If a horse rider presses his steed too hard, attempting to reach his destination faster by combining two stages into one, the horse will collapse on the way, failing to move forward. As a result, the rider ends up with neither a healthy horse nor having reached his goal. The story of our lives is similar. The path before us is the path of servitude, and the steed entrusted to us by God to travel this path is our body.
In this regard, an incident from Imam Ja’far al-Sadiq (peace be upon him) has been narrated. It is said that a Muslim had a Christian neighbor with whom he was friendly. Gradually, he invited him to Islam, and after some time, the neighbor accepted, converted to Islam, and learned the rituals of ablution (wudu) and prayer.
One night, after his first day as a Muslim, he was sleeping when, towards the end of the night, he heard a knock at the door. Startled, he wondered who could be at the door at such an hour. He went to the door and asked, “Who is it?” The reply came, “I am your Muslim neighbor.” He opened the door and asked, “Has something happened?” The neighbor replied, “Haven’t you become a Muslim? A Muslim should wake up at this time of night, go to the mosque, and pray the night prayer.”
The new Muslim made his ablution, and both of them went to the mosque. They prayed the night prayer, and when they were done, the new Muslim said, “Now we can go.” The old Muslim neighbor replied, “No, the dawn prayer is still left. That was the night prayer. Let’s sit and pray the morning prayer with the congregation.” After the morning prayer, the new Muslim asked, “Is it finished?” The old neighbor replied, “No, it is recommended for a person to remain seated after the morning prayer and engage in the follow-up supplications until the sun rises, as this brings an increase in sustenance.” The poor new Muslim sat until the sun rose. As he moved to leave, the old Muslim neighbor pulled him back, saying, “Sit, let’s recite some Quran and make supplications until we can perform the midday prayers with the congregation. Don’t you know that a believer is like a fish in water, never feeling tired of swimming?”
After the midday and afternoon prayers, the old neighbor said, “Wait until the evening prayers, and after praying with the congregation, we will go.” Eventually, they prayed the evening and night prayers with the congregation. The exhausted new Muslim returned home, utterly drained, and went to bed. Yet, before he could recover from his fatigue, towards the end of the night, there was another knock at his door. He went to the door and saw his neighbor again, who said, “Come, let’s go to the mosque together.” The new Muslim exclaimed, “My dear friend, this religion of yours requires a person to be unemployed. I have work to do and cannot live my life with your religion. I am returning to my previous faith!”
Imam Ja’far al-Sadiq (peace be upon him) said, “Just as he made him a Muslim, he also made him a disbeliever.”[1]
There are many who, in their religious practices and worship, press themselves too hard, thinking that reaching the destination quickly requires them to overburden themselves. They stay awake excessively, perform voluntary fasts and prayers, and sometimes neglect their obligatory duties, such as learning, study, or work, which are essential for their livelihood. However, this is not the way of religion! The teachings of Islam advocate for moderation and balance in all matters. This means we should not abandon the voluntary acts of worship, nor should we be so absorbed in them that we neglect our obligatory duties and daily life. Instead, everyone should do what is manageable for them and not hinder their responsibilities.
In line with this, Imam Ali (peace be upon him) also said: “Be moderate both in worship and in your livelihood.”[2]
(Taken from the book Khatam al-Anbiya, The Endless Mercy by Ayatollah Sayyid Mohammad Dhiya’ Abadi, with edits and additions)
Footnotes:
[1] Wasail al-Shi’ah, Book of Commanding Good and Forbidding Evil, Chapter 14, Hadith 3.
[2] Bihar al-Anwar, Volume 42, Page 203.