—the basis of what has come in the narrations from the Messenger of Allah—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—(1).

They repudiate quarrelsome argumentation and disputation in matters of religion, wrangling over predestination, and the debates in which the dialecticians engage and over which they contend concerning their faith. Instead, they submit (2) to sound narrations and to the reports conveyed by trustworthy transmitters—each just narrator from another—until the chain reaches the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace.

They do not ask, “How?” nor “Why?” for such questioning is an innovation.

They say: Allah has not commanded evil; rather, He has forbidden it and commanded good. He is not pleased with evil, even though He wills it.

They acknowledge the rightful status of the early generations whom Allah selected to accompany His Prophet. They hold fast to their virtues and withhold from delving into the disputes that arose among them, whether minor or major. They place Abu Bakr first, then ‘Umar, then ‘Uthmān, then ‘Alī (3)—may Allah be pleased with them—and affirm that they were the rightly guided caliphs, the best of all people after the Prophet—may Allah bless him and grant him peace.

They consider authentic the hadiths narrated from the Messenger of Allah—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—such as, “Allah descends to the lowest heaven and says, ‘Is there anyone who seeks forgiveness…’” (4), exactly as the hadith has been transmitted regarding it.