Islam is widely perceived as a stern and unbending religion, but its roots and veryraison d’êtrelie in a diametrically antithetical outlook: that of flexibility, indulgence and relaxation.  Islam saw itself as a divinely bestowed relief from the undue rigors of older systems of faith– chief among them Judaism, portrayed as the most taxing doctrine known to man. This study delves into the complicated perceptions characterising the relationship between history’s strictest and history’s easiest religion.