Make things easy for the people

The Quran states: “He did not place any undue restriction (haraj) upon you in Religion". (, 22:78) and "Allah desires to make light [your load]. And mankind was created weak." (4:28). The Prophet (S.A.W) said, "Make things easy for the people, and do not make it difficult for them.” And, “By Him in Whose Hand is Muhammad’s (S.A.W) life, I have not left anything which may bring you nearer to Paradise and take you farther from Hell unprescribed to you, nor have I left anything which may bring you nearer to Hell and take you away from Paradise unforbidden to you.” The Prophet "wanted to reduce the difficulty of travelling on the Path" and urged the faithful to "leave me alone (i.e., don't ask for anymore divine commandments) as long as I leave you alone."

Islam, by calling for surrender of suffering/anxiety creating principle of separate will/ego secures peace to which all are attracted. Nothing is more difficult than to maintain an image of puffed up ego – proud autonomous lord of the world that puts self before/against the other and constitutes the root of kufr/ingratitude. Nothing is more welcome than a gesture of opening up to the other, a smile, an act of unsolicited kindness and pahlay aap attitude that constitutes the heart of submission to God. Islam’s highest fulfilment is ihsan which means doing things – routine and grand tasks of life – in the perfect way conceivable or achievable and this constitutes the soul of beauty in action, in everything and who doesn’t find beauty and perfection rewarding or attractive.

Religion mostly sold in the package of jurists instead of artists/mystic/philosophers where beauty of forms, actions, emotions and thoughts is palpably present fails to attract most people today. Youth who are more daring and adventurous and driven by ideals and beauty are more repulsed. And the result is before us in the form of large scale indifference towards religion. As such we need to unearth the beauty (ihsan) centric dimension of faith. We are required to cultivate beauty around us and within. Radiance of that beauty is what sustains the peace that Islam is. A measure of someone’s faith  or piety is the extent to which looking at him one is reminded of God, the Beautiful. La ilaha illallah has been rendered as “There is no beauty but Beauty.” Loving beauty is all what Islam demands and it isn’t a difficult demand.