do after the talbiya, not before it. All forms of verbalizing the intention that people have introduced—before the takbīr, before the talbiya, in purification, and in all other acts of worship—are religious innovations that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, did not prescribe.

Every addition introduced into prescribed acts of worship that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, did not prescribe is an innovation. Indeed, he consistently refrained from such additions in his worship. Thus, performing them and persisting in them constitutes innovation and misguidance in two respects:

One is the belief that this is prescribed and recommended—that doing it is better than leaving it undone—even though the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, never did it at all. The real implication of this claim is that what we have done is more complete and better than what the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, did.

A man once asked Mālik ibn Anas about entering ihrām before reaching the designated boundary. Mālik replied:

“I fear that you may fall into temptation.”

The questioner said, “What temptation is there in that? It is only a few additional miles in obedience to Allah, the Almighty and Majestic.”

He replied, “What greater temptation could there be than to think that you have been singled out for a virtuous deed that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, did not perform?”

It is established in the two Sahīhs that he said:

“Whoever turns away from my Sunnah is not of me.”

That is, whoever thinks that another way is better than my Sunnah and turns away from what [I have prescribed] (1), believing