and I am not safe from the words of a critic even if I were in a cave on a rugged mountain. And who is it that escapes from people unharmed even if he were hidden from them between the wings of an eagle. It suffices me that I believe this is the most upright path that Allāh, the Exalted, commanded the believers to follow, and our Prophet Muḥammad, the master of the messengers, clarified it. It is the path followed by the righteous predecessors from the Companions, the Followers, and those after them, including the four imams—whose schools the majority of Muslims adhere to today—and all of them agreed on the necessity of adhering to the sunnah and returning to it, and abandoning any statement that contradicts it, no matter how great the speaker, for his (ṣallá Allāhu ʿalayhi wa-sallam) status is greater and his way is more upright. Therefore, I have followed their guidance, traced their footsteps, and adhered to their commands to hold fast to the ḥadīth even if it contradicts their statements. Indeed, these commands have had the greatest impact on my following this straight path and my aversion to blind imitation. May Allāh, the Exalted, reward them well on my behalf