for Ibn ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) rebuked a man who, after sneezing, said: al-hamdu lillah, wa-s-salatu ‘ala rasulillah (praise be to Allah, and blessings upon the Messenger of Allah). He told him, “I too say al-hamdu lillah, wa-s-salatu ‘ala rasulillah, but this is not how the Messenger of Allah taught us.” Related by al-Tirmidhi. We also know that the early generations—the Companions and the Followers—never worshipped Allah by inserting the title sayyidana (our master) for the Prophet within the prayer, even though their reverence and love for him were unquestionably greater than ours. The difference is that their love and veneration were practical, shown by following him, just as the verse states: “Say: If you love Allah, follow me; Allah will love you” (3:31). Our love, by comparison, is mostly verbal and superficial. Since the Salaf did not worship with such wording, we have no right to do so. Hudhayfa ibn al-Yaman (may Allah be pleased with him) said: “Any act of worship that the Companions of the Messenger of Allah did not practise—do not practise it.” Ibn Mas‘ud (may Allah be pleased with him) said: “Follow, and do not innovate; you have been sufficed. Hold fast to al-amr al-‘atiq (the ancient way).” Al-amr al-‘atiq means limiting oneself to the authentic litanies and remembrances transmitted from the Prophet, without the slightest addition of any sort. Hence al-Hafiz declared: “Conforming to the transmitted reports is preferable; the expression of lordship—that is, adding sayyidana—was not reported from the Companions or the Followers and occurs only in a weak report from Ibn Mas‘ud. Had it been recommended, it would not have escaped their notice.” He added: