Sufyaan ibn ‘Uyaynah (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: Bid’ah (innovation) is dearer to Iblees (Satan) than sin, because a person may repent from sin, but not from innovation.

It should be noted that no one ever invents a bid’ah but he forsakes thereby a Sunnah that is equal to it or greater than it. Hence those who favour innovated dhikrs are the most ignorant of people about the Prophet’s dhikr which the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) persisted in reciting. You will rarely find any of them who says in the morning and evening, Subhaan-Allaah wa bi hamdihi (Glory and praise be to Allaah) one hundred times; or Asbahna ‘ala fitrat il-Islam wa kalimat il-ikhlaas wa deeni nabiyyina Muhammad sall-Allaahu ‘alay wa sallim wa millati abeena Ibraaheema haneefan wa maa kaana min al-mushrikeen (We have awoken on the fitrah of Islam and the word of sincerity and the religion of our Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and the religion of our father Ibraaheem, pure monotheism, and he was not of those who associate others with Allaah); or Asbahna wa asbah al-mulk Lillaahi Rabb il-‘Aalameen. Allaahumma inni as’aluka khayra hadha’l-yawm fa-thahu wa nasrahu wa noorahu wa barakatahu wa hudaahu, wa a’oodhu bika min sharri ma fihi wa sharri ma ba’dahu (We have awoken and dominion belongs to Allaah, the Lord of the Worlds. O Allaah I ask You for the good of this day and its goodness, support, help, light, blessing and guidance. And I seek refuge with You from the evil of what is in it and the evil of what comes after it): or Subhaan Allaah ‘adada khalqihi, Subhaan Allaah ridaa nafsihi, Subhaan Allaah zinata ‘arshihi, Subhaan Allaah midaada kalimaatihi (Glory be to Allaah the number of His creation, Glory be to Allaah as much as He is pleased with, Glory be to Allaah the weight of His Throne, Glory be to Allaah the extent of His words).