punishment for neglecting it; thus the act is legislated without any liability for omission, and this is precisely what is meant by a recommended deed.
One illustration is the ḥadith of ʿĀʾishah: she was asked, “With what would the Prophet ﷺ start when he entered his house?” She replied, “With the siwak.” (1) Since using the siwak on entering the house rests only on his personal practice, the ruling is that it is recommended.
Another example: the Prophet ﷺ would run his fingers through his beard during ablution. (2) Passing the fingers through the beard is not part of washing the face and therefore is not a clarification of a general command; it is simply his own action, so it is deemed recommended.
- Whatever he did to clarify a concise statement from the Qur’an or the Sunnah was obligatory for him until the explanation had been completed, because conveying the message was binding upon him. Thereafter, the act carries the same ruling as the text it explains for both him and us: if the text is obligatory, the act is obligatory; if the text is recommended, the act is recommended.
Obligatory example: the essential acts of prayer that the Prophet ﷺ performed to elucidate the brief command of Allah, “Establish prayer” (Qur’an 2:43).
Recommended example: his praying two rakʿahs behind the Station of Abraham after he had