has a share of the truth, yet each of them denies (1) the right of the other. This is the very division and discord that Allah, exalted is He, has condemned and prohibited, for He said:

“Indeed, those who differed concerning the Book have fallen into deep schism.” (2)

And He said:

“Do not be like those who split up and differed after clear proofs had come to them.” (3)

And He said:

“Hold fast, all of you together, to the rope of Allah and do not be divided.” (4)

And He said:

“None differed over it except those who had been given it, after clear proofs had come to them, out of mutual envy among themselves.” (5)

Thus, a Muslim is obliged to adhere to the sunnah of the Messenger of Allah—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—the sunnah of his rightly guided successors, the foremost Emigrants and Helpers, and those who follow them with excellence. Regarding issues over which the ummah has disputed and become divided, if he can resolve the matter with knowledge and justice, he should do so; otherwise, he must cling to the concise (6) fundamentals established by textual evidence and consensus, and turn away from those who have fractured their religion and become sects. Most areas of division and dissension arise from following conjecture and personal whims, even though guidance has come to them from their Lord.

I have treated questions of this kind in detail elsewhere, clarifying the position of the early generations of the ummah—upon which both reason and revelation agree—and explaining the shared terminology, ambiguities, and errors involved in various places (7). Here, however, we shall present a concise summary of that discussion.