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I need an interpretation of the following hadith. It's recorded by Bukhari but I am not sure about the exact English words as I read it in my language. The hadith is as follows:

"Whoever goes too far in religion, it [religion] will overcome him."

What is meant by the words 'goes too far'? Where is the border between the normality and extremes?

[Buhoutsoupfap]

The translation you've quoted is wrong, hence it gave room for the confusion.

Here is the original text from Sahih al-Bukhari and its translation by Ustadha Aisha Bewley:

عَنْ أَبِى هُرَيْرَةَ عَنِ النَّبِىِّ صلى الله عليه وسلم قَالَ
إِنَّ الدِّينَ يُسْرٌ ، وَلَنْ يُشَادَّ الدِّينَ أَحَدٌ إِلاَّ غَلَبَهُ ، فَسَدِّدُوا وَقَارِبُوا وَأَبْشِرُوا ، وَاسْتَعِينُوا بِالْغَدْوَةِ وَالرَّوْحَةِ وَشَىْءٍ مِنَ الدُّلْجَةِ

It is related from Abu Hurayra that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "The deen is easy. Whoever makes the deen too hard for himself will be overpowered, so direct yourselves to what is right, follow a middle course, accept the good news of the reward for right action, and seek help [to reach your goal by being constant in worshipping] in the morning, evening and some of the night."

(Sahih al-Bukhari, The Book of Iman)

[drugsprevi]

Since this topic is often misunderstood in order to support laziness and since the "easiness" and difficulty" are more often than not calculated according standards external to Islam (i.e. what capitalism, imperialism and democrazy deem as "easy"), I think it will be useful to read what Mufti Ismail Moosa Sahab had to say regarding it:

Assalamu 'alaykum,

(...)

3) Allāh Ta’ālā mentioned,

"يُرِيدُ اللَّهُ بِكُمُ الْيُسْرَ وَلَا يُرِيدُ بِكُمُ الْعُسْرَ"

“Allah intends what is easy for you and He does not intend what is difficult for you.”

He also said,

"لا يُكَلِّفُ اللَّهُ نَفْسًا إِلا وُسْعَهَا"

“Allah does not impose upon a person what is beyond his ability.”
Hence, Allāh and His messenger صلى الله عليه وسلم already chose what is the easiest, best and most convenient for us when legislating the laws. They took extreme precaution in not imposing on us actions which will be difficult for us. There are numerous examples in Shari’a which testifies that Allāh Ta’ālā and His noble messenger only desired what is easy for us. To make masāh on khufayn and jawrabayn, qasr in salāh for a traveler, the permissibility for the sick to sit and pray, etc are just a few examples. It is precisely for this reason that siwāk is not compulsory for every wudhu. Nabi صلي الله عليه وسلم said,

« لولا أن أشق على أمتي لأمرتهم بالسواك عند كل وضوء ». ) رواه البحاري تعليقا - 2/682 - دار ابن كثير ، اليمامة(


“Had I not feared it will be difficult on my Ummah, I would have commanded them to use siwāk for every Ṣalāh.” (Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhāri Ta’līqan 2/682)

Thus, Allāh Ta’ālā already completed our religion and made binding upon us the easiest of commands. Indeed, He knew what will be easy for the Ummah till the Day of Judgment. We now have no alternative but to follow the Dīn as it was revealed to Nabi صلى الله عليه وسلم. In fact, we should now choose that which is closest to piety. As Nabi صلى الله عليه وسلم praised Ibn Sumaiyah (May Allah Ta'ala be pleased with him) by saying,

ابن سمية ما خير بين أمرين إلا اختار أرشدهما – (أخرجه ابن أبي شيبة في مصنفه- 17/199 المجلس العلمي)

“Ibn Sumayya is never given a choice exept he choose the one closes the one closer to piety.” (Al-Muṣṣannaf of Ibn Abi Shayba 17/199 Al-Majlis al-‘Ilmi)

A similar narration appears in Sunan al-Tirmīdhi and Al-Mustadrak of Imām Hākim wherein Nabi (Sallallahu 'Alayhi Wasallam) praised 'Ammar (Radiyallahu 'Anhu):

ما خير عمار من أمرين إلا اختار أرشدهما روها الترمذي و قال قال هذا حديث حسن غريب لا نعرفه إلا من هذا الوجه من حديث عبد العزيز بن سياه وهو شيخ كوفي – (سنن الترمذي 5/668 دار إحياء التراث) ، ورواه الحاكم في مستدركه سكت عنه الذهبي في التلخيص)

“ ‘Ammār does not choose between two matters except that he chooses the one closer to piety.” (Sunan al-Tirmīdhi and Al-Mustadrak of Hākim)

[Note – In some copies of Sunan al-Tirmīdhi the words اشدهما (more difficult) appear instead of ارشدهما. The meaning of the Ḥadīth then would be, “When ‘Ammār is given a choice between two things, he would choose the more difficult action.” This narration also appears in Sunan al-Kubrā of Imām Nasa’i. Thus, all the laws of Islām are now easy even if we attempt to choose that which apparently seems difficult (we will still be practicing on what is easy). We have no right now to further simplify the laws which Allāh has already simplified for us through His infinite wisdom]

(...)

And Allah Ta'ala knows best

Wassalām
_________________
[Mufti] Ismail Moosa
Darul Iftaa, Miftaahulkhair
Benoni, South Africa

[http://islam.forumup.it/viewtopic.ph...m=islam#27398]

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