(7) And there may be mistakes in it—or in some parts of it—for the proofs are not the scholars’ own words; the proofs are the Quranic verses and the prophetic hadith. The scholars’ statements merely clarify, explain, and expound these proofs; they are not proofs in themselves. This is the first and fundamental issue. The shaykh, may Allah have mercy on him, began with it because creed is the foundation; whenever one engages in learning, teaching, or inviting others to Allah, one must start with creed for it is the root and the basis. (8) His phrase “acting upon it” refers to acting upon one’s knowledge, for it is not enough to know or study: one must practice what one learns. Knowledge without action becomes a proof against a person, and knowledge is only beneficial when joined to action. Whoever knows yet does not act has incurred divine wrath, because he recognized the truth and knowingly abandoned it. As the poet says: “A scholar who fails to live by his knowledge Will be punished before the worshippers of idols.”