Benefits of the Hadith: (But I pray and sleep, I fast and break the fast, and I marry women...)

The Shaykh : This hadith contains many benefits, among which is: Islam’s combat of monasticism. Where is this taken from? From the fact that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) rebuked these people for their seclusion and arduous worship, such as fasting or prayer.
And among them is: that worship may be disliked, not for its own sake, but because of a description that attaches to it. So prayer is among the most beloved of deeds to Allah, and yet if a person commits to it in this manner, it becomes either forbidden or at least disliked, or at least disliked. And branching from this benefit is: what the people of innovation rave about, who, when you rebuke them for the innovation of the birthday celebration of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him), say, “How can you rebuke us? You have no desire for sending blessings upon the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) and do not desire to send blessings upon him?” And what do we say? I desire to send blessings upon him, but I have no desire for the innovation. Is this prayer that you have innovated and this praise of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) on this night something that the Messenger prescribed? No, so it is an innovation, and every innovation is misguidance. So the important point is: that this hadith branches from its benefit that everything that is contrary to the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) is an innovation, even if its origin is what? Prescribed and worship.
Among the benefits of this hadith is: the Prophet’s (peace and blessings be upon him) haste to invalidate falsehood, because as soon as that was mentioned to him, he stood up and delivered a sermon and forbade it. And resulting from this is that we must follow his example and hasten to rebuke falsehood, because if falsehood spreads and becomes widespread, uprooting it is what? Difficult, but at its beginning it is easy.
Among the benefits of this hadith is: that it is necessary to announce the rebuke when the need calls for it, such that it is feared that this evil will become widespread. Its indication is: that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) delivered a sermon to the people, even though he could have spoken to these people and forbidden them from what they intended, but he feared that it would spread.
Among the benefits of this hadith is: that it is necessary to begin the sermon, even if it is incidental, with praise and eulogy. Yes, and this was the way of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) that he began his sermons with praise and eulogy. And the scholars (may Allah have mercy on them) differed regarding the two sermons of the festival: do they begin with praise and eulogy, or do they begin with the takbir? There are two opinions in this issue, and the stronger opinion is that they begin with praise and eulogy, even though the takbir contains praise and eulogy, because you say: Allahu Akbar, Allahu Akbar, La ilaha illa Allah, Allahu Akbar, Allahu Akbar, wa lillah al-hamd. But this is not the manner of the sermons that the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) used to perform.
And among the benefits of this hadith is: the clarification of what the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) was upon regarding the ease of the religion, due to his saying: “I pray and sleep, and I fast and break the fast.”
And among its benefits, among the benefits of this hadith, is: that it is not fitting for a person to make things difficult for himself in worship. And that is because the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) clarified his methodology and his conduct in his worship to be combining the rest of the body with the worship of Allah (Mighty and Majestic). So much so that if a person is praying at night and sleep comes to him, he is commanded to refrain from prayer and sleep. Thus the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) commanded: if you are praying at night and you find that you are dozing off, refrain from prayer and sleep. And the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) clarified the cause of that, saying: And this is authentic. Perhaps you say, you want to say: “My Lord, forgive me,” but you say: “My Lord, destroy me.” You do not know why? Because you are sleeping. So in any case, this is a model of that it is fitting for a person not to make things difficult for himself in worship.
Now, and among the benefits of this hadith is: the prescription of fasting in an absolute sense, due to his saying: And this includes absolute fasting and specific restricted fasting, such as fasting on Mondays and Thursdays, three days of the month, the white days, six days of Shawwal, the Day of 'Arafah, 'Ashura, and the like.
And among the benefits of this hadith is: the prescription of marriage, because it is the way of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), due to his saying: Is that so?
So if someone says: This is an action that the fitrah and human nature require, so it is like eating and drinking, and thus it is not prescribed in itself?
So the answer to that is to say: There is a difference between them, because the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) presented the hadith here as this being his way and his conduct, and he did not say: “And I eat and drink.” Also, marriage results in multiple benefits, a benefit for whom? The wife and the children whom he will raise and provide for, and others besides that, so it is not like eating and drinking.
And among the benefits of this hadith is: that whoever has no desire for the Sunnah of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) is not from him, due to his saying: And this indicates that whoever has no desire for the Sunnah of the Messenger has committed a major sin, because one of the signs of a major sin, as chosen by Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah, is that a person disavows the one who commits it. But it must be known that leaving the Sunnah is divided into two categories: leaving it due to having no desire for it, and this is what is considered a major sin; and leaving it due to negligence, meaning: that he is negligent in performing it without having no desire for it. He considers it prescribed and loves it, but he is lazy, meaning that he leaves it out of laziness. The second one does not commit a major sin unless what he did was a major sin, whereas merely leaving the recommended act is not a major sin.
But if he leaves raising the hands, for example, at the takbir of ihram, out of disdain for the Sunnah and having no desire for it, what do we say? This is a major sin. But if he leaves it out of negligence, meaning: laziness, then this is not a major sin and he does not sin by it. So there is a difference between the one who leaves it due to having no desire for it, because the one who leaves it due to having no desire for it has carried a hatred for it and a distance from it, so what is in his heart is what affected him until it made his leaving of the Sunnah what? A major sin.
And someone might say: His saying: means: from my Sunnah that is obligatory to perform?
It is said: Even if the hadith is understood in this manner, leaving the obligatory does not lead to a major sin except according to the size and importance of the obligatory. But having no desire for the Sunnah, meaning: leaving it out of disdain for it, is undoubtedly a major sin. Meaning: if it were said: Why did you not do it? He would say: By Allah, I do not want this, it is nothing. Yes, and something of disdain for it and lack of desire falls in his heart.
Among the benefits of this hadith is: that whoever holds firmly to the Sunnah, he is from the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him). But is he from him in sense or in meaning?
The student: In meaning.

The Shaykh : In meaning, yes, he is from him in meaning, meaning that he follows him completely. So the more you hold firmly to the Sunnah of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him), the more you are the most deserving of him. And witnessing to this is His saying, the Exalted: .
And among the benefits of this hadith is: that the Sunnah is used for the way, so it includes the obligatory and the recommended. Now, what do you say about the one who leaves marriage due to having no desire for the Sunnah? Does he sin? Does he sin? Yes, and he commits a major sin. But the one who leaves it out of aversion and fear, then this does not mean he has committed a major sin. Now, and what about the one who leaves it out of fear of poverty?
The student: There is no harm.

The Shaykh : There is no harm in leaving it out of fear of poverty. He says, “I have fifty thousand now, I am afraid that if I marry, I will take forty thousand for the mahr and ten thousand for gold, and I will remain poor.” We say this is a bad opinion of Allah, because there is no animal on the earth except that its provision is upon Allah. So if you marry, Allah will open for you a door of provision that will be provision for your wife, and marriage is not a cause of poverty.

The questioner : ...

The Shaykh : Yes.

The questioner : ...

The Shaykh : I think it does not reach the level of a major sin unless a bad opinion of Allah or lack of trust in His promise arises in the heart. This might be a major sin in terms of creed.

The questioner : ... We took the one whose provision is little and he said, “I am not able to...” This...

The Shaykh : How?

The questioner : ...