and the uprightness of the Companions, acceptance of transmitted reports, distortion of words from their proper contexts, exaggeration concerning 'Alī, and similar matters. Likewise, the early Shī'ah were preferred over the Mu'tazilah because they differed from them in affirming the divine attributes, divine decree, intercession, and similar matters. They likewise earned praise for opposing the Khawārij in declaring 'Alī, 'Uthmān, and others unbelievers, and in declaring Muslims unbelievers because of their sins. They also earned praise for differing from the Murji'ah by including obligatory deeds within faith. For this reason, they espoused the doctrine of an intermediate status between belief and unbelief, although they did not find their way to the unadulterated Sunnah.

Likewise, the speculative theologians among the adherents of affirmation—such as the Kullābiyyah, Karrāmiyyah, and Ash'ariyyah—were accepted and followed, and earned praise among the Muslim community at large, only because they affirmed the foundations of faith: the existence of the Creator and His attributes, and prophethood; because they refuted the unbelievers among the polytheists and the People of the Book and exposed the contradictions in their arguments. They likewise earned praise for refuting the various doctrines of the Jahmiyyah, Mu'tazilah, Rāfidah, and Qadariyyah that conflict with those of the people of the Sunnah and the community.

Their merits thus fall into two categories: agreeing with the people of Sunnah and hadith, or refuting those who oppose the Sunnah and hadith by exposing the contradictions in their arguments. No one has followed the doctrine of al-Ash'arī or others like him except for one or both of these qualities. Every Muslim, including their scholars, who loves and supports him loves and supports him only