Hadith Reprimanding Followers For Mimicking Muhammad

The only Hadith we are to uphold as a source of law for our religion is the Quran alone. People who recognize this truth do not put any weight on any Hadith besides the Quran. However, when we talk to people who still ascribe to such narratives, it may be beneficial to show the examples in their own Hadith literature where the prophet reprimanded his followers for following his actions or words. Below are a couple examples.

Additional Prayers

In the below narration, the prophet reprimanded people for following his actions in additional Salat because he thought that it would become obligatory upon them if they did.

Narrated `Aisha the mother of the faithful believers: One night Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) offered the prayer in the Mosque and the people followed him. The next night he also offered the prayer and too many people gathered. On the third and the fourth nights more people gathered, but Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) did not come out to them. In the morning he said, “I saw what you were doing and nothing but the fear that it might be enjoined on you stopped me from coming to you.” And that happened in the month of Ramadan.

حَدَّثَنَا عَبْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ يُوسُفَ، قَالَ أَخْبَرَنَا مَالِكٌ، عَنِ ابْنِ شِهَابٍ، عَنْ عُرْوَةَ بْنِ الزُّبَيْرِ، عَنْ عَائِشَةَ أُمِّ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ ـ رضى الله عنها أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم صَلَّى ذَاتَ لَيْلَةٍ فِي الْمَسْجِدِ فَصَلَّى بِصَلاَتِهِ نَاسٌ، ثُمَّ صَلَّى مِنَ الْقَابِلَةِ فَكَثُرَ النَّاسُ، ثُمَّ اجْتَمَعُوا مِنَ اللَّيْلَةِ الثَّالِثَةِ أَوِ الرَّابِعَةِ، فَلَمْ يَخْرُجْ إِلَيْهِمْ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم، فَلَمَّا أَصْبَحَ قَالَ ‏ “‏ قَدْ رَأَيْتُ الَّذِي صَنَعْتُمْ وَلَمْ يَمْنَعْنِي مِنَ الْخُرُوجِ إِلَيْكُمْ إِلاَّ أَنِّي خَشِيتُ أَنْ تُفْرَضَ عَلَيْكُمْ ‏”‏، وَذَلِكَ فِي رَمَضَانَ‏.‏