The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, “Beware of excess, for it was only excess that destroyed those who came before you.” (1)

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Transmitter of the ḥadīth: The compiler—may Allah have mercy on him—cites this narration without naming its transmitter. It was recorded by Imams Aḥmad, al-Tirmidhī, and Ibn Mājah on the authority of Ibn ʿAbbās.

Iyyākum (Beware): a word of caution.

al-ghulū (excess): in the accusative case because of an implied verb of warning; it means to overstep the proper bounds.

“those who came before you”: the previous nations.

Overall meaning of the ḥadīth: The Prophet ﷺ warns his community against going beyond the limits set by the Sacred Law. The warning is comprehensive, covering every form of excess in belief and practice—including undue veneration of the righteous—which was a cause of destruction for earlier peoples. Therefore, the community must avoid their example so as not to fall into the same ruin, for whoever imitates them in part of their way is liable to share their fate.

Relevance of the ḥadīth to the chapter: It contains a categorical prohibition of excess and clarifies that it is a cause of destruction in this world and the Hereafter; thus it also forbids excess in