والمتابعة في أفعاله ﷺ إنما تجب عند المواظبة، وانتفاء دليل الاختصاص.
The discussion of following Prophetic acts considers persistence in the act and the absence of proof that it was exclusive to the Prophet ﷺ.
An act performed by the Prophet has religious significance, but its mere occurrence does not automatically prove that every Muslim must perform it as an obligation. One must consider sustained practice, its nature, accompanying verbal instructions, and whether it was unique to him.
Muwāẓabah means persistent observance. Proof of exclusivity indicates that a ruling applies specifically to the Prophet rather than generally to those addressed by the law.
Therefore, identifying that a practice occurred and proving its precise obligatory status are different stages of legal reasoning.