and no servant on earth who follows the path and the Sunnah remembers Allah inwardly, his skin shivering out of fear of Allah, without being like a tree whose leaves have withered: while it stands thus, a strong wind strikes it and its leaves fall away. His sins will surely fall away from him just as the leaves fall from that tree. Indeed, moderate effort upon the path and the Sunnah is better than strenuous effort contrary to the path and the Sunnah. So ensure that your deeds, whether strenuous or moderate, follow the way of the prophets and their Sunnah.”

Likewise, ‘Abd Allāh ibn Mas‘ūd said: “Moderation in following the Sunnah is better than strenuous effort in innovation.”

Abū Bakr ibn ‘Ayyāsh was asked: “Abū Bakr, who is a follower of the Sunnah?” He replied: “One who, when deviant views are mentioned, does not become angry in defense of any of them.”

This is a great foundational principle of the path and way to Allah, and it deserves careful attention. Many actions may be permissible under the revealed law, disliked, or disputed as to whether they are permissible or disliked. They may even be forbidden, or their prohibition may be disputed. Yet a group of people regards them as commendable and performs them as something good and recommended, as part of religion and a means of drawing near to Allah. They go so far as to consider those who perform such acts superior to those who do not. They may even make this