Explanation of the words of Imam al-Nawawi (may Allah have mercy on him) regarding what he quoted: "

The Shaykh : In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
The author (may Allah have mercy on him) said: "The Chapter on Preserving Deeds" meaning righteous deeds. After he (may Allah have mercy on him) mentioned the chapter on moderation in obedience, stating that a person should not overburden himself in worship, but rather proceed according to the guidance of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), he followed it with this chapter on preserving obedience. This is because many people may be energetic and eager for good, striving hard, but then they become sluggish, lazy, and negligent. This often happens with young people, as a young person may have strong impulsiveness or severe delays, since most of the actions of youth are based on emotion rather than reason. You will find one of them rushing in and intensifying his worship, then becoming unable to continue or becoming lazy and falling behind. Therefore, a person should, as the author (may Allah have mercy on him) did, be moderate in obedience, not carried away, and preserve it, because preserving obedience is evidence of desire for it, and the most beloved deed to Allah is the most consistent one, even if it is little. If a person preserves his worship and continues with it, this is evidence of his love and his desire for good. Then the author mentioned several verses, including the saying of Allah the Exalted: A woman who spins, so she spun a good, strong, and firm thread, and then she went and unraveled it into tangles until nothing remained of it. Similarly, some people intensify their worship and increase it, and then they unravel it and abandon it. He (may Allah have mercy on him) mentioned regarding the Children of Israel, and He the Exalted and Majestic said: They did not persist in it or care for it, but they neglected it. And He said: Meaning: the time became long for them regarding deeds, so their hearts hardened and they abandoned the deeds, refuge with Allah from that. So the important thing is that a person should preserve his deeds, not be lazy, and not abandon them, so that he continues with what he is doing. If this applies to worship, it also applies to matters of custom; a person should not have a new direction every hour and a new thought every hour, but rather he should continue and remain with what he is doing as long as the error is not clear. If the error becomes clear, a person should not settle himself on an error, but as long as the matter has not shown an error, remaining with what he is doing is better and more indicative of his steadfastness and that he is a man who does not take a step without knowing where he places his foot and where he removes it. Some people do not care about matters of custom, so you find them having a new idea every day and a new perspective every day. This causes them to lose time, and their soul does not settle on anything. For this reason, it is narrated from 'Umar ibn al-Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him) that he said: We ask Allah to make us and you steadfast upon the truth and to make us among the callers to the truth and its supporters.