What Does the Phrase “Ease in Religion” Mean?
Answered by Shaykh Dr. Bassem Itani
Question
What is the concept of “ease in religion,” and how should it be understood and practiced in light of the hadith and Quranic teachings?
Answer
All praise is due to Allah, Lord of the worlds, and blessings and peace be upon our master Muhammad, his Family, and all his Companions.
Understanding “Religion is Easy”
The phrase “religion is easy” does not mean that if you find something in the religion difficult, you should abandon it. Rather, the ease in religion means that there is no excessive rigidity in it. For example, fasting during Ramadan may involve difficulty and hardship, but a person is able to fast. This should not be abandoned; rather, a Muslim must be patient to fulfill this obligation. However, if someone wants to fast every day without breaking it and thereby harms himself, this is the kind of rigidity that the religion prohibits, and this should be avoided.
The Complete Context
You cannot understand this prophetic saying correctly unless you see the complete context of the text. The full text from the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) is:
“Religion is easy, and no one overburdens himself in religion except that it overwhelms him. So, be moderate, and try to reach near perfection, and receive the good tidings that you will be rewarded; and seek help (from Allah) at morning, at dusk, and some part of the night” [Bukhari]
The meaning of the hadith is: do not overburden yourselves with the rules of religion and impose upon them what they cannot bear. Whoever is overly strict becomes tired and weary and then abandons the work, and he may perish. Religion is easy because it does not burden a person beyond his capacity. So, be moderate and try to reach near perfection, which means to be balanced without excess or neglect in worship.
Do not fall short in what you are commanded, nor take on what you cannot bear. You will receive the glad tidings of success and prosperity if you walk in obedience to Allah with moderation and balance. Seek help at times of movement towards Allah with acts of obedience, which are the early morning, late afternoon, and a portion of the night, so that you are active in the obedience of Allah and enjoy the worship without becoming tired or bored. In this way, you achieve your goal without weariness or exhaustion, for what matters is the continuity of the work, even if it is little.
The Example of the Companions
Some of the Companions (Allah be pleased with them) were excessively strict. One wanted to pray all night without sleeping, another wanted to fast without breaking his fast, and the last wanted to never marry. The Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) guided them to his prophetic method, which was derived from the ease of religion.
The story goes that three men came to the houses of the wives of the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace), asking about the worship of the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace). When they were informed, it was as if they considered it insignificant. They said: “Where are we compared to the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace)? Allah has forgiven his past and future sins.” One of them said: “As for me, I pray all night without sleeping.” Another said: “I fast every day and do not break my fast.”
And the third said: “I avoid women and never marry.” The Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and give him peace) came to them and said: “Are you the ones who said such and such? By Allah, I am the most fearful of Allah and most conscious of Him among you, but I fast and break my fast, I pray and sleep, and I marry women. Whoever turns away from my Sunna is not of me” [Bukhari]
This means that whoever abandons the Prophet’s way, which is based on ease and moderation, is not following his noble guidance.
Ease in the Religion
The religion is easy because we find that the prohibitions in this religion are limited and far fewer than the permitted actions, which are countless. Allah (Most High) said:
“He is the One Who created everything in the earth for you.” [Quran, 2:29]
The obligations are specified and within the capacity of the servant, and there are many concessions in Islam, such as shortening the prayer during travel, wiping over leather socks, wiping over thick socks, performing dry ablution (tayammum) when water is unavailable, consuming dead meat in cases of necessity, and the exemption from prayer for menstruating women and women in postpartum bleeding, among others.
Comparisons to Other Religions
The religion is easy compared to other religions because Allah has lifted the burden and hardships that were upon previous nations from this umma. Allah (Most High) said:
“Our Lord! Do not place a burden on us like the one you placed on those before us. Our Lord! Do not burden us with what we cannot bear.” [Quran, 2:286]
And He said:
“And (He) laid upon you no hardship in the religion” [Quran, 22:78]
This includes the lack of ritual purification with dust, cutting the garment that is stained with impurity, and the acceptance of repentance through self-sacrifice, among other things. Out of His kindness and generosity, Allah lifted these hardships from this umma as a mercy for them [‘Ayni, Umdat al-Qari]
Great Blessings for Small Actions
The religion is easy because this umma receives great blessings and immense rewards for small actions through this religion. There are many examples of this in the hadiths of the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace), such as:
- “Whoever prays the Isha prayer in congregation, it is as if he has prayed half the night. And whoever prays the Fajr prayer in congregation, it is as if he has prayed the entire night” [Muslim]
- “Whoever says: ‘Subhan Allah wa bihamdih’ (Glory be to Allah and all praise is to Him) one hundred times in a day, his sins will be erased even if they are like the foam of the sea” [Ibid.]
- “Whoever fasts Ramadan and follows it with six days of Shawwal, it will be as if he fasted for a lifetime” [Ibid.]
All these indicate the proof of great rewards for small actions, which demonstrates the ease of the religion.
Balancing Hardship and Capacity
Allah (Most High) may impose certain acts of worship on Muslims that involve hardship or difficulty but are within the capacity of the Muslim to perform, such as Hajj. Allah (Most High) said:
“Pilgrimage to this House is an obligation by Allah upon whoever is able among the people.” [Quran, 3:97]
This obligation should not be abandoned but must be performed by those who are capable, whether male or female. Allah has not imposed on us acts of worship that involve unbearable hardship or difficulty beyond human capacity. The Islamic religion is far from that. Allah (Most High) said:
“Allah does not require of any soul more than what it can afford.” [Quran, 2:286]
Conclusion: The Delight of Sincere Worship
It is important to highlight a very significant point: when a Muslim turns to Allah with sincere worship, even if it involves some hardship, he does not feel its heaviness. Instead, he delights in the spirit of worship, savors its secret, and it becomes easy and manageable. He becomes attached to it and hastens to persist in it and repeat it.
Allah is the guide to the path of guidance.
[Shaykh] Bassem Itani
Shaykh Dr. Bassem Hussayn Itani was born in Beirut, Lebanon, in 1965. He earned his Ph.D. in Islamic Studies in 2005. Among his mentors were Shaykh Muhammad Taha Sukkar, Shaykh Adib al-Kallas, Shaykh Mulla Abdul ‘Alim al-Zinki, Shaykh Abdul Rahman al-Shaghouri, Shaykh Abdul Razzaq al-Halabi, Shaykh Dr. Mustafa Dib al-Bugha, Shaykh Dr. Wahba al-Zuhayli, Dr. Muhammad al-Zuhayli, and others, may Allah have mercy on them all.
Shaykh Itani has a rich background in both academic and administrative fields. He has held significant positions in many governmental and non-governmental institutions in Lebanon and abroad. This includes his role as a member of the Academic Committee at SeekersGuidance and a senior teacher with the free online global seminary.
From 2020 to 2021, he served as the Dean of the College of Da‘wa – University for Islamic Studies (Lebanon) – Postgraduate Studies. He was the Director of Dar Iqra for Islamic Sciences from 1998 to 2018. Shaykh Itani is a well-versed teacher in several academic subjects, including Fiqh, Usul, Aqida, and Tafsir. He has supervised and examined numerous Master’s and Doctoral theses at various universities and colleges in Lebanon.
His contributions to Islamic sciences are also evident in his writings and research. His notable works include “The Relied-upon Statements of Imam Zufar in the Hanafi School,” “Collective Ijtihad: The Sublimity of Thought in the 21st Century,” and “Custom and its Impact in Islamic Jurisprudence.” Shaykh Itani has actively participated in numerous scientific conferences and seminars, both in Lebanon and internationally. He is linguistically adept, excelling in Arabic, proficient in French, and comfortably conversant in English.
