87 Preface يا أَيُّهَا الَّذينَ آمَنوا لا تُحَرِّموا طَيِّباتِ ما أَحَلَّ اللَّهُ لَكُم وَلا تَعتَدوا ۚ إِنَّ اللَّهَ لا يُحِبُّ المُعتَدينَYusuf AliO ye who believe! make not unlawful the good things which God hath made lawful for you, but commit no excess:1 for God loveth not those given to excess.In pleasures that are good and lawful the crime is excess. There is no merit merely in abstention or asceticism, though the humility or unselfishness that may go with asceticism may have its value. In 5:82 Christian monks are praised for particular virtues, though here and elsewhere monasticism is disapproved of. Use God’s gifts of all kinds with gratitude, but excess is not approved of by God.