Few Actions in Sunnah Better Than Many Actions in Bid'ah

A lot of people have told me, “If you weaken all the practices we do, then we will be left with very little actions to do”. Here is a ṣaḥīḥ (Authentic) hadīth from the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم) telling us that a few deeds done following the Sunnah is better than many deeds done in Bid`ah (innovation).

وَ هُوَ يَقُولُ قَلِيلٌ فِي سُنَّةٍ خَيْرٌ مِنْ كَثِيرٍ فِي بِدْعَةٍ

And he (صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم) said: “Few (actions) in sunnah is better than many (actions) in bid`ah”

Source:

1. Al-Tūsī, Tahdhīb al-Aḥkām, 10 vols., (Tehran: Dār al-Kutub al-Islāmiyyah, 4^th Edition, 1407 AH), vol. 3, pg. 70, hadeeth # 29

Grading:

1. Al-Majlisī said this hadeeth is SaHeeH (Authentic)
à Milādh al-Akhyār (Qum: Maktabah Ayatollah al-Mar`ashī al-Najafī, 1406 AH), vol. 5, pg. 28