—the intricate expressions of the Qur’an itself, and a selection of legal primers, both in prose and in rajaz verse. Whoever has heard even a portion of his Qur’anic exegesis would not think this the least bit excessive.

Sixth: His Creed

One of the most striking features that draws the listener to the Shaykh—may Allah have mercy on him—in his lessons, or the reader of his writings, is the frequency with which he expounds the creed of Ahl al-Sunnah wa’l-Jamaʿah in every doctrinal field, especially those dealing with the divine names and attributes. He sets all of this forth in clear language, upon firm principles, and marshals a wealth of textual and rational proofs, so much so that a listener or reader might imagine the Shaykh knew nothing besides this branch of knowledge.

Despite the breadth with which the Shaykh treats these questions and the abundance of evidence he cites for the sound creed, he never tired or grew weary of repeating them whenever the occasion arose. Thus we find him explaining the three foundations on which the correct doctrine of the divine attributes rests in eight separate places within the lessons that have reached us. The same is true of his treatment of legislation and of judging by anything other than what Allah has revealed, as well as his affirmation that knowledge of the unseen belongs to Allah alone. We come across his refutation of the Qadariyyah in seven places, his presentation of the debate between al-Isfarayini and the judge ʿAbd al-Jabbar on predestination, his affirmation of the attribute of istiwāʾ (Allah’s rising over the Throne) in six places, and—in an equal number of passages—his narration of the dialogue that took place between a Bedouin and ʿAmr ibn ʿUbayd on the same issue. These and many other creedal topics recur throughout these blessed lessons.

This systematic exposition of matters of belief is not confined to the lessons he