Explanation of the Meaning of the Sunnah

The Shaykh : The Sunnah has two meanings. The first is a linguistic and legal Arabic term: it refers to what the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) practiced, and to those who followed his path and custom. The second meaning is the custom of the jurists in dividing acts of worship into obligatory (fard) and recommended (sunnah). You know the definition of the obligatory, and you know the definition of the recommended. In their definition, the recommended is: "that for which its doer is rewarded and its leaver is not punished." As for the one who leaves the Sunnah of the Messenger in the first sense—that is, his way and methodology—he is in error. His error may be great or small, as we mentioned earlier, depending on the degree of his distance from emulating his Sunnah (peace be upon him) and his closeness to it.
For this reason, it is obligatory for us first to learn the Sunnah, and then to act upon it to the best of our ability. When we do so, we will find that we have no need to add to it or to introduce a good innovation in Islam, claiming that there is nothing wrong with this innovation. Because, as we said, we will find ourselves deficient and incapable of emulating the noble Prophet in everything that has come to us regarding acts of worship, whether it relates to supplications, remembrances, or prayers. It is sufficient for us to emulate him (peace and blessings be upon him) to the extent of our ability.