therefore, in this situation, we must always and forever revolve around this fundamental principle if we want to understand our creed, our worship, our morals, and our behavior. There is no alternative but to return to the methodology of our righteous predecessors to understand all these essential issues for the Muslim, so that it may be truly realized that he is among the saved group. From here, old and new groups have gone astray when they did not pay attention to the meaning of the previous verse and the significance of the ḥadīth about the sunnah of the rightly-guided caliphs, as well as the ḥadīth about the division of the ummah. It was very natural for them to deviate as those before them deviated from the Book of Allāh, the sunnah of the Messenger (ṣallá Allāhu ʿalayhi wa-sallam), and the methodology of the righteous predecessors. Among these deviants are the Khawārij, both ancient and modern, for the root of the fitnah of declaring disbelief in this era—and indeed for ages—is a verse they constantly revolve around, which is His saying: "And whoever does not judge by what Allāh has revealed, then it is those who are the disbelievers" (Sūrah al-Māʾidah, 44). They take it without deep understanding and cite it without precise knowledge. We know that this noble verse has been repeated, and its conclusion came with three phrases: "then it is those who are the disbelievers," "then it is those who are the wrongdoers" (Sūrah al-Māʾidah, 45), "then it is those who are the defiantly disobedient" (Sūrah al-Māʾidah, 47). It is from the complete ignorance of those who argue with this verse using only its first phrase: "then it is those who are the disbelievers," that they have not at least acquainted themselves with some of the legal texts—whether Quranic or sunnah—that mention the term (disbelief). They took it—without consideration—as meaning apostasy from the religion, and that there is no difference between one who falls into disbelief and those polytheists from the Jews, Christians, and other sects outside the fold of Islam. Meanwhile, the term disbelief in the language of the Book and the sunnah does not always mean what they revolve around and impose this erroneous and mistaken understanding upon. The matter of the term "disbelievers"—in that it does not indicate a single meaning—is the same as the other two terms: "wrongdoers" and "defiantly disobedient." Just as someone described as a wrongdoer or defiantly disobedient does not necessarily imply apostasy from his religion, so too does someone described as a disbeliever, equally. This diversity in the meaning of a single term is what is indicated by the language, and then by the sharīʿah that came in the language of the Arabs—the language of the Noble Quran. Therefore, it is obligatory for anyone who undertakes issuing judgments on Muslims—whether rulers or subjects—to have extensive knowledge of the Book and the sunnah, and in light of the methodology of the righteous predecessors