Masūd—may Allah be pleased with him—used to say: “Moderation in adhering to the Sunnah is better than striving zealously in religious innovation.”1.

Ibn al-Qayyim—may Allah have mercy on him—said: “The religion of Allah lies between those who go to excess in it and those who neglect it. The best people are those who follow the middle course: they rise above the shortcomings of the negligent without reaching the excesses of the transgressors. Allah—glorified is He—has made this nation a middle nation, chosen and just, because it stands between the two blameworthy extremes. Justice is the middle course between the two extremes of injustice and negligence. Afflictions find their way into the extremities, while the middle is protected by its boundaries; therefore, the best course in all matters is the middle one.”2.

We therefore ask Allah to guide us to a straight path leading to Him, to spare us from error in word and deed, and to grant us success in acting upon His Book and following the Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah—peace and blessings be upon him.