and to profess as his religion. The scholars lauded Harb al-Kirmani for inserting this comprehensive chapter that distills the creed of the early generations—may Allah have mercy on them—, cited it from him, and deemed it sound; among them were Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah and his disciple Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyyah (1).

Ibn al-Qayyim, may Allah have mercy on him, said:
“We are conveying their consensus exactly as Harb, the companion of Imam Ahmad, conveyed it in his own words. (2)”

After reproducing a large portion of what Harb had recorded, he continued:
“I say: This Harb was a close associate of Ahmad and Ishaq; he narrated significant questions from both of them. He also learned from Saʿid ibn Mansur, ʿAbd Allah ibn al-Zubayr al-Humaydi, and others of that rank. He relayed these doctrines on their authority, together with their agreement upon them. Whoever studies what has been transmitted from these scholars—and from many times their number among the leading imams of sunnah and hadith—will find it fully consistent with what Harb has transmitted. (3)”