• His description (p. 867) of ʿAbd al-Qadir al-Kilani as “the shaykh whose miracles, extraordinary signs, and sainthood are unanimously acknowledged, accepted by every group.”

• His description (p. 877) of Abu Muhammad Muwaffaq al-Din Ibn Qudama al-Maqdisi as “the shaykh-imam whose imamate, learning, righteousness, and miracles are agreed upon by all.”

• His statement (p. 508) concerning Abu al-Walid Ibn Rushd: “He is among the most knowledgeable of people regarding the schools and doctrines of the philosophers.”

• His statement (p. 508) concerning Abu al-Hasan al-Amidi: “the foremost of the later scholars of his age.”

• His statement (p. 335) concerning Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah: “Our shaykh transmitted this view, adopted it, and issued fatwas on its basis; the very least status of his chosen opinions is that they count as a recognized position within the school. It is inconceivable that the selections of Ibn ʿAqil, Abu al-Khattab, and Shaykh Abu Muhammad should be accepted as positions for legal verdicts, yet the selections of Shaykh al-Islam fail to reach that rank.”

See also (p. 642).

As for his critique and evaluation of books, examples include:

• His remark (pp. 1009–1010) on al-Bukhari’s Khalq Afʿal al-ʿIbad: “It is among his most splendid shorter works.”

• His remark (p. 869) on al-Mujaz by Abu al-Hasan al-Ashʿari: “his greatest and most important book,” and his further comment on it (p. 839): “among the finest of his medium-length works.”

• His description (pp. 869–870) of al-Ibana by Abu al-Hasan al-Ashʿari as the most famous of al-Ashʿari’s books, adding: “Those who most vigorously champion him and most staunchly defend him have relied upon it from…"