Islam is easy

Allah (s.w.t.) is the Creator of humanity and therefore He knows the intricacies of humanity better than they themselves do. Allah (s.w.t.) has chosen for us a religion that best suits human nature: A religion that does not go to extremes, be it difficulties or negligence, but rather follows a middle path. In other words: it is a religion that is easy to follow. Allah (s.w.t.) says:

Such ease is well explained in a hadith of Abu Hurairah (r.a.), in which the Prophet (s.a.w.) said: "Religion is easy..." (Bukhari) and he (s.a.w.) also said: "The best religion is the easiest." (Ahmad) The ease of this religion was put into practice by the best person who came to convey the message, as Allah says:

This understanding is expressed in a hadith in which the Prophet (s.a.w.) said: "...Allah has not sent me to be harsh or to cause harm, but He has sent me to teach and to make things easy." This understanding was applied in the mercy that was given to humanity: Muhammad (s.a.w.)! In a hadith, his honorable wife Aisha (r.a.) reported: "Whenever the Prophet had the choice between two things, he chose the easier one, unless it was a sinful act." (Bukhari)

Many ahadith report such things: "Allah wants to make things easy for this nation and He hates hardship and adversity." (Tabarani)

To emphasize this understanding to his companions, the following event occurred: When a Bedouin stood up and began to urinate in the mosque, the people seized him, but he (s.a.w.) ordered them to let him (the Bedouin) go and to pour a bucket or cup of water over the place where he had urinated. The Prophet (s.a.w.) then said: "You must make things easy and not difficult." (Bukhari)

An example that illustrates this point is the prayer (Salah), an act so important and essential that the Prophet (s.a.w.) said: "Between a person and disbelief is the abandonment of prayer." (Muslim) He warned against neglecting prayer, even in the face of his death, in his last breaths and before leaving this world.

Nevertheless, even in this act of worship for Allah, there is ease. First, the number of prayers was to be 50 (daily) but this was reduced several times until it was only 5. Then it was announced: "O Muhammad, this decree will not be changed. But these 5 are (in reward) equivalent to 50 (prayers)." (Tirmidhi)

Reasons why practicing Islam is perceived as difficult

If Islam is a religion that is easy to practice, why do we find many Muslims who do not practice it? Why do we find them doing little of what they should actually be doing? And why do even those who practice their religion sometimes find it difficult?

There are reasons why practicing Islam can become difficult.

1) Lack of Piety:

When we speak of Islam being easy, we are actually speaking of the acts of worship and morals being easy. Religion is defined as devotion and obedience to a Lord (Rabb). Therefore, a religious person is always aware that we are all servants of our Lord Allah (s.w.t.). Here we recognize the mistake that when something is called "easy," it does not mean "do nothing," and just saying "I am Muslim" and then doing nothing more. It is obvious that these (non-practicing individuals) want something easy, but what exactly do they want? They want an easy life, a life without religious deeds.

The vain belief of being the only existing one was rejected by Allah long ago. He says:

Islam is easy to practice, but those who do not understand the reason behind their existence, who do not understand the concept of religion, but only care about securing their livelihood, these will find practicing (Islam) difficult.

The ease of Islam is felt in all its commands. Some people may find it difficult to follow one command or another, but that does not mean that the command itself is harsh. Often the cause lies in the person themselves. For example, prayer is an act of worship, as Allah (s.w.t.) has made clear:

Prayer is an easy act of worship except for those who do not truly submit to their Lord; they will find it burdensome. Why do they feel this way? The answer is that it is not the prayer itself that is difficult, but people's hearts have turned from good to evil, as Allah (s.w.t.) mentions:

2) Ignorance

The laws of Islam do not consist only of "do this" and "do not do this." Behind every obligation there is wisdom and purpose. It should make no difference to us whether we know the wisdom behind a particular obligation or not, because even if we do not recognize it today, it will be revealed to later generations, if Allah wills. What is first expected of us is that we submit and follow every command.

For example, giving charity (Zakat) clearly reduces (at first glance) the wealth of the giver. Islam does not say: "Pay the Zakat, pay the Zakat!" as this would not motivate people and would ultimately make it difficult for them to act accordingly. Instead, Allah says:

It often seems that Muslims ask whether an action or matter is halal or haram. With such an attitude, one will (perhaps) never reach the goal, because behind every instruction there is an aspect of wisdom. Without understanding this, practicing Islam becomes a heavy burden. With a strong faith, we do not always have to ask whether this or that is halal or haram, but whether it pleases Allah. Therefore, we should accept the commands and strive for the pleasure of Allah (s.w.t.). If the pleasure of Allah (s.w.t.) is always the goal, then practicing the religion becomes easy, regardless of what difficulties we may face.

3) Inappropriate Environment

It is true, sometimes we find it difficult to practice the religion, even those who are very committed. The reason for this is that we practice our religion in a non-Islamic environment. Islam does not mean that one practices and at the same time immerses oneself in a Kufr society. Practicing will truly be difficult in such an environment. Therefore, one cannot blame Islam for the difficulties, but rather the circumstances within society. Let us return once again to the example of prayer. We have seen that prayer itself is easy, but when you pray alone among non-Muslims and they stare at you, it suddenly becomes difficult. The obvious conclusion is: prayer itself is not difficult, but the environment has made it difficult.

Another example is that of a woman who wears a hijab and is happy to cover herself. If one were in a Muslim society, it would be difficult for her (the woman) not to cover herself, or for a man not to follow the call to prayer and pray in the mosque. These difficulties have nothing to do with the nature of our religion, but we are trying to be good in a decadent and immoral environment. These truths are not unknown in Islam, because the Prophet (s.a.w.) warned his companions about this about 1400 years ago and thus he also warned us.

Islam is a religion of ease. If we accept that it is a religion that we take "seriously," then we should adopt its concept and practice it in a pure environment (and not in a corrupt and decadent one), thereby making it easier to practice the religion. It is not possible to have a hundred percent good society, but we should try by living in a society with good Muslims. This removes the obstacles from the religion.

The ease of Islam is even attested to by the enemies of Islam. This became evident in the statement of the Jews at the time of the Prophet (s.a.w.) when a woman and a man among them committed adultery. Some of them said to the others: "Let us go to this prophet, because he was sent with an easy law..." (Abu Dawud).

Therefore, may Allah make us among such people as He describes here.