—namely, the Followers (tābiʿūn), their successors from the blessed generations, and all who came after them while following the Companions with excellence, as the Most High says: “The vanguard—the first of the Emigrants and the Helpers and those who follow them with excellence—Allah is pleased with them and they are pleased with Him” (Qur’an 9:100). Hence it is impermissible to belittle or revile them, for they are luminaries of guidance. Allah the Exalted also says: “Whoever opposes the Messenger after guidance has become clear to him and follows a path other than that of the believers, We will leave him to what he has chosen and cast him into Hell—an evil destination” (Qur’an 4:115).

The commentator on al-Ṭaḥāwiyyah remarks: “After loving Allah and His Messenger, every Muslim must ally himself with the believers, as the Qur’an declares—especially those who are the heirs of the prophets, whom Allah has set like stars by which one navigates through the darkness of land and sea. The Muslims are unanimously agreed upon their sound guidance and depth of knowledge, for they are the Messenger’s deputies in his community and the revivers of what has died from his sunnah. By them the Book was upheld, and by the Book they were upheld; by them the Book spoke, and by the Book they spoke. All of them are in firm, certain agreement that following the Messenger ﷺ is obligatory; however—"