, and this is what Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal and others permitted, along with narrating hadiths concerning the merits of deeds.

But that they would establish, on the basis of a weak hadith, that an act is recommended and prescribed in religion—Allah forbid! Likewise, when they knew that a hadith was false, they did not consider it permissible to narrate it without explaining that it was false, because the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said in an authentic hadith:

“Whoever narrates a hadith from me, believing it to be false, is one of the liars.”

Whatever the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, did as an act of worship is worship in which following his example is prescribed. If he singled out a particular time or place for an act of worship, then singling it out for that worship is Sunnah. Examples include his singling out the last ten nights for spiritual retreat and the Station of Abraham for prayer. Following his example means doing what he did, in the manner he did it, because he did it. This is only achieved by intending the same purpose that he intended. Thus, if he travelled for Hajj, ʿumrah, or jihad, and we travel for the same purpose, we are following him. The same applies when he struck someone to carry out a prescribed punishment. This is unlike someone who travelled as he did but had a different purpose, or struck as he did but had a different purpose: such a person is not following him.

If, however, he did something incidentally—such as stopping at a place during a journey, pouring water left in his waterskin at the base of a tree, or his mount walking along one side of the road, and similar things—is it recommended to deliberately follow his example in that? Ibn ʿUmar liked to