On the Conditions for Realizing Following the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him)

Following is not realized except with six conditions: that the act of worship or the deed be in accordance with the Shari'ah in its cause, its type, its amount, its manner, its time, and its place. Do you understand? Following is not realized until the deed is in accordance with the Shari'ah in these six matters. What are they? Its cause, its type, its amount, its manner, its time, and its place. Perfect. Now, if a person innovates a worship for a cause that is not prescribed, it is rejected. If he says, "Every time I hear dogs barking, I will pray two rak'ahs," is that sufficient or not? Will it be accepted from him or not? Why? Because he attached it to a cause that was not prescribed; it was not made prescribed for that cause, so it is not accepted. Now, if someone among the people sacrifices a female horse, saying, "I have a sheep worth one hundred riyals and a horse worth twenty thousand riyals; I will sacrifice the horse," will it be accepted? Why? Because it contradicts the type. The sacrificial animal must be from the livestock of the herd. If someone worships Allah (Mighty and Majestic) with a worship specified in a certain amount and he increases that amount, such as if he prays six prayers, saying, "The time between 'Isha' and Fajr is long and needs an added prayer, and the time between Fajr and Zuhr needs an added prayer," so he prays seven times, what do you say? Why? The issue is its amount. Or if he prays five in the four-rak'ah prayer, or three in the two-rak'ah prayer, it is not accepted. Now, if someone says, "If a man recites the tasbih after the prayer two hundred times, do you reject this tasbih entirely, or do you say that what conforms to the Shari'ah is accepted and what exceeds it is rejected?" We say: if the worship in which the increase occurred is such that its beginning is valid without its end, then we do not invalidate the beginning because of what was added to it. But if it is not divisible, then if its end is invalid, its beginning is invalid. So if he prays Zuhr with five rak'ahs, his prayer is invalid because it is not possible for its beginning to be valid while its end is defective. But in the case of increasing the number, we do not invalidate the first number. However, we say to this man: if you believe that the two hundred is the prescribed amount, then you are misguided because you are an innovator. But if you want to say, "I acknowledge that the prescribed amount is one hundred, but I added to it as voluntary," then the reward of the absolute tasbih is recorded for you, not the restricted one. Now, regarding its manner: if someone prays and starts by prostrating, then bowing, then prostrating, what do you say? Why? Because the manner differs. Now, regarding time: if someone says, "I will perform the Hajj in Dhul-Qa'dah. I will go out to Mina on the night of the ninth of Dhul-Qa'dah and spend the night there, and on the ninth I will go to 'Arafah and stand there," and so on, as the pilgrim does in Dhul-Hijjah, why? He says, "Because I have no one to bother me." What do you say about this? Why? Because it did not conform to the Shari'ah in time. It is said that a Bedouin man who sold livestock for sacrifice would bring them to the market without having performed the obligatory prayer. He was asked, "Why do you not perform the obligatory prayer?" He said, "The obligatory prayer comes at the time of the season, and I do not like it. But I will go to the Shaykh and ask him if it is permissible for me to perform Hajj in the festival of Ramadan." He went to the Shaykh to seek his permission, saying, "I am seeking your permission, O Shaykh, to allow me to perform Hajj in the festival of Ramadan instead of the festival of sacrifice, because the festival of sacrifice is our season." The Shaykh said to him, "If you give me permission, I give you permission to sacrifice, and at that time the season will follow the Hajj, so you will be rid of it." I say that this person who performed Hajj in Dhul-Qa'dah, even if he coincided with the ninth, tenth, eleventh, twelfth, and thirteenth, it is not accepted. Why? Because it contradicted the time. A man in the last ten days of Ramadan said, "I will perform i'tikaf in my house. I will not go to the mosque; it is tiring to obtain food and drink, and perhaps someone will distract me from the remembrance of Allah. I will stay sitting in the house." Will his i'tikaf be accepted? Why? Because it contradicts the Shari'ah in place. Now it is clear that realizing following is not possible unless the deed conforms to the Shari'ah in the six matters.