I have lost an imam who put his knowledge into practice, a man who—rightly so—suppressed every innovation.

He came with Allah’s Book and with the Sunnah, which in truth stands exalted above every other creed.

He gathered the Prophet’s hadiths and clarified them, identifying their transmitters and preserving their sound texts.

He encompassed every branch of learning known to humankind, yet did so with asceticism, divine aid, faith, and strength.

He set forth the fundamentals of creed and jurisprudence in concise form, then expanded them in detail, leaving no shadow of doubt.

He brought us the states of the Messenger in their reality, and his biography (1) that rises above every other life story.

He conveyed the conditions of all the Companions and of the Followers (2) who trod the straight path.

He presented the qualities of every imam, and even authored books (3) on their noble traits.

He depicted the righteous and their spiritual stations, and the beautiful creed to which they held fast.

He taught us the law and religion of the Messenger in the most eloquent words and with the truest accent.

He informed us that deliverance from caprice lies in clinging to the Prophetic Sunnah.

He warned us against every deviation and innovation, and against every tyrant who strays from the clear highway.

He debated the champions of every doctrine, exposing the misguided in each faction.

He refuted all the people of error with the clearest proof and the most compelling argument.

⦗161⦘ He laid bare the lies and malice of the Jews and what they had altered in the Mosaic dispensation.

He revealed to them the hidden causes of their disbelief—woe to them, a nation condemned to wrath.