rabi’ul Thani 9, 1444 AH (November 04, 2022).