Explanation of the words of Imam al-Nawawi (may Allah have mercy on him) regarding what he quoted: "

The Shaykh : In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
The author (may Allah have mercy on him) stated, in what he quoted from Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) in the chapter on moderation in worship, that three men came to the houses of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) asking his wives about his actions that he performed in his home. This is because the actions of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) were either public, known to all people, such as what he did in the mosque, in the market, or in his gatherings with his companions; this was public and known to most of the Companions in Madinah. Or they were private, known only to those in his house or to his servants, such as Abdullah ibn Mas'ud, Anas ibn Malik, and others. So these three men came to the houses of the wives of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) asking them how his private worship was, meaning in his home. They informed them, and it seemed to them that it was light, because the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) used to fast and break the fast, stand in prayer and sleep, and marry women (peace and blessings be upon him) and enjoy them. It seemed to them that this work was light because they had energy (may Allah be pleased with them) out of love for good, but energy is not the measure; the measure is what the Shari'ah brought. So the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) came and said: because one of them said, 'I will pray the night forever and not sleep,' the second said, 'I will fast the day forever and not break the fast,' and the third said, 'I will keep away from women and not marry forever.' So they admitted that they had said that. There is no doubt that what they said is contrary to the Shari'ah, because it involves hardship for the soul and fatigue for it. If a person does not sleep forever, praying all the time, there is no doubt that it is a hardship for the soul and tiring, and it leads to boredom, and consequently to hatred of the worship, because when a person gets bored of something, he hates it. Similarly, the one who said, 'I will fast forever,' remains fasting in summer and winter; there is no doubt that it is a hardship. The third said, 'I will keep away from women and not marry forever.' This is also a hardship for a person, especially for young people; it is a hardship for them to leave marriage, and it is prohibited, meaning that seclusion and not marrying are prohibited. Uthman ibn Maz'un said: So the important point is that this worship that these men (may Allah be pleased with them) intended was arduous and contrary to the Sunnah. But the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) asked them and inquired if they had said that? They said: Yes. He said: meaning, whoever prefers a path other than my way and adopts a more severe worship is not one of me. In this is evidence that it is obligatory for a person to be moderate in worship, indeed, he should be moderate in all his affairs, because if he falls short, he will miss much good, and if he is severe, he will become tired, return, and be unable to continue. Therefore, it is obligatory for a person to be moderate in all his works, walking with ease. For this reason, it came in the hadith: It tires the back, and consequently he becomes unable, regrets, and is tired of walking. So moderation in worship is from the Sunnah of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). So it is not permissible for you, O servant, to be hard on yourself; walk slowly and steadily. And as mentioned in the hadith before, the most beloved work to Allah is that which is continuous, even if it is little. So you must be at ease, do not fall short and do not exceed. The best guidance is the guidance of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). I ask Allah to make me and you among those who follow his guidance, who walk on his path and his Sunnah.