a full import—its denotation, meaning, and practical implications—that must all be known and acted upon both outwardly and inwardly. It also has nullifiers and diminutions, and these matters become clear only through learning. For that reason, the science of creed ought to stand at the forefront of school curricula at every stage: it should be allotted a sufficient number of daily periods, taught by competent instructors, and made a decisive factor in passing or failing. The prevailing condition of most formal programs is quite the opposite; creed is often neglected. The fear, therefore, is that a generation will arise ignorant of the sound creed, find polytheistic practices, innovations, and superstitions palatable, and regard them as part of the faith simply because they see people practicing them and have never learned their invalidity.

It was in this vein that the Commander of the Believers, ʿUmar ibn al-Khattab—may Allah be pleased with him—said, “The bonds of Islam will soon be undone, one by one, when a generation grows up within Islam that has never known the pre-Islamic period of ignorance.”

Accordingly, one must choose sound, reliable books—those written according to the way of the righteous forebears, Ahl al-Sunnah wa’l-Jamāʿah, and in conformity with the Quran and Sunnah—and prescribe them for students, while excluding works that depart from the methodology of the salaf, such as the writings of the Ashʿarīs, Muʿtazilites, Jahmites, and the other sects that have strayed from their path.

Alongside formal schooling, lessons should be held in the mosques in which the creed of the salaf receives primary attention and the classical primers and their commentaries are read, so that students and all attendees may benefit. Simplified summaries should also be presented to the general public. In this way the Islamic creed will spread, supplemented by religious programming on the radio, with a continuous broadcast devoted to the rulings of Islamic creed.

Finally, there must also be a personal commitment to creed on the part of individuals: every Muslim should read books on creed and acquaint himself with the works composed according to the methodology