Muslim narrates from Ibn Masʿūd that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, “The over-zealous have perished,” and he repeated it three times. (1)

al-mutanattiʿūn: those who dig too deeply into matters—whether in speech, worship, or anything else—and thereby go to excess.

“Three times”: he uttered this sentence three times to underscore the point and make the teaching unmistakably clear.

Overall meaning of the ḥadīth: The Prophet ﷺ explains that probing matters to excess and going to extremes is a road to ruin, and his intent is to prohibit such behavior.

Relevance to the chapter: Tanattuʿ (over-zealousness) is one of the forms of excess that are forbidden; it includes excessive veneration of the righteous to the point that it leads to shirk.

Benefits derived from the ḥadīth:
1 – An exhortation to avoid tanattuʿ in every affair, especially in acts of worship and in honoring the righteous.
2 – An encouragement to maintain moderation in all things.
3 – A demonstration of the Prophet’s ﷺ intense concern for his community’s salvation and his tireless effort to convey the message.