In the name of Allah, the Most Compassionate, the Most Merciful

Introduction:

All praise is due to Allah; we praise Him, seek His help, and ask His forgiveness. We seek refuge in Allah from the evils of our own souls and from our misdeeds. Whomever Allah guides, no one can mislead, and whomever He allows to stray, no one can guide. I bear witness that there is no deity worthy of worship except Allah, alone without partner, and I bear witness that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace.

To proceed:

With respect to worship, ascetic discipline, softening the heart, purifying the soul of its ailments, and safeguarding it from whims and desires, it is essential to follow the Companions, may Allah be pleased with them. They were the people most knowledgeable and most deeply versed in the Quran and the Sunnah. Allah, Exalted is He, extolled them in the Noble Quran, and His noble Messenger ﷺ praised them with the loftiest commendations—commendations unmatched by anyone who came after them. We are therefore commanded to trace their footsteps, emulate their guidance, and cling to their traditions. Their way is the touchstone that distinguishes the sunnah from innovation (bidʿah). Indeed, the Companions, may Allah be pleased with them, would cite a person’s departure from their way as proof of the innovators’ misguidance.

ʿAbd Allah ibn Masʿud, may Allah be pleased with him, once said to those who gathered in circles for worship, rebuking them:

“You imagine that you have surpassed the Companions of Muhammad in knowledge” (1).