" The concept of monkhood, for example, does not receive approbation in Islam as a form of practice. The Qur’an states that the institution of monasticism was not prescribed by God (Qur’an, 57:27) According to Qur’anic commentators, the people of monasticism became immoderate in their practices, which originated from the desire to gain God’s good pleasure. However, they were unable to maintain their practices, which is the nature of excess and its main defect.

When one is unable to keep up with certain practices, one becomes either worn out or altogether jaded, and this is antithetical to the straight path of Islam.

Balance, then, is not merely a merciful device for adherents, but the shortest distance between a person and his or her spiritual objectives. "

― Hamza Yusuf , Purification of the Heart: Signs, Symptoms and Cures of the Spiritual Diseases of the Heart