It is narrated from Malik bin Mughul that Imam Sha’bi (may Allah have mercy on him) said to me: Whatever these people narrate to you from the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him), accept it, and whatever they narrate from their own opinion, throw it on the dung heap.

It is narrated from Zaid bin Hubab that Raja bin Abi Salamah informed me that I heard Abda bin Abi Lubabah saying: I am pleased with my contemporaries who neither ask me anything nor do I ask them anything. Among them, if someone says: What is your opinion, what do you think?

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Mas’ud (may Allah be pleased with him) that one day the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) drew a line before us and said:“This is the path of Allah.”Then he drew lines to its right and left and said:“These are the (other) paths; on each path there is a devil calling towards it.”Then he recited this verse: «﴿وَأَنَّ هَذَا صِرَاطِي مُسْتَقِيمًا فَاتَّبِعُوهُ وَلَا تَتَّبِعُوا السُّبُلَ فَتَفَرَّقَ بِكُمْ عَنْ سَبِيلِهِ﴾» [انعام: 153/6] “This is My path, which is straight, so follow it, and do not follow other paths, for they will separate you from Allah’s path.”

(Qur’an Commentator) Mujahid (may Allah have mercy on him) said in the commentary of «﴿وَلَا تَتَّبِعُوا السُّبُلَ﴾» : That is, do not pursue innovations and doubts.

Amr bin Yahya reported that I heard from my father, who narrated from his father, who said: We used to sit at the door of Abdullah bin Mas’ud (may Allah be pleased with him) before the Zuhr prayer. When he would come out, we would walk with him to the mosque. One day, Abu Musa Ash’ari (may Allah be pleased with him) also came to us and asked: Has Abu Abdur Rahman (the kunyah of Ibn Mas’ud, may Allah be pleased with him) come out yet? We said: No, not yet. So he sat with us. When Ibn Mas’ud (may Allah be pleased with him) came out, we all stood up for him. Abu Musa (may Allah be pleased with him) said: Abu Abdur Rahman! I have just seen something in the mosque that I disliked, though, all praise is due to Allah, it must be good. Ibn Mas’ud (may Allah be pleased with him) asked: What is it? He said: You will see it yourself when you reach there. Then he said: I saw a group of people sitting in circles waiting for the prayer. In each circle, there was a man, and in their hands were pebbles. That man would say to them: Say Allahu Akbar a hundred times, so they would say Allahu Akbar a hundred times, counting with the pebbles. Then he would say: Say La ilaha illallah a hundred times, so they would say La ilaha illallah a hundred times. Then he would say: Say Subhanallah a hundred times, so they would say Subhanallah a hundred times.

Ibn Mas’ud (may Allah be pleased with him) said: So what did you say to them? He said: I did not say anything to them, waiting for your opinion or command. Ibn Mas’ud (may Allah be pleased with him) said: Why did you not command them to count their sins with those pebbles, and guarantee them that none of their good deeds would be lost? Then he set out, and we went with him until he came to one of those circles and stood by them and said: What is this that I see you doing? They said: Abu Abdur Rahman! These are pebbles by which we count the number of takbeer, tahlil, and tasbeeh. Ibn Mas’ud (may Allah be pleased with him) said: Count your evil deeds, for I guarantee that none of your good deeds will be lost. O Ummah of Muhammad! How quickly you have fallen into destruction! The companions of your Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) are still many among you, and his clothes have not yet decayed, nor have his vessels been broken. By Him in Whose hand is my soul, are you upon a guidance better than the guidance of Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him), or are you opening a door of misguidance? They said: O Abu Abdur Rahman! By Allah, we only intended good. Ibn Mas’ud (may Allah be pleased with him) said: How many seekers of good never attain it! The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) told us that there will be a people who will recite the Qur’an, but it will not go beyond their throats. By Allah, most of them may be from among you. Then he left them. Amr bin Salamah said: We saw most of the people in those circles fighting against us with the Khawarij on the day of Nahrawan, shooting arrows at us (i.e., those same people later joined the Khawarij).

It is narrated from Abu Abdur Rahman (Abdullah bin Habib) that Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) said: If you follow (the Sunnah) and avoid innovation, that will be sufficient for you.

Sayyiduna Jabir bin Abdullah Ansari (may Allah be pleased with both of them) said: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) delivered a sermon before us, praised and glorified Allah, then said: "The best way is the way of Muhammad (peace be upon him), and the worst matters are newly invented things (bid'ah), and every bid'ah is misguidance."

It is narrated from Bilaz bin Asimah that I heard Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) say: He stood on Thursday evening, that is, the night of Friday, and said: The truest statement is the word of Allah Almighty, and the best path is the path of Muhammad (peace be upon him), and the wretched one is he who is declared wretched while still in his mother’s womb, and the worst thought and opinion (or word and deed) is a false thought and opinion, and the worst deed is to invent a bid’ah (innovation), and everything that is coming is near.

Imam Ibn Sirin, may Allah have mercy on him, said: When a man adopts an innovation (bid‘ah), he abandons the Sunnah. (That is, when an innovation is introduced, the Sunnah is set aside.)

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Thawban (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "I fear misguided leaders (rulers) for my Ummah."