by asking them and returning to their statements. He made the sign of their deviation and misguidance the departure of their scholars and the taking of leaders from among their ignorant ones. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: "Indeed, Allah does not withhold knowledge by snatching it away from the people, but He withholds knowledge by the death of the scholars, until when no scholar remains, the people take ignorant leaders who are asked questions and give fatwas without knowledge, so they go astray and lead others astray."

And may Allah bless the Seal of the Prophets, the master of the chosen ones, the imam of the scholars, and the most honorable of those who walked under the dome of the sky: Muhammad, the Prophet of mercy, who called to the path of his Lord with wisdom, who by his message unveiled the veils of distress, and the best Prophet sent to the best nation. Allah sent him as a bringer of glad tidings and a warner, {[and a caller to Allah by His permission] and an illuminating lamp}. May Allah bless him, his family, and grant them abundant peace.

To proceed: Allah, the Almighty, by His mercy and bounty, and His strength and power, has guaranteed the survival of a group from this nation upon the truth; those who abandon them will not harm them until the command of Allah comes while they are in that state. He made the cause of their survival the survival of their scholars and their emulation of their leaders and jurists. He made this nation with its scholars like the past nations with their prophets, and He manifested in every generation of its jurists leaders to be emulated and whose opinions are referred to. He placed in the predecessors of this nation leaders among the eminent, through whom He established the foundations of Islam and clarified the complex rulings. Their consensus is a decisive proof, and their disagreement is a vast mercy. Hearts are revived by their reports, and happiness is attained by following in their footsteps. Then, He singled out from among them a group whose ranks and positions He elevated, and whose remembrance He preserved