Ad-Deen, Sahl!

i may have spoken with less finesse than i expected.
yesterday before class started, i was discussing with some friends about an issue.
and when i gave my opinion on it, one of them said that if i gave an answer like that, then what was the point of coming to class.

looking back, yes, perhaps i should have not added my opinion.

but i did not speak from loftiness.
in fact i thought i spoke because of being grounded.

and this was what i said:

the crux of the matter is, the merits of certain rituals/practices/actions (fadhailul amal) is as an encouragement for the individual to pursue the best way, according to recommendations. at the end of the day, the process of your trying to pursue a best course of action will be judged by none other than Allah, who knows your intentions truly. and by this belief, provided your intentions are true, Allah will reward you with what is promised, and perhaps more - for such is His Generosity.

and i explain it here (though perhaps my mistake was in not explaining it then...):

So while the basis of us seeking knowledge on a certain matter is good, it is not necessarily deemed so, if the point of you seeking knowledge is to set yourself aside from the majority, and to create disagreement by what knowledge you bring, especially if it is not really something which is deemed absolutely important.

case in point - to jama' qasr vs to do a normal jemaah, while on a journey. on one hand, to jama' qasr is a convenience given by Allah to those travelling on a journey, and some scholars consider that it is better to take from what Allah has given to us as a convenience. on the other hand, other scholars feel that it is better to pray the jemaah with the people of the land, because the merits of a jemaah is more encouraged. so the question that was being parlayed was about which side had more merit. And in fact there is no clear resolution to it, because both sides represent accepted opinions of scholars.

what i would say is that if it were more convenient for you to do the jama' qasr, and there does not seem to be a jemaah around, then do it. and if there is a jemaah around, then just join it. it is not that you are being fickle, but it is about what is best fit for you at the time and situation that you find yourself in. and in all instances, dedicate that action to Allah, and let Him be the Judge. the issue of the merit of the action is not even a consideration for me, because it is pointless to think about the merits of it, because all judgement is by Allah. thinking about the merits of it, to me, somehow diminishes the sincerity of what you are doing. what is more important is the sincerity in your carrying out of your worship (ihsan and ikhlas).

maybe as students, we ask. and that is right, as we want to upgrade ourselves.
but as practicing muslims, we should also consider that islam is never burdenful upon us.

the religion is simple.

why do we make it difficult by picking on small issues?