Dawah and Interfaith
The Ease and Simplicity of Islam
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Before I begin, I would like to make a disclaimer that this article deals with the actual laws of Islam, showing that Islam is a simple religion and not burdensome, this does not mean that life will be easy for a practicing Muslim as Allah has promised to test each and every one of us. So keep in mind that although Islam is easy to practice if you commit yourself, your level of commitment will be tested by Allah.
There is a misunderstanding amongst many people that Islam is difficult and a burden to follow. Such people either have an incorrect understanding of Islam or do not realize how easy the rules of Islam are to follow. Let us look at the basic teachings of Islam and see how simple, natural and easy it is to practice Islam.
The scholars of Islam have agreed that the general principle regarding things of this world is that everything is permissible unless proven otherwise. So the burden of proof actually falls on those who say that anything is prohibited. This applies to all worldly things, as for religious deeds, the deed must be proven or it will be considered an innovation. Proof for this principle can be found in the following verses, “Allah wishes to make things easy for you, and not to make things difficult for you,” [1] and “We did not place difficulty in this religion.” [2]
Also the following Hadith is proof of this principle: “Religion is very easy and whoever overburdens himself in his religion will not be able to continue in that way. So you should not be extremists, but aim to be near to perfection and receive the good tidings that you will be rewarded; and gain strength by worshipping in the mornings and the nights.” [3] In fact, Imam Bukhari has a chapter in his Saheeh Al-Bukhari called “The chapter of the religion being easy” and ample proof for this point can be found in that chapter.
Firstly, the fact that everything worldly is permissible unless prohibited by sacred texts or deduction from them, is proof that Islam is not a difficult religion to follow, the amount of things that are permissible to do are far more than the obligations or prohibitions. Islam is not an ascetic religion that expects people to abandon the world and worship Allah all day in a cave, in fact, Islam prohibits such behaviour and encourages us to interact with society and live normal lives within the boundaries set by Allah, fulfilling our rights to Allah, to ourselves, and to the rest of creation.
Islam has given rights to all creation; we are not to harm any human, animal, plant or even ourselves unjustly. We must stay away from all sources of vice and whatever leads to them and we must fulfill our basic obligations. If we do these things, we can enjoy the permissible things of this world like family, spousal relations, physical sports or whatever you enjoy as long as you do not break the rules of Islam.
Islam is the natural religion; it appeals to our inner nature (Fitrah) and fulfills its basic needs without asking us to do anything unnatural. Try and find one ruling in the Quran and Sunnah that goes against human nature, you will not find it.
Islam is not a burden and does not ask us to do anything that we are incapable of doing, we are not required to give up our personalities, social lives or money. We are not required to pray all night or fast every day, in fact such things are prohibited. Islam emphasizes that we live a balanced life fulfilling our obligations to Allah as well as our obligations towards people and even our own selves. Try and find one command or prohibition in Islam that is beyond human ability, there is no such ruling.
One reason many people find Islam difficult to practice is because Satan beautifies evil deeds and makes good deeds look boring and difficult, thus we becomes lazy. Yet if one overcomes this obstacle he will find that the deeds emphasized by Islam bring true inner peace and are not too difficult, and he will begin to see the evils and wastage involved in committing sins. Take that first step and see for yourself.
Islam obliges us to worship Allah only, pray five times a day, fast one month a year, give two and a half percent of our excess wealth in charity, make Hajj once in our lifetime if possible and in general to be good to the rest of creation, stay away from the prohibited matters and have good character. None of these things are beyond human capabilities or unnatural, there is nothing prohibited that is necessary in our lives, rather only that which is harmful to human life is prohibited.
Another important point to remember is that Allah is Ar-Rahman (Most Merciful) and Al-Ghafoor (Most Forgiving) which means that if we try our best to practice Islam, and still fall into error due to our human nature and own weakness, the door to Allah’s forgiveness is always open for those who repent.
The basics of Islam are simple to understand and practical to implement, making Islam a universal religion that can be practiced by anyone regardless of his or her intellectual or physical capabilities. It is this pure simplicity of Islam that makes it so universally appealing and it is one of the many reasons that so many people around the world from different backgrounds convert to Islam.
[1]Surah Baqarah 2:185
[2] Surah Hajj 22:78
[3] Saheeh Al-Bukhari 1:2:38
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The Prophet (SAW) has taught us the best of deeds are those that done consistently, even if they are small. Click here to support MuslimMatters with a monthly donation of $2 per month. Set it and collect blessings from Allah (swt) for the khayr you're supporting without thinking about it.
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Ahmad
April 8, 2010 at 1:48 PM
All smiles. Couldnt agree more. More people need to realize this.
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Abdul-Qadir
April 9, 2010 at 7:54 AM
Assalamualaikum,
The first paragraph was te most beneficial for me. It summed up something I hav been trying to explain to myself for a while.
And in regards to a previous article, Dr. Philips is my number one sheikh too, although I never met him.
Reina
April 10, 2010 at 1:26 AM
Jazakallahu khayran,
This article actually helped me with some things I have had on my mind.
Aysha
April 10, 2010 at 3:13 PM
Assalam Aylekum,
I grew up a Christian but reverted to Islam after being embraced by it. It feels so right to worship Allah only, not a trinity. Qur’an rules are easy to follow, never asking you to do anything against your human nature; on the contrary, whatever is prohibited is only to protect you. Islam makes sense, everything that was “blurry” for years for me when looked trough my “christian eyes”, is now clear and easy. I can say now that true inner peace is achievable regarding the circumstances of the everyday life if you live by Islam.
Salam
Abdus-Sabur
April 11, 2010 at 4:32 AM
This reminds me of when I first embraced Islam. I was having difficulty, being too hard on myself. A brother, who was the person who taught me about Islam, appeared in a dream and simply said, “The way is easy.” I try to remind myself of this often. Great article/reminder.
Hafsa
April 11, 2010 at 10:14 AM
SubhanAllah!
Mostafa
April 11, 2010 at 2:42 PM
Masha Allah, may Allah bless you in this life and the hereafter.
I loved: “there is nothing prohibited that is necessary in our lives, rather only that which is harmful to human life is prohibited.”
Great you also mentioned mercy and repentence.
Only one personal preference: I find it best when one says “(Allah) or (God) does not ask us to do anything that we are incapable of doing” rather than “Islam does not ask us …”
mystrugglewithin
April 11, 2010 at 3:42 PM
Even the disclaimer itself was very insightful, jazakallah khayrun.
Ismail Kamdar
May 31, 2010 at 7:26 AM
Jazakallah Khair for the kind comments.
If this article motivates anyone who thought Islam was difficult to start practicing then I am happy. :)
Ruqiya ibrahim
March 23, 2011 at 7:05 AM
Mashaalah! i gain alot. may Allah s.w.t make us steadfast in this beautiful deen of ours untill we meet him Ameen,Ameen. may peace and blassing of Allah be upon our beloved prophet s.a.w his companion, his family and his umma whom they follow him untill last day,ameen,ameen.
may blessing of Allah be to my teacher Dr Billal, my tutor Ismail Kamdar and all team of IOU. IF WERE NOT THEM THESE COULDNT BE POSSIBLE. may Allah make this deed to be contin.. untill the last day and be of benificial to us and next generation,and …….. Ameen, Ameen
Ismail Kamdar
March 23, 2011 at 4:11 PM
Ameen
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Abdul Fattah
June 4, 2015 at 3:33 AM
Blessed be unto you for such a nice piece given out . May Allah increase you in knowledge.
Kalimah Yusuf
July 11, 2015 at 5:09 AM
Al Hamdulillah for being blessed to be a Muslim, such a beautiful way of life indeed.
chris
February 14, 2016 at 1:51 AM
so, in a nutshell, if ye harms none, do what ye wills….i’m i wrong or i’m i right
abdulakeem
May 31, 2016 at 7:57 AM
alhamdulillahi. beautiful piece.
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Mohammed Abidullah
April 12, 2017 at 1:56 PM
I completely agree. This article has helped me during hard times practicing my religion. As I’m getting older I’m researching more about shariah that we follow each and every day through prayer and etc. However, I have trouble with Saudi Arabian government who follows shariah with the Quran and Sunnah as the supposed constitution but still continues to allow discrimination against shia minorites and according to Pew Research Center the law criminalizes “calling for atheist thought,” “calling into question the Islamic religion,” and “sowing discord in society. So how can this be possible? unless they follow a different understanding of Quran. I know I completely strayed from the original topic you addressed but I’d appreciate it if anyone could help me understand.