trained in the speech of people, and knew the beginnings of discussions, and memorized much of the trivialities they acquired, but there is a barrier between him and the essence of the discussions. This may be due to a lack of aspiration, contentment, and satisfaction with the predecessors for their impact on the souls. These are the majority in number, and the lowest in rank, for they have not attained the distinctiveness of the elite, nor have they achieved the safety of the general populace. The first group of the elite are certainly innovators. The second group appears to be innovators, and the third is judged as innovators. Among the elite is a fourth group, a few from the earlier generations and a few from the later ones, who turned to the Book and the sunnah and followed their guidance, remaining silent on what they remained silent, advancing and refraining by them, avoiding what does not concern them. Their concern was safety, and the life of the sunnah was more precious to them than their own lives. The delight of one of them was in reciting the Book of Allāh, understanding its meanings in the natural Arabic manner and the transmitted interpretations, and knowing the authenticity of a prophetic ḥadīth in wording and ruling. These are truly the Sunnis, the saved group, and to them belong the general populace entirely, and those whom your Lord wills from the mentioned three groups of the elite, according to His knowledge of the extent of their innovation and their intentions. If you verify everything we mentioned to you, you will not be obliged to ask the forbidden question, which is the destruction of the majority of the ummah, because the majority in number are the general populace, both in the past and present, as well as the elite in the earlier ages. Perhaps the middle two groups, and also those whose innovation is lighter from the first, will be saved by the mercy of your Lord from being classified among the innovators according to the reward in the hereafter, and the mercy of your Lord is more encompassing for every Muslim. However, we spoke according to the implication of the ḥadīth and its truthfulness, and that the individuals of the innovating groups, even if the groups are many, perhaps their total individuals do not constitute a fraction of a thousandth of the rest of the Muslims: reflect on this to be safe from believing in the contradiction of the ḥadīth with the ḥadīths of the virtues of the blessed ummah." I said: And this is the last of Shaykh al-Muqbilī's words, may Allāh have mercy on him, and it is solid speech indicating the man's knowledge, virtue, and keen insight. From it, you learn the clarity of the ḥadīth from the problem that I think was the main reason for Ibn al-Wazīr, may Allāh have mercy on him, in his criticism of it. All praise is due to Allāh for guiding us to clarify the authenticity