When Given Two Choices, Which Would the Prophet (PBUH) Choose?
إذا وُضع أمران بين يدي الرسول محمد صلى الله عليه وسلم (أحدهما صعب والآخر سهل)، أيهما كان يختار؟
He would choose the one that is less difficult.
كان يختار الذي فيه سهولة.
1. Aisha's Authentic Testimony | شهادة عائشة في منهج الاختيار النبوي
Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) said: "The Messenger of Allah was never given a choice between two matters without taking the easier of them, as long as it was not a sin; if it was a sin, he was the farthest of people from it" (Sahih al-Bukhari 3560). It matches the verse: "Allah intends ease for you, not hardship" (2:185).
يُرِيدُ اللَّـهُ بِكُمُ الْيُسْرَ وَلَا يُرِيدُ بِكُمُ الْعُسْرَ (سورة البقرة: 185)
قالت عائشة: «ما خير رسول الله ﷺ بين أمرين إلا أخذ أيسرهما ما لم يكن إثما، فإن كان إثما كان أبعد الناس منه» (صحيح البخاري 3560)، وهو موافق لقوله تعالى: (يُرِيدُ اللَّهُ بِكُمُ الْيُسْرَ وَلَا يُرِيدُ بِكُمُ الْعُسْرَ).
2. Facilitation as a Core Shariah Principle | مبدأ رفع الحرج والتيسير في التشريع الإسلامي
The Quran states the principle: Allah "laid upon you no hardship in the religion" (22:78). Its concessions, such as breaking the fast when ill or travelling (2:185), are part of that ease.
وَمَا جَعَلَ عَلَيْكُمْ فِي الدِّينِ مِنْ حَرَجٍ (سورة الحج: 78)
قرر القرآن هذا الأصل: (وَمَا جَعَلَ عَلَيْكُمْ فِي الدِّينِ مِنْ حَرَجٍ)، ومن رخصه الفطر للمريض والمسافر في رمضان.
3. Rejection of Sin and Strict Adherence to Divine Bounds | التورع الصارم عند حدود الحرمات
Ease never meant crossing Allah's limits: the same hadith adds that if the easier choice was a sin he was the farthest of people from it, and that he never took revenge for himself unless something Allah had made sacred was violated (Sahih al-Bukhari 3560). This was part of his character.
تِلْكَ حُدُودُ اللَّـهِ فَلَا تَقْرَبُوهَا (سورة البقرة: 187)
لم يكن التيسير تجاوزا لحدود الله؛ ففي الحديث نفسه: فإن كان إثما كان أبعد الناس منه، وما انتقم لنفسه إلا أن تنتهك حرمة الله (صحيح البخاري 3560).
4. Prophetic Guidance to the Companions | وصيته الدعوية: "يسروا ولا تعسروا"
He taught the same to those he sent out. When he sent Mu'adh and Abu Musa (may Allah be pleased with them both) to Yemen, he told them: "Make things easy and do not make them difficult, give good news and do not drive people away, and agree with each other and do not differ" (Sahih al-Bukhari 3038).
وأوصى بذلك من بعثهم؛ فلما بعث معاذا وأبا موسى إلى اليمن قال: «يسرا ولا تعسرا، وبشرا ولا تنفرا، وتطاوعا ولا تختلفا» (صحيح البخاري 3038).
Frequently Asked Questions | الأسئلة الشائعة
Which option did the Prophet choose when offered two lawful matters?
He chose the easier of the two, provided it was not a sin (Sahih al-Bukhari 3560).
What was the Prophet's attitude if an option involved sin?
He was the farthest of all people from it, strictly safeguarding divine boundaries.
What advice did the Prophet give to his emissaries regarding difficulty?
He told Mu'adh and Abu Musa to make things easy and not difficult, and to give good news and not drive people away (Sahih al-Bukhari 3038).
Does Islam consider self-inflicted hardship a sign of greater piety?
No. Allah has laid no hardship on believers in the religion (22:78), and the Prophet ﷺ chose the easier of two lawful options (Sahih al-Bukhari 3560).