this straight path and not turn aside from it to innovated paths. Allah Most High says:

“And this is My path, which is straight, so follow it; and do not follow other ways, for they will lead you away from His way. This He has commanded you, so that you may be mindful of Him.”

ʿAbdullāh ibn Masʿūd, may Allah be pleased with him, said:

“The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, drew a line for us, then drew lines to its right and left. He then said: ‘This is Allah’s way, and these are other ways; on each of them is a devil calling to it.’ Then he recited: ‘And this is My path, which is straight, so follow it; and do not follow other ways, for they will lead you away from His way.’”

For this reason, Allah has commanded us to say in our prayer:

“Guide us to the straight path—the path of those You have blessed, not of those who have incurred Your anger, nor of those who have gone astray.”

The Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said:

“The Jews have incurred Allah’s anger, and the Christians have gone astray.”

He, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, did not die until he had explained the religion and made the way clear. He said:

“I have left you upon a clear, pure path, whose night is like its day. No one will deviate from it after me except one who is doomed.”

He, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, also said:

“I have left nothing that brings you closer to Paradise without telling you about it, nor anything that distances you from the Fire without telling you about it.”

And he said:

“Those of you who live after me will see much disagreement. So adhere to my Sunnah and the Sunnah of the rightly guided caliphs who follow me. Hold fast to it and bite firmly onto it with your molar teeth. Beware of newly introduced matters, for every newly introduced matter is an innovation, and every innovation is misguidance.”

Al-Tirmidhī said: “An authentic hadith.”