Assalamu’alaikum Warahmatullahi Wabarakatuh
Bismillahir-Rahmanir-Rahim
1. Introduction
In spiritual psychology, the human soul needs a stable rhythm. If the soul is forced to constantly bear acts of worship beyond its capacity (Ghuluw), it will experience spiritual burnout, leading to boredom or even resentment toward that worship. Conversely, if the soul is left too loose and belittles obligations (Taqsir), it will lose its moral compass and become barren. Wasathiyah in worship is the science of the “right dose”; like medicine, too much becomes poison, too little will not heal.
Evidence from the Qur’an and Hadith
يٰٓاَيُّهَا الَّذِيْنَ اٰمَنُوْا لَا تُحَرِّمُوْا طَيِّبٰتِ مَآ اَحَلَّ اللّٰهُ لَكُمْ وَلَا تَعْتَدُوْا ۗاِنَّ اللّٰهَ لَا يُحِبُّ الْمُعْتَدِيْنَ
"O you who believe! Do not forbid the good things which Allah has made lawful for you, and do not transgress. Indeed, Allah does not like transgressors." (QS. Al-Ma'idah : 87)
إِنَّ الدِّينَ يُسْرٌ، وَلَنْ يُشَادَّ الدِّينَ أَحَدٌ إِلَّا غَلَبَهُ
"Indeed, the religion is easy. No one overburdens himself in religion except that it will overcome him (he will grow weary)." (HR. Bukhari)
2. Lessons and Messages
Sincerity in religion is not seen in how "extreme" we act, but in how consistent (istiqamah) we are in simplicity. Do not, out of a desire to appear extremely pious, torture ourselves and neglect our human rights. But neither should we, under the excuse of “religion is easy,” pawn our obligations for fleeting worldly pleasures.Once the Messenger of Allah SAW entered the mosque and saw a rope stretched between two pillars. He asked, "What is this rope for?" The companions replied, "This rope belongs to Zainab. When she feels tired or weak in her prayer, she holds onto it." The Messenger SAW ordered, "Untie it! Pray when you are fresh. If you feel tired, then sleep." How beautiful Islam is; God does not want us to suffer, He only wants us to love Him in a reasonable and conscious way.Worship is like planting a tree. If you give it too much water (excess/Ghuluw), its roots will rot and die. But if you rarely water it (neglect/Taqsir), the tree will wither and dry up. Being Wasath means watering it just enough every day so the tree of faith grows lush and bears sweet fruit.There was a man who, in his desire to be “devout” and avoid “bid’ah” excessively, refused to wear a watch during prayer because there were no watches in the Prophet’s time. As a result, he was always late for congregational prayer, relying only on his feeling of the sun’s position. His friend scolded him, "Why are you always late?" He replied, "I want to purely follow the Sunnah without modern tools." His friend laughed, "Brother, the Prophet told us to be on time, not to become a sudden astronomer every time we pray! Wear the watch, and collect the reward!"
3. Conclusion
Dear brothers and sisters, worship with full zeal, but do not go to extremes (Ghuluw) to the point of inventing new rules that are burdensome. Nor should we become negligent servants (Taqsir) to the point of toppling the pillars of religion. The middle path is the path of safety. May Allah make us servants who are proportionate in devoting ourselves to Him.
والله أعلم بالصواب
الحمد لله رب العالمين
Wassalamu’alaikum Warahmaullahi Wabarakatuh.
ِAbu Sultan Al-Qadrie
