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According to the Hadith, one of early companions of Muhammad, Uthman bin Maz'oon, approached the Prophet and expressed his desire to take a vow of chastity and dedicate himself to prayer and fasting, but Muhammad forbid it, citing moderation as preferable, in order for his companions to ease their burden and avoid asceticism.

My question is, what if Muhammad had changed his mind and decided in favor of monasticism as a path for the particularly pious or devout? What would Islam look like with a strong tradition of monasticism from the beginning? What would Islamic monasticism look like?
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