As for the writer's question ­ may Allah guide him ­ whether all that is not done by the Messenger (peace be upon him) and his Sahabah is Haram (prohibited) or vice versa i.e. the basic rule is that all acts are lawful except for those declared to be Haram by Nass (Islamic text from the Qur'an or the Sunnah). This speech includes generalization and excessiveness and should not be taken as absolute. What is correct is that it is not permissible for anyone to innovate or institute for people any act of `Ibadah (worship) that the Messenger (peace be upon him) did not mention, for acts of `Ibadah are Tawqifiy (bound by a religious text and not amenable to personal opinion). Only what Allah and His Messenger have instituted should be legal.