He then went on to enumerate the remaining fundamentals—God-given principles; whoever parts with them can no longer be counted among the People of the Sunnah.

Imam ʿAlī ibn al-Madīnī likewise set down something very similar in his own creed.1

Imam Aḥmad, may Allah have mercy on him, also said: “These are the doctrines of the scholars, the people of ḥadīth, and the adherents of the Sunnah who have clung to its roots, are known for it, and are taken as exemplars in it—from the Companions of the Prophet ﷺ until this very day. I met many of the scholars of the Hijaz, Syria, and other regions who held to it. Whoever opposes any of these doctrines, belittles them, or reviles those who profess them is an innovator, outside the community, removed from the path of the Sunnah and the way of truth.”

Among the foundational matters of belief that he listed is his statement: “…and to submit to the one whom Allah has placed in charge of your affairs; do not withdraw your hand from obeying him, and do not rise against him with your sword until Allah grants you…"