I shall stand in prayer and never sleep,’ and another said, ‘As for me, I will never marry,’ while yet another declared, ‘As for me, I will not eat meat.’

The Prophet—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—thereupon rose to address the people and said, ‘What is wrong with some men who say such-and-such? As for me, I fast and I break my fast; I pray at night and I sleep; I marry women, and I eat meat. Whoever turns away from my sunnah is not of me.’

In Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī it is also narrated that the Prophet—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—saw a man standing in the sun and asked, ‘What is this?’ They said, ‘This is Abū Isrāʾīl; he has vowed to stand in the sun, to seek no shade, to remain silent, and to fast.’ The Prophet said, ‘Tell him to sit down, seek shade, speak, and complete his fast.’