In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful

Preface

All praise is due to Allah; we praise Him, seek His help, and ask His forgiveness. We seek refuge in Allah from the evils within ourselves and from the consequences of our deeds. Whomever Allah guides, none can misguide, and whomever He lets stray, none can guide. I bear witness that there is no deity worthy of worship but Allah alone, without partner, and I bear witness that Muhammad is His servant and Messenger. Allah sent him with the truth as a giver of glad tidings and a warner, as one who calls to Allah by His leave and as an illuminating lamp. He conveyed the message and fulfilled the trust—may abundant blessings and peace be upon him.

To proceed: Among the greatest calamities of the present age is that a Muslim seeker of knowledge is compelled to waste much of his time defending himself, rebutting the accusations and falsehoods attached to his person by people who neither fear Allah nor feel shame before His servants. This is just as the Prophet said: “From the earliest words of prophetic wisdom that people have retained is: ‘If you feel no shame…’”