Contrary to common belief, Islam does not teach extremism. It, actually teaches its adherents to follow the mean or the balanced path.

In the fourth chapter of the Quran the following injunction has been given:

      "Do not go to excess in your religion." (4:171)

The same point has been made in a hadith. The Prophet of Islam observed:

"You should restrain yourselves from committing excesses (ghulu) in religion. For it was due to their having gone to extremes in religion that the previous communities were destroyed." (Al-Nasai, Ibn Majah, Musnad Ahmad, 1/215, 347)

Ghulu means extremism. The way of extremism is wrong, whatever the circumstances, for it goes against the spirit of religion. Indeed, it is proneness to extremism, which at times culminates in war and violence. Those who suffer from extremist tendencies remain dissatisfied with the path of moderation, since this strikes them as being far from the ideal. That is why they so easily incline towards violence, and are ever ready to open hostilities in the name of achieving their objectives.

Moderation, which is the opposite of extremism, is closely interlinked with peace. When people possess the virtue of moderation, they necessarily think in terms of peace and will engage in their struggle in a peaceful manner. Where there is moderation there is peace, and vice versa. In stark contrast to this, an extremist attitude very soon leads to confrontation and violence. Extremism and violence are obviously interconnected. That is why extremism is held in religion to be abhorrent. It would not be wrong to say that violence is another name for extremism and that moderation is to refrain from extremism.

According to a Hadith, the Prophet Muhammad observed: The moderate action is the best of all actions. Hazrat Ali advised the people: 'Adopt the middle path.' (Tafsir Qurtubi, 154/2)

The middle path means the path of moderation. One instance of it can be seen in the following verse of the Qur'an, 'Be neither miserly nor prodigal, for then you should either be reproached or be reduced to penury.' (17:29)

The same point, worded differently, has been made in another verse which characterizes "the true servants of the Merciful" as "those who, when they spend, are not extravagant and not niggardly, but maintain a just balance between those extremes" (25:67).

According to this verse, moderate spending means neither lavishness nor miserliness but rather a balanced expenditure, which will make life much easier to lead. In the same way, as regards optional fasts, prayers, etc., a middle path is desirable for man, as this enables him to maintain such a pattern of behaviour over a long period of time.

This middle path-the best path to follow-relates to all spheres of life. Man must shun extreme paths in all matters, for these accord with both the spirit of religion as well as with worldly success.