and it is performing good deeds, and good deeds are what Allāh and His Messenger love, and it is what He commanded, whether as an obligation or a recommendation. So whatever is from the innovations in religion that are not in the Book, nor in the authentic sunnah, even if someone says it or acts upon it, it is not legislated; for Allāh does not love it, nor does His Messenger, so it is not from the good deeds nor from the righteous actions. Just as whoever does what is not permissible, such as immoralities and injustice, is not from the good deeds nor from the righteous actions. As for His saying [18:110 al-Kahf]: "and does not associate anyone in the worship of his Lord" and His saying [2:112 al-Baqarah] "submits his face to Allāh," it is the sincerity of religion solely for Allāh. ʿUmar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb used to say: "O Allāh, make all my deeds righteous and make them purely for Your sake, and do not make anything for anyone else in them." Al-Fuḍayl ibn ʿIyāḍ said regarding His saying [11:7 Hūd, 67:2 al-Mulk]: "that He may test you as to which of you is best in deed," he said: "The most sincere and the most correct." They said: "O Abū ʿAlī, what is the most sincere and the most correct?" He said: "If the deed is sincere but not correct, it is not accepted; and if it is correct but not sincere, it is not accepted until it is sincere and correct. The sincere is that it is for Allāh, and the correct is that it is according to the sunnah." If it is said: "If everything that Allāh loves is included in the name of worship, then why is something else conjoined to it, as in His saying in the opening of the Book [1:5 al-Fātiḥah]:
وَهُوَ فعل الْحَسَنَات والحسنات هِيَ مَا أحبه الله وَرَسُوله وَهُوَ مَا أَمر بِهِ أَمر إِيجَاب أَو اسْتَجَابَ. فَمَا كَانَ من الْبدع فِي الدَّين الَّتِي لَيست فِي الْكتاب، وَلَا فِي صَحِيح السّنة، فَإِنَّهَا - وَإِن قَالَهَا من قَالَهَا، وَعمل بهَا من عمل - لَيست مَشْرُوعَة؛ فَإِن الله لَا يُحِبهَا وَلَا رَسُوله، فَلَا تكون من الْحَسَنَات وَلَا من الْعَمَل الصَّالح. كَمَا أَن من يعْمل مَا لَا يجوز، كالفواحش وَالظُّلم لَيْسَ من الْحَسَنَات وَلَا من الْعَمَل الصَّالح. وَأما قَوْله [١١٠ الْكَهْف] : ﴿وَلَا يُشْرك بِعبَادة ربه أحدا﴾ وَقَوله [١١٢ الْبَقَرَة] ﴿أسلم وَجهه لله﴾ فَهُوَ إخلاص الدَّين لله وَحده. وَكَانَ عمر بن الْخطاب يَقُول: اللَّهُمَّ اجْعَل عَمَلي كُله صَالحا واجعله لوجهك خَالِصا وَلَا تجْعَل لأحد فِيهِ شَيْئا. وَقَالَ الفضيل بن عِيَاض فِي قَوْله تَعَالَى [٧ هود، ٢ الْملك] : ﴿ليَبْلُوكُمْ أَيّكُم أحسن عملا﴾ قَالَ: أخلصه وأصوبه. قَالُوا: يَا أَبَا عَليّ مَا أخلصه وأصوبه؟ قَالَ: إِن الْعَمَل إِذا كَانَ خَالِصا وَلم يكن صَوَابا لم يقبل وَإِذا كَانَ صَوَابا وَلم يكن خَالِصا لم يقبل حَتَّى يكون خَالِصا صَوَابا والخالص أَن يكون لله وَالصَّوَاب أَن يكون على السّنة. فَإِن قيل: فَإِذا كَانَ جَمِيع مَا يُحِبهُ الله دَاخِلا فِي اسْم الْعِبَادَة فلماذا عطف عَلَيْهَا غَيرهَا كَقَوْلِه فِي فَاتِحَة الْكتاب [٥ الْفَاتِحَة]: