Thus, in these doctrinal and theological matters, whatever is reported about Allah, the Last Day, and all that has happened or will happen must be true and correct; and whatever is enjoined or forbidden must be exactly as the messengers brought from Allah. That alone is the right course, consonant with the sunnah and the Sacred Law, and faithful to the Book of Allah and the Sunnah of His Messenger.

In the same way, the acts of worship by which people draw near to their Lord are sound and valid only when they are among those that Allah has legislated and that He and His Messenger have commanded. Whatever in either realm fails to meet this standard belongs to falsehood, misguiding innovations, and ignorance—even if some call it “sciences and rational proofs,” or “acts of worship, spiritual struggles, tastes, and stations.”

Furthermore, one must command and forbid for the sake of Allah’s command and prohibition, and convey what Allah has conveyed because it is truth, faith, and guidance exactly as the messengers conveyed it—just as every act of worship must be intended solely for the Face of Allah. But if it is said or done in obedience to caprice and fanatic zeal, to show off learning and virtue, or to seek acclaim and ostentation, it is like a combatant who fights only for bravado, chauvinism, or display.

From this you can see the predicament into which many people of learning and discourse, and many devoted worshippers and spiritual practitioners, have fallen: the former often utter statements that contradict the Book and the Sunnah—or at best only sometimes coincide with them—while the latter frequently engage in devotions that Allah has not commanded, indeed has forbidden, or that combine what is prescribed with what is prohibited. Likewise, many of them wage fighting that departs from the combat Allah has ordained, or that mingles what is obligatory with what is forbidden.

Each of these three categories—the prescribed, the prohibited, and that which combines