than the one before it, and the same situation is repeated time and again.

Indeed, this is the prevailing condition of most callers to Allah in our age: bewilderment, loss, aimlessness, obscurity, chaos, improvisation, and labor that yields no fruit. They do not know the correct path, nor do they find the skilled guide who can rescue them from their confusion, lead them out of their maze, channel their efforts into a productive course, and direct their works toward the beneficial and pleasing way that attains the required end and secures the sought-after goal.

The only sound path is the path of the Quran and Sunnah, understood according to the method by which our righteous predecessors—may Allah be pleased with them—understood them: putting them into practice, calling others to them, and remaining steadfast upon their commands. The only proficient guides are the scholars versed in the Quran and Sunnah, those who act upon their knowledge, are sincere to those sources, and are themselves guided by their light.

It is futile for Muslim youth to seek the victory of Islam and the restoration of Muslim dignity by any road other than this, and it is equally futile for Islamic movements to strive for the desired goal without the assistance of these expert, skilled guides.

Yet Allah has graciously favored us—praise, bounty, and blessing belong solely to Him—by providing for us a true scholar who is one of the remaining heirs of the salaf.