say such a thing. Shaykh Abū Sulaymān was among the most eminent shaykhs and their leaders, and among those who adhered most closely to the Sharīʿah. Indeed, he used to say, “An insight of the kind spoken of by the spiritual masters may occur to my heart, but I do not accept it without two witnesses: the Quran and the Sunnah.” Would someone who accepts his heart’s insights only with two witnesses say such a thing?

Shaykh Abū Sulaymān also said, “Someone inspired to do something good should not act upon it until he hears a transmitted report supporting it. Once he hears such a report, it is light upon light.” Indeed, his companion Ahmad ibn Abī al-Hawārī was among the shaykhs who adhered most closely to the Sunnah—how much more so, then, was Abū Sulaymān himself!

Abū Sulaymān’s complete vindication against the attribution of these words will become clear in the discussion of the second point: the statement, whoever its speaker may be, “Contentment means that you neither ask Allah for Paradise nor seek His protection from the Fire.” Before that, however, we offer an introductory discussion that will clarify