By Shaykh Syed Anisul Haque
16 May 2025

﷽

Dear brothers and sisters,

In this week’s Khutbah, I wanted to reflect on a topic that speaks directly to the challenges of our time, the principle of al-wasatiyyah (moderation), the middle path that our beloved Prophet ﷺ taught us through his actions and words. It is a path that protects us from both extremes: from the harshness of overburdening ourselves in religion and from the negligence of watering down our deen to suit our desires.

I reminded myself first, and all of us together, of the famous narration recorded by Imam Bukhari where three men approached the home of the Prophet ﷺ, inquiring about his worship. When they heard how he ﷺ worshipped, they felt it was not enough compared to what they thought they should do. One pledged to pray all night, another to fast every day without a break, and the third to give up marriage entirely.

But when the Prophet ﷺ heard this, he corrected them with compassion and wisdom. He ﷺ told them that he fasts and breaks his fast, prays and rests, and that he also marries women. And he ﷺ reminded them that this balance is his Sunnah, and whoever turns away from it is not from him.

Brothers and sisters, these words are not just for those three men. They are for all of us. We live in a time where the pull toward both extremes is very real. On one side, we see those who burden themselves and others with excessive rituals, becoming harsh and unforgiving in their approach to Islam. And on the other side, we see people treating the deen as a buffet – picking what suits their desires and ignoring the rest, constantly looking for the easiest opinion that allows them to justify their choices.

Both extremes are dangerous. Both take us away from the beautiful balance of Islam that Allah has commanded us to follow.

Allah tells us clearly in Surah Al-Baqarah:

This is not just a description, it is our identity as an Ummah. We are the Ummah of moderation, of balance, of dignity.

And yet, when I reflect on the questions we receive as Imams today, more often than not, it is not people asking, “Shaykh, am I doing too much?” Rather, it is people asking, “Shaykh, is there a fatwa that makes this easier for me? Can I skip this? Can I adjust this rule to fit my lifestyle?”

This is what the great jurist Imam Al-Shatibi (d. 790 AH / 1388 CE) warned us about when he spoke of those who make their desires their guide, following every concession they can find and stepping outside the spirit of the Shariah. And I say this not to criticise, but to remind us all: Islam is not there to follow our desires, it came to discipline our souls.

At the same time, we must guard ourselves from falling into the trap of Shaytān whispering to us that what we do is never enough. Shaytān works both ways. He will whisper to some to take the easy path, and to others, he will whisper that their worship is insufficient, pushing them to obsessiveness, to repeat prayers, to overdo acts of worship until they become exhausted and burned out.

This is why the Prophet ﷺ gave us practical, simple solutions. When doubts come to our hearts, he ﷺ taught us to say:

Āmantu billāhi wa rasūlihi
I believe in Allah and His Messenger.

When waswās tries to confuse our prayers or our wudūʾ, he ﷺ told us to seek refuge in Allah and ignore the doubts. Not to engage them. Not to overcomplicate the deen.

Because Islam is simple. Islam is easy. And as the Prophet ﷺ said: 

No one overburdens himself in this religion except that it will overcome him.

Dear brothers and sisters, this message is especially important for us living in the West. The pressure to conform, to water down our Islam in order to fit in, is intense. But our dignity lies in holding firm to our values, not diluting them. Islam does not need to be altered for our lifestyles. Our lives must adjust to the teachings of Islam.

Even in the small details of our day-to-day life, Islam teaches us balance. How we spend, how we speak, how we walk, how we deal with others. Allah tells us to avoid excess, whether in spending or in speech, to lower our voices, to walk with humility, not arrogance.

This is the middle path in action.

And yes, I know, keeping this balance is not always easy. Sometimes we will fall to one side or the other. But what matters is that we catch ourselves, return to the prophetic model, and continue walking forward with humility, seeking Allah’s forgiveness when we slip, and His guidance to correct our course.

May Allah make us from the people of balance. May He protect us from the extremes that pull us away from His straight path. And may He fill our hearts with clarity, sincerity, and steadfastness.

Ameen.

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