the mosques, and waiting for one prayer after another—this is ribāṭ, this is ribāṭ.

Perfecting ablution in the face of hardship means that a person performs his ablution even though he dislikes it. He may be running a fever and instinctively recoils from water, yet he still makes ablution; the weather may be bitterly cold and he has nothing with which to warm the water, yet he still makes ablution; or heavy rain may hinder his reaching the place of ablution, yet he still makes ablution. The point is that he performs ablution despite reluctance and some difficulty, provided there is no harm. If actual harm is feared, then he should not use water but should perform tayammum instead.

This is one of the deeds through which Allah wipes away sins and elevates ranks. However, this does not mean that a person should deliberately impose hardship on himself—choosing icy water when warm water is available, or refusing to heat the water when he can, saying, “I want to use cold water so I may earn this reward.” Such behavior is not sanctioned, for Allah says, “What would Allah gain by punishing you if you give thanks and believe?” ⦗4:147⦘.

The Prophet once saw a man standing in the sun and asked, “What is this?” They replied, “He vowed to stand in the sun.” He forbade him from that and told him to seek shade. Thus, a person is neither commanded nor encouraged to do what brings hardship and harm upon himself; rather, the easier the act of worship is for him, the better. If, however, hardship and dislike are unavoidable, he is rewarded for enduring them, for they were not of his own choosing.