Understanding The Prophet's Life
From Issue: 854 [Read full issue]
Rest and Relaxation
Turning to the Islamic sources, one finds clear instructions in the teachings of the Prophet, who went on record to ask the workers to avoid a work regime that would drive them into exhaustion: “You are required to work to the extent of your abilities, for God is not impatient unless you yourselves become impatient.” [Jami Al-Saghir] This is an advice, evidently, of caution to workers to be aware of their own limitations and avoid overindulgence and fatigue. For this is not what their faith expects of them. The same message is endorsed in another hadith wherein the Prophet instructed the believers to “Refresh your hearts hour by hour (every now and then).” [Tirmidhi] There is also an addition to this hadith that says, according to a report by Abdullah ibn Masud, the hearts tend to go blind when they are denied of a (needed) reprieve.
Rest and relaxation is just as necessary for the well-being of people as is the work itself. Leisure time and vacation should therefore be given due attention in the determination of rules that regulate labour relations. This is also the purport of the hadith in which the Prophet has reportedly said: “Your body has a right over you,” and one of those rights is to avail it of rest and relaxation at regular intervals. [Riyad Al-Saleheen] One should be able in the meantime to see to one's other responsibilities as a spouse, father, mother, and offspring, as the case may be. For these are likely to suffer in the event where a worker is exhausted and overtaken by fatigue. The Prophet has in yet another hadith warned against overexertion, infliction of severity upon oneself, and indeed of developing such into a recurrent practice and expectation: “Do not be harsh with yourselves lest you be dealt with harshly, for some people were harsh with themselves, and Allah dealt with them harshly.” [Abu Dawud]
Compiled From:
"The Middle Path of Moderation in Islam: The Qur'anic Principle of Wasatiyyah" - Hashim Kamali