what is wrong, supporting the oppressed, and everything that Allah and His Messenger love. They must not cooperate in oppression, partisan loyalty of the pre-Islamic kind, following desires without guidance from Allah, division, or discord. Nor should anyone gird his waist for someone in order to follow him in everything, or enter into an alliance with him on any basis other than what Allah and His Messenger have commanded. In that case, no one transfers his allegiance from one teacher to another, nor does anyone affiliate himself under such labels as laqīt (foundling), thaqīl, or any other names of pre-Islamic ignorance.

These practices arose only because a teacher wants his pupil to agree with whatever he wishes, unconditionally befriending those whom he befriends and opposing those whom he opposes. This is forbidden: no one may command anyone to do it, nor may anyone comply with such a demand. Rather, the Sunnah unites them, and innovation divides them. Doing what Allah and His Messenger have commanded unites them, while disobedience to Allah and His Messenger separates them, so that people become either those who obey Allah or those who disobey Him. Worship must therefore be devoted to Allah alone, the Almighty and Majestic, and unconditional obedience is due only to Him, Glorified is He, and to His Messenger, may Allah bless him and grant him peace.

There is no doubt that if they follow their pre-Islamic custom—whereby anyone taught by a teacher becomes his sworn ally—then someone who transfers from the first teacher to the second is acting unjustly and transgressing, breaking his covenant and proving untrustworthy in his commitments. This too is forbidden, and his sin is greater than that of someone who has not acted as he has. Indeed, if such a person transfers to someone other than his teacher and enters into an alliance with him, he has committed a forbidden act. He is thus like the flesh of a dead pig, for he has not