(1) Al-Bayhaqi, Manaqib al-Shafi‘i, vol. 2, p. 362. Likewise, every disciple of a leading jurist speaks of his own imam in the same terms. The independent jurists—Abu Hanifah, Malik, al-Shafi‘i, Ahmad, and others, may Allah have mercy on them—never told their followers: “Follow me in everything I say and give me preference over all others.” What is authentically reported from each of them is his statement: “If my opinion conflicts with the statement of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, the proof lies in the statement of the Messenger of Allah; throw my opinion against the wall.” All of them were men of virtue and learning who exerted their utmost to reach the truth on the issues they investigated. Each of them was correct in some matters, for which he receives a double reward, and mistaken in others, for which he still receives a single reward. A true admirer, therefore, is one who shows loyalty to all of them, appreciates their efforts, praises their merits, and does not believe them to be infallible. If he finds that one of them surpasses the rest in a particular quality granted to him by Allah, he must not turn that into partisanship or excessive devotion that would lead him away from what is right—for that very imam did not approve of such behaviour. Let each of us keep before his eyes the statement of Imam Malik, may Allah have mercy on him: “None of us but his words are accepted and rejected—except the occupant of this grave,” and he pointed to the grave of the Prophet ﷺ. The Prophet ﷺ alone has been made obligatory for us to follow in everything he says; this status belongs to no one else. (2) He is the authoritative hadith scholar Abu Nu‘aym ‘Abd al-Malik ibn Muhammad ibn ‘Addi al-Jurjani al-Istarabadhi, a jurist who died in 323 AH. He must not be confused with Ibn ‘Addi, the author of al-Kamil fi al-du‘afa’, who died in 365 AH; the latter’s kunya is Abu Ahmad and his given name is ‘Abd Allah.