the scholar Ibn ʿAbd al-Barr, may Allāh have mercy on him, said (2/172): "So, my brother, focus on preserving the foundational texts and giving them due attention. Know that whoever dedicates themselves to preserving the sunnah and the rulings explicitly stated in the Quran, and considers the opinions of the jurists—using them as an aid in their own reasoning, a key to methods of analysis, and an explanation for the general sunnah that can bear multiple meanings—and does not blindly follow any of them as one would follow the sunnah that must be adhered to in all circumstances without question, and does not relieve themselves from what the scholars have committed themselves to in terms of preserving the sunnah, pondering over it, and emulating it in research, understanding, and reflection, and who appreciates their efforts in what they have provided and highlighted, and praises them for their correctness, which constitutes most of their statements, without absolving them of error just as they did not absolve themselves of it, then this is the seeker who adheres to what the righteous predecessors were upon. He is the one who achieves his goal, perceives his guidance, and follows the sunnah of his Prophet (ṣallá Allāhu ʿalayhi wa-sallam) and the guidance of his Companions (raḍiya Allāhu ʿanhum). And whoever spares themselves from reflection, disregards what we mentioned, opposes the sunnah with their opinion, and attempts to limit it to the extent of their understanding, is misguided and misguiding. And whoever is ignorant of all of this and recklessly issues fatwás without knowledge is even more blind and astray." This is the truth without ambiguity, so leave me from the diversions of the path. 4 - Then there is a common misconception among some of the followers that prevents them from following the sunnah when it becomes clear to them that the schools of thought are contrary to it. This is their belief that following the sunnah necessitates declaring the founder of the school to be in error, and to them, declaring someone in error means criticizing the imam. Since criticizing any individual Muslim is not permissible, how much more so for an imam among their leaders? The answer: This notion is false, and its cause is a departure from understanding the sunnah. Otherwise, how could a rational Muslim say such a thing when the Messenger of Allāh (ṣallá Allāhu ʿalayhi wa-sallam) is the one who said: