times of civil strife; and we hear and obey the one to whom Allah has entrusted our affairs. We do not withdraw a hand from obeying him. We follow the Sunnah and the unified body, and we steer clear of isolation, dispute, and schism. Jihad has been in force from the moment Allah sent His Prophet until the Day of Resurrection, carried out under the authority of the Muslim leader—nothing can invalidate it. The same holds true for the Hajj, and for the payment of the obligatory charity due on grazing livestock to those in authority among the Muslim leaders… 1

Sahl ibn ʿAbd Allah al-Tustari was asked, “When can a person know that he is upon the Sunnah and the community?” He replied, “When he finds within himself ten qualities: he does not abandon the congregational prayer; he does not revile the Companions of the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him; he does not raise the sword against this ummah; he does not deny the divine decree; he harbors no doubt about faith; he does not engage in contentious argumentation about the religion; he does not withhold the funeral prayer from anyone of the qiblah who dies because of a sin; he does not forgo wiping over the leather socks; and he does not abandon praying in congregation behind every ruler, whether oppressor or just.” 2