Moderation in Islam Worship
Islam is a religion of moderation. It stands for the middle-path. It opposes every form of excess and extremism. Its principles and laws are based on a natural system of balance, appealing across cultural, ethnic and geographical boundaries.
The Quran refers to those who truly follow Islam as the ummat wasat or ‘the community of the middle-path’. As the Quran puts it, ‘Thus, have We made of you an ummat justly balanced, that ye might be witnesses over the nations, and the Messenger a witness over yourselves’ (2:143)[1]. Numerous Quranic commentators have interpreted the term ummat wasat to mean ‘the moderate community’ (ummat muatadal).
Islam’s moderation encompasses many aspect of our life. One of them is moderation in worship. Worship covers a large area in everyday life of muslim, for it is the purpose for which Allah sent all the Messengers. It is obligatory with specific features and condition. Extra acts of worshipping may be like the obligatory ones or different from them, on the condition that they should be permissible and not innovated.
Based on quranic verse (62:9-10)[2], it is proven that Islam taught us to be moderate in our worshipping acts. Every Friday when we hear the athan for Friday prayer, we should leave our business in the world and go straight to the mosque. We can continue after we have finished our shalat. Islam does not say that we should go to Friday prayer and stay there until the end of the day but continue working after we are finished shalat. This shows that Islam is moderate in its worshipping act and its worldly matters.
The five pillars of Islam are the obligatory act of worship to all muslim. It is the worship through action. Even for the five pillars we need to be moderate. For example, the third pillar which is the shaum or fasting. It taught us to be more discipline and patient. By abstaining from food and drink and sexual relations, we train ourselves not to be the slaves to our material needs and desires[3]. It allows us to get the same feeling for all muslim. We learnt to the hardship of hunger and thirst together. However Islam does not tells us to overdo it. Some people would be fasting for a whole year. That is not necessary. We just have to do it moderately. So that we can continue doing our work when we can, and have the energy to worship Allah.
Worships in Islam are characterized by moderation, neither too much not too little. Islam does not demand that its follower devote his life to worshipping and retreat from life completely, as Christians did. The Christian program of worship is based on spiritualities and monasticism that forbid its followers from marrying, repress the instincts and prevent all types of adornment and good provisions, considering all that as impurity and the work of Satan. Christians exaggerated in worship and distorted its form and its purpose till it turned into deformed monasticism.[4]
In contrast, Jews were too materialistic, ignoring the need of man for the spiritual nutrition. “In their scriptures you read nothing but what concerns mundane affairs; an individual would not worship Allah save to obtain a temporal advantage or to avoid a temporal punishment. Materialistic and temporal values became the pivot of life.[5]
Based on the forgoing proofs mentioned by Sheikh Al-Qaradawi[6], you should manage a balance between your worldly affairs and religious ones: don't spend all your time in observing supererogatory acts of worship and try to carry out the obligatory ones in a perfect way; this would be better for you and your religion. When you observe a supererogatory act of worship, do not go to extremes and try not to do too many things. It is better if you do one thing and observe it regularly. But if the observation of a supererogatory act of worship contradicts an obligatory act, the latter is given priority over the former.
In conclusion, Islam is a moderate religion in its worshipping act. It is neither extreme nor less than the balance act. It is balance in all way especially regarding our worldly matters and religious matters. The Prophet's Sunnah signifies his understanding of the faith and its application; i.e., his duty towards his Lord, himself, his family, and his followers - giving each the due right in a balanced and moderate way. So we should follow as the sunnah of prophet to live in a balanced and moderate way of life.
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