Exaggeration in religion.

Question:
We ask you, O Shaykh, about the meaning of exaggeration in religion? And what is the ruling of Islam regarding exaggeration?

Answer:
Answer: In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. Praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds, and may Allah send prayers and blessings upon our Prophet Muhammad, and upon his family and all his Companions. As for what follows, this religion—praise be to Allah—is a religion of leniency and ease (And He has not placed upon you in the religion any difficulty). It is a middle path and moderation between exaggeration and laxity, with no excess and no negligence. Exaggeration is adding to something; it is said (the pot boiled over) when it increased and its boiling rose. So exaggeration is being strict and going beyond the limits in matters of religion. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) rebuked the extremists and said (Perished are the overzealous, perished are the overzealous, perished are the overzealous), saying it three times. When a group of his Companions came asking about his deeds (peace and blessings be upon him) to follow his example, when they were informed of his deeds (peace and blessings be upon him), the Mothers of the Believers, the wives of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him), informed them. When they were informed, it seemed as if they considered it little, but they sought an excuse for the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him). They said: Where are we in comparison to the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him)? For he was forgiven for what came before of his sins and what came after. One of them said: As for me, I will fast and not break my fast. The other said: As for me, I will pray and not sleep. The third said: As for me, I will not marry women. When the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) was informed of their statements, he became angry (peace and blessings be upon him) and delivered a sermon, saying: What is the matter with a group of people who say such and such? By Allah, I am the most afraid of you of Allah, and the most pious of you towards Him. And I fast and I break my fast, and I stand in prayer and I rest, or I stand and I sleep, and I marry women. So whoever turns away from my Sunnah is not of me. Exaggeration, extremism, and strictness are only known from the Khawarij. The Khawarij are a misguided, strict sect. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) informed about them, rebuked their strictness, and warned against them (peace and blessings be upon him) with the utmost warning. He informed that they would have followers, and they would have successors, and this would continue until the end of time. This is a trial and test for the Ummah, but he warned against them, because they kill Muslims and leave the disbelievers! Because they turn away from the Muslims, and separate themselves from the Muslims, and they do not take knowledge from the Companions, nor from those who came after them. These are the characteristics of the Khawarij. They are a misguided people, and they have followers who follow this methodology until the end of time. The Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) warned against them. Some of them declare the doctrine of the Khawarij, adopt it, and implement it, and they consider the blood of Muslims permissible to shed. And some of them do not do that, but they justify their doctrine and praise it, and commend it. These are Khawarij called the Khawarij al-Qa'dah (the seated Khawarij). In any case, this is a false doctrine, and a reprehensible doctrine. Just as the other side, those who are lax and negligent in religion, and who neglect religion, are also blameworthy. There is no excess and no negligence, no exaggeration and no laxity. Rather, our religion is a middle path and moderation, praise be to Allah. This is what the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) and his Companions and those who came after them followed. He said (peace and blessings be upon him): (This Ummah will split into seventy-three sects, all of them in the Fire, all of them in the Fire except one). They said: Who is that, O Messenger of Allah? He said: (Whoever is upon what I am upon today and my Companions). These are the saved sect. And whoever opposes them by exaggeration and strictness, or by laxity and negligence, is not of them, and he is accountable for his doctrine and his excess or his negligence. So religion is a religion of the middle path and moderation, praise be to Allah. And those who follow the path of the Khawarij today, these are Khawarij, the Khawarij of the age. Their doctrine is the doctrine of the previous Khawarij, and the measures taken against the previous Khawarij are taken against them to prevent their evil and to ward off their harm from the Ummah. We ask Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) to guide our ruler, and to guide the security forces, and to guide the Muslims generally to resist these people. For all Muslims are security forces, as Prince Nayef (may Allah have mercy on him) said: All Muslims are security forces who cooperate.