Shaykh al-Islām Ahmad ibn Taymiyyah—may Allah have mercy on him—also said: the consummate scholar, the unrivalled authority, the hadith master, the ascetic, the devout worshipper, the scrupulously pious and godly scholar into whose heart divine light, exalted knowledge, and wondrous branches of learning had been cast; who held the reins of the Sacred Law, shunned opinions that cause one to stumble and desires that lead astray, and followed in the footsteps of the early generations in knowledge and practice; the mufti to the various groups, the independent jurist of his age, peerless in his time, Taqī al-Dīn Abū al-‘Abbās Ahmad ibn ‘Abd al-Halīm ibn ‘Abd al-Salām ibn Taymiyyah—may Allah perpetuate his blessings and elevate his standing and rank in this world and the Hereafter:

All praise is due to Allah for His blessings. I bear witness that none has the right to be worshipped but Allah alone, without partner in His earth or His heaven. And I bear witness that Muhammad is His servant, His Messenger, and the last of His prophets. May Allah bestow blessings and peace upon him, his family, and his Companions, blessings enduring until the Day of meeting Him.

To proceed:

After loyalty to Allah and His Messenger, Muslims are obliged to show loyalty to the believers, as the Quran declares, especially the scholars, who are the heirs of the prophets, whom