The Messenger of Allah ﷺ directs only to good and to guarding against evil, just like a man who seizes another by the waistband to keep him from falling into the fire. Allah has described His Messenger in His Book: “There has certainly come to you a messenger from among yourselves; grievous to him is what you suffer; he is deeply concerned for you, and to the believers he is compassionate and merciful.” (At-Tawbah 9:128). May Allah’s blessings and peace be upon him.

Among the benefits of this ḥadīth is that a person should—indeed must—follow the Sunnah of the Messenger ﷺ in everything he commanded and everything he forbade, in what he did and in what he deliberately left undone. One must hold fast to that and be convinced that he, ﷺ, is the imam to be emulated. It is understood, however, that the Sharīʿah includes matters that are obligatory—omitting them is sinful—and matters that are prohibited—doing them is sinful. It also includes recommended acts: performing them brings goodness and reward, while leaving them incurs no sin. Likewise, the Sharīʿah contains acts regarded as merely disliked (tanzīh); refraining from them is better, yet doing them is not blameworthy. What truly counts is that you adhere to the Sunnah in general and believe that your guide and model is Muhammad ﷺ, for there is no path to salvation except by following him, treading his way, and holding fast to his guidance.

Another benefit of this ḥadīth is that it shows the magnitude of the Prophet’s ﷺ right over his ummah: he spared no effort in protecting and turning them away from everything that could harm them in their religion or their worldly life—just as the man who lit a fire kept pulling back the grasshoppers and moths that were falling into it.

Accordingly, whenever you encounter a prohibition from the Prophet ﷺ, know that acting on it is evil. Do not ask whether it is merely disliked or strictly forbidden; leave whatever he has forbidden, whether it is