Following the Hadeeth Strictly

I have noticed a disease amongst our Shee`ahs, that when they perform an action, they sometimes try to do a little “extra” or doing a little less than what the hadeeth actually says.

For example, if the hadeeth says do isitghfaar (seek forgiveness) 70 times, someone might do it 80 times, and when you go up to the person and ask him why did he do it 10 more times, he says, “what is so bad about doing istighfaar ten times more”?

Well, we have a SaHeeH hadeeth from our Imaams in which they have prohibited doing more or doing less than what they have said in the Hadeeth. Our Imaams have said to strictly follow their words, and not to do a little “extra” or do “less”.

حدثنا جعفر بن الحسين المؤمن عن محمد بن الحسن بن أحمد عن محمد بن الحسن الصفار عن أحمد بن محمد بن عيسى عن الحسين بن سعيد عن صفوان بن يحيى عن إسحاق بن عمار عن أبي بصير عن أحدهما ع في قول الله عز و جل فَبَشِّرْ عِبادِ الَّذِينَ يَسْتَمِعُونَ الْقَوْلَ فَيَتَّبِعُونَ أَحْسَنَهُ قال هم المسلمون لآل محمد ص إذا سمعوا الحديث أدوه كما سمعوه لا يزيدون و لا ينقصون

From Abee BaSeer from one of them (عليه السلام) “about the words of Allaah (عَزَّ وَ جَلَّ): ‘So give glad tidings to my servants, those who listen to the word, and follow the best thereof’ (39:17-18). ‘They are the Muslims of the Family of Muhammad (صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم), when they hear the Hadeeth they execute like they have heard it, without increasing and without decreasing in it.’”
Source:

1.     Al-Mufeed, Al-IkhtiSaaS, Muqaddimah (Introduction), pg. 5

(Taken from my personal copy of Al-Mufeed’s Al-IkhtiSaaS, pg. 16 – 17)

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(Click to enlarge)