This has been our course ever since Allah guided us to follow the Sunnah—now for something like twenty years—and we wish the same attitude for those who are so quick to pronounce Muslims deviant. These are the very people whose own maxim is, “When asked about our school we say, ‘It is correct yet open to error,’ and when asked about the school of others we say, ‘It is erroneous yet may be correct.’” They also hold that praying behind someone of a different school is either disliked or invalid, and for that reason they have split up within a single mosque, as mentioned earlier—most notably during the congregational witr in Ramadan, because some of them imagine that witr is not valid if the imam separates the even-numbered rakaʿāt from the final odd one, although that is actually the superior manner established from the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, as will be detailed in chapter seven.

Such is our position, and I do not think any rational person would dispute it. Whoever attributes to us anything else has behaved unjustly, overstepped the bounds, and wronged us; Allah will call him to account.

Our purpose in spreading the Sunnah on this and other matters is plain: to convey it to the people in obedience to his saying, “Convey from me even a single verse …” (recorded by al-Bukhārī and Muslim), hoping that once it reaches them they will be convinced of its soundness and adopt it, thereby attaining success and happiness in this world and the next. It will also multiply our own reward, Allah willing, for the Prophet, peace be upon him, said, “Whoever initiates a good practice in Islam will have its reward and the reward of all who act upon it until the Day of Resurrection.” As for anyone who is not persuaded because of a doubt—⦗45⦘