Of committing excess in religion

Symmetry as opposed to want of plan; equality or proportion as opposed to crookedness; a mean as opposed to extremes

There are limits set in practice of religion for the people of the book, which one may not exceed, as committing an excess may amount to trespassing the truth, as laid down in the Holy Verse:

“O people of the Book! Exceed not in your religion the bounds (of what is proper) trespassing beyond the truth, nor follow the vain desires of people who went wrong in the times gone by,---- who misled many, and strayed (themselves) from the even Way’’ (Al Ma’idah: 77)

While as moderation, reasonable and logical approach is called for in practice of religion, any excess may lead to concealing or trampling upon the truth. Excess could also amount to trading in religion; it could lead to developing a hypocritical or a selfish attitude. For the people of the Book, the excesses

committed by Beni-Israel with Hazrat Musa (A.S) form an example of trespassing beyond the truth and adopting an unreasonable attitude.

Hazrat Musa (A.S) was constantlyharassed with foolish, impertinent, or disingenuous questions by his own people. The hypocritical attitude apart from attempts to trample upon the truth led to copying the fashions of ancestors or cotemporaries and overdoing what was practiced by ancestors. This led to

dishonouring Allah (SwT)’s name by the blasphemies or the setting up of false gods or fetishes.

Beni-Israelis in their transgression left the true path—the even path, the path of rectitude. In Surah Al Baqarah, Muslims are asked:

Would ye question your Messengers as Moses was questioned of old? But whoever changeth from Faith to Unbelief, hath strayed without doubt from the even way (Al Baqarah: 108)

In Surah ‘Al Baqarah’ Muslims are defined as Ummat-ul-Wasta ‘Middle Nation’ an Ummah that is advised to tread the moderate path and refrain from committing excesses, lest they stray from the even way, as Beni-Israel did. ‘Sawa’a’ is the Quranic idiom for ‘Even Way’. Abdullah Yusuf Ali in his commentary on Al-Quran marks ‘Sawa’a’ as smoothness as opposed to roughness; symmetry as opposed to want of plan; equality or proportion as opposed to crookedness; a mean as opposed to extremes; and fitness for the object held in view as opposed to faultiness.