It is easy to be too pious for one’s own good, or for the good of anybody else for that matter. Overstepping one’s limits, even with the best intentions in the world, is a temptation always best resisted.
In religion, as in any other sphere of life, erring on one side is almost as calamitous as erring on the other. Not aiming for excellence in one’s religion is, no doubt, a waste of potential at one’s disposal. But overdoing it is usually equally unfortunate. Considering this very fine balance that needs to be maintained, there is no shame if one occasionally errs in one direction or the other. Even those possessing the soundest of judgement cannot help slipping up. But the point is that one must remain ever self-accountable, always striving to get one’s life back on an even keel after every lapse.
This overstepping of boundaries is hard to miss. ‘Extension’ of the prohibition of eating swine flesh to prohibition (to self or others) of any product made of pig-skin is a common example. Some ‘pious’ folks go as far as to avoid mentioning the name of the poor animal like they avoid the plague. This is silly (which is bad enough) but there is much more to this sort of piety than that.
Similarly, while consuming of blood is prohibited, trying to get rid of the last traces of it from meat is not only an impossible task, but (more importantly) unnecessary as well. The mindset that prompts one to overdo ‘care’ and ‘caution’ like this is against the spirit of humility in which man should seek to have a relationship with God.
Opting not to benefit from concessions granted by God in extraordinary circumstances also smacks of thanklessness. In case of illness, travel or scarcity of water, for example, it is no pious act to postpone prayers in order to ‘do it the proper way’ instead of timely availing of the concession of tayammum and/or praying in the car, standing up, or even while walking. The Quran explicitly makes it clear that, while there is no excuse not to pray regularly and on time, God imposes no more restrictions on man than can reasonably be imposed.
In Islam, striving for good and refraining from evil, although necessary, are not enough for success. Every bit as crucial is halting precisely where God and His messenger (peace be upon him) command one to stop, making sure not to take even one step after that in either direction, no matter how good one’s motivations may be.
It is true that thanks to modern transportation and utilities, travel is not typically the exhausting affair that it used to be even some decades ago. But in case travel is inconvenient or tiring (which still frequently happens to be the case), it is certainly not the occasion to show bravado by opting not to avail of the concession of a shortened prayer. Bravado in this, and similar matters, is in bad taste because when God is gracious enough to offer something, man’s place is to accept it gleefully.
Similarly, it is no sign of courage to fast while ill or facing other difficulties, when one is allowed to make up for it on a later day. Or choosing not to eat sehri and/or showing no urgency or enthusiasm to break the fast as soon as the call to maghrib prayer is heard. Far from being proofs of religious resolve, by making men attempt more than what is required of them, such attitudes tend to put man’s relationship to God (which ought to be based on appreciation and gratefulness on man’s part) on the wrong footing.
Although more visible in practical affairs, this sort of misplaced piety is most damaging to the very foundations of one’s religion. For once the fundamentals are compromised, it is a matter of time before every act is adversely affected. Recognizing man’s needs and aspirations, nowhere does the Quran recommend or even condone a life that foregoes his needs, even legitimate desires. While it warns against excess in everything (including excess in material goods and luxuries) it does not paint beauty and the pleasures of life as necessarily evil – to the contrary, it points to the joys and delights of life as God’s favour to his men. In fact, it uses the words ‘khair’ and ‘fazl’– the same words it uses for good and God’s blessings – to refer to money and income. On the contrary, all mystic religions emphasise shunning of the material world declaring it unalloyed evil. The mystic streams in Islam are no different. Which is very unfortunate, and can be attributed mainly to man having attempted to bite off more than he could ever chew.
No Muslim is a Muslim unless he believes in the One God, the Hereafter, God’s angels, Revelation, Paradise and the Fire. No page of the Quran goes without mention of one or more of these, but the reader is advised to be content with whatever he has been told and not to add anything to it from his imagination or flights of philosophical fancy. He is commanded to recognize the boundaries of his knowledge and is cautioned against trying to figure out the reality of these concepts because there is no way he can wrap his head around them; which means that the attempt is certain to lead him astray. Disregarding the Quranic injunction, the mystics insist on making it their mission to figure out the ultimate reality of the universe, with disastrous consequences. Most innovations in religion have roots in curiosity of this sort getting the better of men, making them overstep their boundaries at their peril.
In Islam, striving for good and refraining from evil, although necessary, are not enough for success. Every bit as crucial is halting precisely where God and His messenger (peace be upon him) command one to stop, making sure not to take even one step after that in either direction, no matter how good one’s motivations may be.
This was perfectly demonstrated by the noble companions of the Prophet (peace be upon him) through their attitudes and acts. There was nobody they loved and revered more than the Prophet of God (PBUH). They wanted to show their respect for him on every occasion. But they never overstepped the bounds established by the Prophet (PBUH). For example, they never stood up in his honour when he joined their gathering because they knew that he did not like it. They understood that while one could be motivated by the best of intentions, without obedience there was no good whatsoever.
