to follow; rather, he is either a disbeliever or exceedingly ignorant.

This is frequently expressed in the words of the spiritual masters, such as the statement of Shaykh Abū Sulaymān al-Dārānī:

“An insight of the kind known among these people may occur to my heart, but I accept it only with two witnesses: the Quran and Sunnah.”

Abū al-Qāsim al-Junayd, may Allah have mercy on him, said:

“This knowledge of ours is bound by the Quran and Sunnah. Whoever has not read the Quran and written down hadith is not qualified to speak about this knowledge of ours”—or he said, “is not to be followed.”

Abū ʿUthmān al-Naysābūrī said:

“Whoever makes the Sunnah govern his words and deeds will speak with wisdom, whereas whoever makes his desires govern his words and deeds will speak with innovation. For Allah, Most High, says in His eternal speech: ‘If you obey him, you will be guided.’”

Abū ʿAmr ibn Nujayd said:

“Every spiritual experience unsupported by the Quran and Sunnah is false.”

Many people err in this matter. They believe that someone is an ally of Allah and suppose that everything an ally of Allah says must be accepted, that they must defer to everything he says and submit to everything he does, even if it contradicts the Quran and Sunnah. Thus, a person agrees with that individual while opposing what Allah sent His Messenger with. Allah has required all creation to believe what His Messenger reports and obey what he commands, and has made him the criterion distinguishing His allies from His enemies, the people of Paradise from the people of the Fire, and the blessed from the wretched.