the Messenger and those in authority among you.” 1 Furthermore, he stated that the sword must never be raised against the community of Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him.

Al-Fuḍayl said, “If I possessed a single supplication that would certainly be answered, I would direct it only toward the ruler, for when the ruler is upright the land and its people are safe.” Ibn al-Mubārak remarked, “O Teacher of goodness, who other than You will bestow the reward for this?” 2

Abū Muḥammad ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn Abī Ḥātim al-Rāzī said: “I asked my father and Abū Zurʿah about the creed of Ahl al-Sunnah regarding the fundamentals of the religion, the position upon which they had found the scholars in every region, and what they themselves believed. They replied: ‘We encountered the scholars in all the lands—Hijaz, Iraq, Syria, and Yemen—and part of their creed was…’ They then mentioned a number of points, among them: ‘…that we uphold jihād and the ḥajj alongside the leaders of the Muslims in every era and time, and that we do not regard rebellion against the rulers or taking up arms in…’