(to erase) from the study of drawing: when it becomes obliterated and perishes. (the embellishment of the garment) its decoration. among the benefits of the ḥadīth: and in this ḥadīth, there is a serious announcement, which is that a day will come upon Islam when its traces will be erased, and upon the Quran when it will be lifted, leaving not a single verse. This will certainly not occur until Islam has dominated the entire globe, and its word is supreme therein. as is explicitly stated in the words of Allāh ﵎ (He it is Who sent His Messenger with guidance and the religion of truth, that He may make it prevail over all religions), and as the Messenger of Allāh (ṣallá Allāhu ʿalayhi wa-sallam) explained in many ḥadīths, some of which were mentioned in the first article of these articles (the authentic ḥadīths). and the lifting of the Noble Quran at the end of times is but a prelude to the establishment of the Hour upon the worst of creation, who know nothing of Islam at all, not even its tawḥīd! and in the ḥadīth, there is an indication of the greatness of the Quran, and that its presence among Muslims is the reason for the preservation of their religion and the firmness of its structure, and this is only through its study, contemplation, and understanding. Therefore, Allāh ﵎ has pledged to preserve it until Allāh permits its lifting. how far astray are some of the imitators who claim that the religion is preserved by the four madhāhib, and that there is no harm to Muslims from the loss of their Quran, if such a thing were to hypothetically occur! this is what one of the senior muftis from the non-Arabs explicitly stated to me, as he spoke fluent classical Arabic, when the discussion between him and me revolved around ijtihād and taqlīd. he said—what many people repeat—that the door of ijtihād has been closed since the fourth century! so I said to him: and what do we do with these numerous incidents that require knowing the ruling of Allāh in them today? he said: these incidents, no matter