The ruling on prolonging the washing of the face in wudu' following the action of Abu Hurayrah

Question:
May Allah reward you. Honorable Shaykh, a questioner says: If there is a disagreement on a matter of worship, such as adding to the washing of a limb of the wudu' by following the addition of Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him), and it is said that whoever is able to prolong the washing of his face should do so, is the one who does this as an act of worship, knowing that the statement of Abu Hurayrah contradicts the guidance of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), an innovator?

Answer:
This from Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) is an ijtihad (independent legal reasoning), not an innovation; it is an ijtihad in which he sought good, but it is not agreed upon. We do not adopt this; rather, we adopt the hadith regarding the thorough performance of wudu' such that nothing remains on the limb to which water has not reached. As for adding to the limb, this is not permissible. Abu Hurayrah did this, or said this, from the standpoint of ijtihad. Yes.