he were to say it, would relieve him of what he is feeling: ‘I seek refuge in Allah from Satan, the accursed.’”

Thus, Allah, glorified be He, commands the servant to seek refuge when pursuing good, lest Satan hinder him from it, and when evil presents itself, so that He may ward it off—when the servant wishes to perform good deeds and when Satan urges him to commit evil deeds. For this reason, the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) said:

“Satan keeps coming to one of you and saying, ‘Who created such-and-such? Who created such-and-such?’ until he says, ‘Who created Allah?’ Whoever experiences this should seek refuge in Allah and stop pursuing such thoughts.”

He therefore commanded seeking refuge whenever Satan seeks to lead a person into evil or prevent him from doing good, as an enemy does to his enemy. The greater a person’s desire for knowledge and worship, and the greater his ability to pursue them compared with others—such that his capacity is stronger and his desire and resolve more complete—the greater the good he attains if Allah keeps him safe from Satan, and the greater the trial into which he falls if Satan gains power over him.

For this reason, al-Sha‘bī said: “In every community, its scholars are its worst members, except the Muslims, whose scholars are their best.” The people of the Sunnah stand within Islam as Muslims stand among the religious communities. This is because every community other than the Muslims is astray, and it is their scholars who lead them astray; thus, their scholars are their worst members. Muslims, however, follow guidance, and it is through their scholars that guidance becomes clear; thus, their scholars are their best members. Likewise, the leaders of the people of the Sunnah are the best members of the Muslim community, whereas the leaders of the people of religious innovation are more harmful to the community than those who commit sins. For this reason, the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) commanded that the Khawārij be killed, but forbade fighting unjust rulers. Those people have