Narrations and principle to reflect and ponder upon...

إعلموا أن الإسلام هو السنة والسنة هي الإسلام, ولا يقوم أحدهما إلا بالآخر

"Know that Islam is as-Sunnah and as-Sunnah is Islam, and one of the two cannot be uphold without the other (i.e. Islam cannot be uphold except with as-Sunnah and vice versa)."

- Sharh as-Sunnah, al-Imaam al-Barbahaaree

صلوا كما رأيتموني أصلي

"Pray as you see me pray."

- Hadeeth reported by Bukhaaree and Muslim

I say: Every Muslim should ask himself this question: "Have I been abiding by the above-mentioned hadeeth?" That is by striving to perform our prayers just like how the Prophet performed his prayers.

And how can we claim to be practising Muslims when we do not practise the Sunnah? What more upholding the Sunnah?

الجماعة, ما أنا عليه وأصحابي ...

"al-Jamaa'ah, what my Companions and I are upon."

- Hadeeth reported by at-Tirmidhee, al-Haakim and others

خير الناس قرني, ثم الذين يلونهم, ثم الذين يلونهم

"The best of people is my generation (the Sahaabah), then the generation that follows them (Taabi'een), then the generation that follows them (the Taabi' at-Taabi'een)."

- Hadeeth reported by al-Bukhaaree and Muslim

من عمل عملا ليس عليه أمرنا وهو ردٌّ

"Whoever perfoms an act/deed that is not from our command (the religion) shall have it rejected."

- Hadeeth reported by Muslim (5/133), Abu Dawood (no. 4606) and Ahmad (6/73) from 'Aaishah

كل بدعة ضلالة و كل ضلالة في النار

"Every innovation (in religion) is misguidance, and every misguidance is in Hellfire."

- Khutbah al-Haajah, reported by Muslim

قال ابن عمر رضي الله عنهما: كل بدعة ضلالة وأراه الناس حسنة

Ibn 'Umar said (may Allah bless both of them): "Every innovation (in religion) is misguidance even though the people see it as good."

- Reported by Abu Shaamah with the status of hasan

I say: From the above narrations, how can we not walk upon the path of the Sahaabah in practising Islam? What reason do we have for introducing or practising innovations in religion?

Finally, a principle laid down by the scholars, one of whom is the renowned al-Imaam Ibn Katheer:

لو كان خيرا لسبقون إليه

"If an act/deed is good, then the Sahaabah would have preceded us in practising it."

Wallaahu a'lam.