Shaykh Abu Ja’far had said that he believed that God had placed lesser burdens on people than their capacity to bear1. God had claimed in the Qur’an:

لَا يُكَلِّفُ اللَّهُ نَفْسًا إِلَّا وُسْعَهَا

“Allah does not impose upon any soul a duty but to the extent of its ability” (2:286).

The word wus-’a represents limitations below the full ability. Imam Ja’far As-Sadiq (‘a) had said, “By God, Allah has tasked people (with obligations) to well below their strength. That is why in twenty-four hours He has prescribed five obligatory prayers, only a month of fast annually in Ramadhan, five Dirhams out of every two hundred dirhams in annual tax (zakat) and once in a lifetime pilgrimage to Makkah. People’s ability in these matters is way above these obligations.”

• 1. Theologians have made great efforts to understand the true nature of the limits of religious routines. The reproduction of these is not beneficial for our readers. Religious definition of takleef is that God the Almighty has commanded His servants to perform or abstain from certain deeds, which cause a degree of burden, at the same time it also takes account of the promise of reward (for performing) and punishment (if they choose to go against the commands) for them.