the words of the scholar al-Albānī (may Allāh have mercy on him) on the issue of takfīr: All praise is due to Allāh, we praise Him, seek His help, and ask for His forgiveness. We seek refuge in Allāh from the evils of ourselves and from the bad deeds of our actions. Whomsoever Allāh guides, none can misguide, and whomsoever He misguides, none can guide. I bear witness that there is no deity but Allāh, alone without partner, and I bear witness that Muḥammad is His servant and messenger. To proceed: the issue of takfīr in general—not only concerning rulers but also the ruled—is a great and ancient trial adopted by a faction among the early Islamic sects known as the Khawārij. Unfortunately, some of the preachers or enthusiasts may deviate from the Book and the sunnah, yet in the name of the Book and the sunnah. The reason for this goes back to two matters: one is the shallowness of knowledge, and the other—which is very important—is that they have not understood the legal principles which are the foundation of the correct Islamic call. Anyone who deviates from these principles is from those sects that have strayed from the group praised by the Messenger of Allāh (ṣallá Allāhu ʿalayhi wa-sallam) in several ḥadīths, and which our Lord has mentioned, indicating that whoever deviates from it has opposed Allāh and His Messenger, as stated in His words: "And whoever opposes the Messenger after guidance has become clear to him and follows other than the way of the believers, We will give him what he has taken and drive him into Hell, and evil it is as a destination" (Sūrah al-Nisāʾ, 115). For Allāh—for a reason clear to the people of knowledge—did not suffice with saying, "And whoever opposes the Messenger after guidance has become clear to him... We will give him what he has taken..." but added to the opposition of the Messenger the following of other than the way of the believers, saying: "And whoever opposes the Messenger after guidance has become clear to him and follows other than the way of the believers, We will give him what he has taken and drive him into Hell, and evil it is as a destination" (Sūrah al-Nisāʾ, 115). Thus, following the way of the believers or not following their way is a very important matter, both positively and negatively. Whoever follows the way of the believers is saved with the Lord of the worlds, and whoever opposes the way of the believers, Hell is sufficient for him, and what an evil destination it is. From here, many groups have gone astray—both in the past and present—because they did not suffice with merely not adhering to the way of the believers, but rather they followed their intellects and desires in interpreting the Book and the sunnah, then based on that, they derived very dangerous conclusions that led them away from what our righteous predecessors were upon, may Allāh be pleased with them all. This part of the noble verse: "and follows other than the way of the believers" was emphatically confirmed by the Prophet (ṣallá Allāhu ʿalayhi wa-sallam) in several authentic ḥadīths. These ḥadīths—which I will mention some of—are not unknown to the general Muslims, let alone the scholars among them. However, what is unknown about them is that they indicate the necessity of adhering to the way of the believers in understanding the Book and the sunnah, and the obligation and emphasis on that