MAKING THINGS EASY

There is an incident from the Prophet of Islam’s life during his time in Madinah. One day, while he was sitting in the mosque with some of his companions, a Bedouin entered and began urinating inside the mosque. The people rushed to stop him, but the Prophet of Islam instructed them to leave him alone. Once he had finished, the Prophet said, “Bring a bucket of water and pour it over the area to clean it.” Explaining his reasoning, the Prophet said: “You have been sent to make things easier, not to make them difficult” (Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith No. 6128).

From this, we learn an important principle of Islam: In social life, when an unpleasant event occurs, the focus of the believers should be on solving the problem, not on punishing the person who caused it. In such situations, the spirit of reform should be encouraged, not the desire for revenge. The approach taken should aim to minimize the problem, not to worsen it. Just as, when there is a fire, nature demands that it be extinguished immediately, rather than trying to make it bigger.

In every conflict, there are two possible approaches: one that brings ease and another that brings hardship. By choosing one approach, the problem is reduced, and by choosing the other, the problem becomes more intense. The first approach is taiseer (ease), and the second is taaseer (hardship). Islam always prefers the path of taiseer. The path of taaseer is never favoured in Islam.

This is a fundamental principle of Islam. It applies to both personal and collective life. It must be upheld in matters inside the home as well as outside. It is a comprehensive principle and a complete way of life.