So, in their estimation, he had no need to exert himself in worship. One of them therefore resolved to abstain from women so that he could devote himself wholly to worship; another resolved to stop eating meat, renouncing the pleasures of life; and a third determined that he would spend the entire night in prayer and vigil.

Their words reached the one who surpassed them all in piety, fear of Allah, and knowledge of human states and divine laws. He addressed the people, praised Allah, and—true to his noble habit—made his exhortation and guidance general for everyone. He informed them that he gives every right its due: he worships Allah the Exalted while also partaking of the lawful delights of life—he sleeps and he prays, he fasts and he breaks the fast, and he marries women. Whoever turns away from his exalted sunnah is not among his followers; such a person has chosen the path of innovators.

Lessons derived from the ḥadith:

1. The Companions’ love of goodness, their eagerness for it, and their desire to emulate their Prophet ﷺ.
2. The leniency and ease of this sharia, as shown by the practice and guidance of its Prophet ﷺ.
3. Goodness and blessing lie in following him and adhering to his noble way of life.
4. Burdening oneself with hardship, strain, and deprivation is not part of the religion; it is the practice of self-righteous innovators who diverge from the Sunnah of the Master of the Messengers ﷺ.
5. Abandoning the lawful pleasures of life in the name of asceticism or worship departs from the purified Sunnah and follows a path other than that of the believers.
6. This noble ḥadith demonstrates that Islam is not monasticism or deprivation; it is the religion that came to set right both religious and worldly affairs, giving every claimant his rightful share. Allah has the right to be worshipped and obeyed without excess or fanaticism, and the body has the right to its portion of lawful enjoyment and rest. From this it becomes clear that the religion was sent down by the All-Wise, All-Knowing, who encompasses all things in knowledge. He knew that human beings have inclinations and thirsting instincts, so He did not forbid them the good things; and He knew their capacity for worship, so He did not impose on them extremity and hardship.
7. Here, “sunnah” means “way,” and turning away from the sunnah in this sense does not necessarily expel one from the religion if his avoidance is based on an interpretation for which he may be excused.
8. To “turn away from something” means to abstain from it. What is forbidden is to abandon it out of rigidity or monasticism, for that contravenes the Sacred Law. If, however, one refrains from it out of cautious piety because of some doubt about its permissibility, or for another praiseworthy motive, such abstention is not prohibited.