“Allah loveth not those given to excess”

Narrated 'Abdullah bin 'Amr bin Al-'As:
Allah's Apostle said, "O 'Abdullah! Have I not been formed that you fast all the day and stand in prayer all night?" I said, "Yes, O Allah's Apostle!" He said, "Do not do that! Observe the fast sometimes and also leave them (the fast) at other times; stand up for the prayer at night and also sleep at night. Your body has a right over you, your eyes have a right over you and your wife has a right over you." (Bukhari 7:62, Hadith 127)

Someone very dear to me was hospitalised last week. He had fainted at his office. His BP had fallen to critically low levels. After a battery of tests (including MP and CBC! I wonder why MP and CBC when it was low BP? Maybe the doctors and insurance companies know better!)...

Anyway, as usual, I digress...

After a battery of tests, they have diagnosed a problem in his inner ear, and it would need to be operated upon. This problem was also diagnosed a few years ago, but was taken lightly by the person.

This person is also actively involved in a few social causes which take up a lot of his time – sometime at the expense of his family, in my reckoning.

And despite our repeated entreaties, pleadings and even admonishing from his mother, he is adamant on following his lifestyle, which we all know his detrimental to his health.

Consider the weeks leading up to his hospitalisation. The social organisation for which he gives of his time had organised a seminar / workshop on Oct 29-31. He was running around for it for a couple of weeks during the day, and was at office at night. Sleep – about 2 hours daily. Some other jobs came up the next week, and he volunteered for them. No sleep again. The weekend before Eid, some people had come from out of town. Who will take care? Who else? And when he had some time off, you could find him online.

Not only that, he also fasted for the 8 days leading up to Eid, and wanted to also fast on Tuesday while in hospital. It was only because of a trick played on him by my wife, the hospital staff and I that he could not do so.

All of this, I daresay, with complete disregard to his wife’s feelings and concern, and his own health.

On Eid, the doctor agreed to our requests to release him for two hours so that he could attend the Eid prayers. We drilled it into his head that he has to go with us to the masjid, sit in one place, pray and accompany us back.

Do you think he did that? Oh, quite the contrary! Knowing that we could not scream at him and stop him in front of everyone at the masjid, he went ahead and did his own thing, till I finally had to lose my cool.

I know you are reading this, my dear brother, and wanted to highlight the above Hadith to you. You are disregarding the above words of Rasool Allah (Sallallahu alaihi wasallam) completely! And I hope you change. Do what you are doing, but stay within limits. Do not go to the extremes that you are going now.

After all, at various points, the Qur’an highlights that Allah does not like those who transgress limits. And you know that much better than I do!