the incidental sunnah, not a regular one, and in this way the evidences are brought into harmony.

Shaykh ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn Saʿdī said: “The soundest of the three opinions regarding the rest-sitting is that it is recommended when one needs it, and that omitting it is recommended when there is no need for it.”

This view is the preponderant one, because the rest-sitting is not sought for its own sake so as to become a fixed sunnah, nor is any specific remembrance prescribed for it. It is therefore intended only when a person requires it—owing to weakness, illness, old age, or the like—and only then should it be performed.

Al-Mughnī states: “By adopting this opinion, the evidences are reconciled. Allah knows best.”

Disagreements over subsidiary matters should not become a cause of strife, discord, and dispute. The preferable course is to discuss such issues in a cordial, scholarly atmosphere: whatever the scholars have unanimously agreed upon, we accept; and in matters where they have differed, they should neither denounce nor show enmity toward one another. Rather, each should excuse the other in light of the ijtihād he has reached, for hostility and hatred are what divide the Muslims, scatter their ranks, and weaken their standing. As a result, they have become fragmented and disunited, their enemies have gained dominance over them, their lands have been violated, and their strength has been sapped, so that Muslims have been reduced to followers and split into factions among themselves. Truly, we belong to Allah and to Him we shall return.