He was also asked:
“Is it true that Shaykh ʿAbd al-Qādir is the foremost of the shaykhs and that Imam Ahmad is the foremost of the imams?”
He replied:
As for ranking some imams and shaykhs above others—for example, someone preferring the imam whose legal school he studied, or preferring the shaykh he follows over others, as when someone gives preference to Shaykh ʿAbd al-Qādir, Shaykh Abū Madyan, Ahmad, or others—most people speak on this subject on the basis of conjecture and personal desire.
They do not know the true ranks of the imams and shaykhs, nor do they seek to follow the truth for its own sake. Rather, each person desires to give preference to the one he follows, and does so on the basis of his own suppositions, even without any proof. This may lead them to dispute, fight, and become divided. Such conduct is among the things Allah and His Messenger have forbidden, as Allah Most High says:
“O you who believe, fear Allah as He should be feared, and do not die except as Muslims.”
“And hold firmly to the rope of Allah all together and do not become divided. And remember Allah’s favor upon you when you were