sinners, and that faith consists of words and deeds and increases and decreases. We accept the authentic reports concerning this from the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, transmitted by trustworthy narrators, each upright narrator reporting from another, in a chain reaching back to the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace.

We profess love for the early Muslims—may Allah be pleased with them—whom Allah Most High chose to accompany His Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace. We praise them as Allah Most High praised them and affirm our loyalty to them.

We say that the imam after the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, was Abu Bakr al-Siddīq, may Allah be pleased with him; that through him Allah, Glorified and Exalted, strengthened Islam and the religion and granted him victory over the apostates; and that the Muslims appointed him to lead them, just as the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, appointed him to lead the prayer; then Umar ibn al-Khattāb, may Allah be pleased with him; then Uthmān, may Allah brighten his countenance; and that