This note is a compilation of hadith, athar, and anecdotes from the awliya on scrupulousness (wara’). It is a summarization from Ibn Ajiba’s The Book of Ascension to the Essential Truths of Sufism, Al-Qushayri’s Epistle on Sufism - Al-Risala Al Qushayriyya Fi ‘ilm Al-Tasawwuf, and other articles defining this subject. Imam al-Haddad on Scrupulousness (wara’) is a separate note for this topic.
Ibn Ajiba’s The Book of Ascension
Ibn Ajiba's The Book of Ascension to the Essential Truths of Sufism
Scrupulousness (wara’) is to keep from committing anything that would result in consequences we would abhor.
For the generality of the faithful, this means avoiding what is forbidden or doubtful. For the elect, it means avoiding everything that troubles the heart and produces narrowness and obscurity, summed up in the words of the Prophet i “Leave what causes you doubt for what does not cause you doubt.” For the elect of the elect, it means refusing to become attached to anything other than God, closing the door of desire for anything other than God, keeping aspirations ever focused on God, and finding support only in God. This is the [state] which Hasan al-Basri meant when he was asked: “What is the cornerstone of religion?” and he answered, “Scrupulousness.” Then he was asked, “And what is the ruination of religion?” and he answered, “Covetousness (tama) "" The kind of scrupulousness that is the complete opposite of covetousness is that of the elect of the elect, and even the smallest amount of this is equivalent to thousands of [supererogatory] prayers and fasts.
Similarly, [al-Mursi] said in the Tanwir, “It is not an abundance of formal knowledge nor constancy in supererogatory practices that shows a servants understanding. What shows his light and understanding is that he finds his true wealth in God, keeps his heart [with God], rids his soul of covetousness, and becomes beautified by the jewel of scrupulousness.” The scrupulousness of which he speaks is that of the elect or the elect of the elect. And God most high knows best.’
One one verbal form of r-w-‘a is found in the Quran (11:74), where it carries a meaning close to “fear”: When fear (al-raw’u) had passed from the mind of Abraham and glad tidings had reached him, he began to plead with Us from Lot’s people.
Appendix II of Ibn Ajiba's The Book of Ascension to the Essential Truths of Sufism
In his commentary on the 62nd aphorism of the Hikam—“When you stop hoping (to possess something), you are free, but as long as you covet it, you are a slave”—he wrote:
It has been said that the most lawful of lawful provision (ahalla al-halal) is what comes to you without your having ever thought about it and without your having asked either woman or man. And Shaykh Abd al-Aziz al-Mahdawi said, “Scrupulousness means that you neither move nor stay still without seeing God in that movement or stillness, and when God is seen therein, the movement and stillness vanish and you remain with God. (Indeed, movement is contingent upon a mover. [Movement implies time and place, and God is beyond both.] He also said, “I do not see anything without seeing God therein, and when I see God therein, I am no longer there.” And also, “All the learned agree that the only absolutely lawful provision is what is taken from the hand of God without intermediary. That is the station of complete dependence upon God (tawakkul).” Or as yet another of them has said, “The lawful (al-halal) is that in which God is not forgotten…”
Iqaz al-himam, p. 114.
From Al-Qushayri’s Epistle on Sufism
Al-Qushayri in his Risalah said:
Scrupulousness is giving up dubious things.
Ibrahim b. Adham said:
Scrupulousness is giving up whatever is dubious and whatever does not concern you. [This means giving up that which is superfluous.]
Abu Bakr as-Siddiq said:
We used to abandon seventy kinds of permitted things out of fear of stepping into only one thing that is forbidden.
The Prophet told Abu Huraira:
Be scrupulous and you will be among God’s greatest servants!
Al-Junayd heard from al-Sari al-Saqati that:
The most scrupulous men of their times were: Hudhayfa b. al-Mar∏ashi,65 Yusuf b. Asbat, Ibrahim b. Adham and Sulayman al-Khawwas. They stuck to scrupulousness under any circumstances, and when acquisition of that which is lawful became difficult to them, they took recourse in the absolute minimum.
Al-Shibili said:
Scrupulousness is to refrain from everything other than God Most High.
Ishaq b. Khalaf said:
To be scrupulous in speech is harder than being scrupulous in [dealing] with gold and silver. Likewise, to abstain from worldly authority (riπasa) is harder than to abstain from gold and silver, since one expends them freely in one’s quest for worldly authority.
Abu Sulayman al-Darani said:
Scrupulousness is the beginning of abstention, just as contentment is an [essential] part of satisfaction.
Abu Uthman al-Hiri said:
The reward for being scrupulous is the lightness of reckoning [on the Day of Judgement].
Yahya b. Muadh said:
Scrupulousness consists of embracing the provisions of [religious] knowledge without [delving into] interpretation of it.
Abdallah b. al-Jallaa said:
I know someone who lived in Mecca for thirty years. During that time he drank nothing of the water of the Zamzam well except that which he would draw with his own leather pitcher and his own rope. Furthermore, [throughout these years] he would never eat any food imported from Egypt. (That is, the food of which provenance he was not sure.)
Ali b. Musa al-Taharti said:
Once a small coin belonging to Abdallah b. Marwan fell into a filthy well. He spent thirteen dinars in wages to pay for retrieving it. When asked about that, he responded: ‘The name of God Most High was inscribed on it!’
Yahya b. Muadh said:
There are two kinds of scrupulousness: the scrupulousness of the externals, which means that one moves only for the sake of God Most High; and the scrupulousness of the interior, which means that only God and God alone can enter your heart.
Yahya b. Muadh also said:
One who is neglectful of the fine points of scrupulousness will not receive a sublime gift [from God]. Likewise, it is said: He who observes his religion meticulously will see his rank raised in importance at the Resurrection.
Ibn al-Jallaa said:
He whose poverty is not accompanied by fear of God consumes that which is manifestly forbidden.
Yunus b. Ubayd said:
Scrupulousness is to abandon every dubious thing and to call your ego to account with every moment.
Sufyan al-Thawri said:
I have not seen anything easier than scrupulousness. Whenever something leaves a mark on your soul, abandon it!
Maaruf al-Karkhi said:
Guard your tongue from praise as you guard it from censure.
Bishr b. al-Harith said:
The three hardest things are: to be generous in penury; to be scrupulous in seclusion; and to tell the truth to someone whom you fear or expect some benefit from.
It is said that the sister of Bishr al-Hafi came to Ahmad b. Hanbal:
‘We were spinning on the roof of our house when a group of the Zahiri guard passed us by with their torches. The light [of their torches] fell upon us. Was it permissible for us to spin by their light?’ Ahmad [b. Hanbal] asked her: ‘Who are you? May God keep you in good health!’ She said: ‘I am Bishr al-Hafi’s sister.’ Ahmad wept and said: ‘Your house is [the seat] of true scrupulousness. Therefore, do not spin in the light [of their torches]!’
Ali al-Attar said:
[One day] I was walking through the streets of Basra. [I saw] a few old men sitting there, while some young boys played nearby. I asked [them]: ‘Aren’t you ashamed of [playing in the presence of] these elders?’ One of the boys answered: ‘These elders have very little in the way of scrupulousness, so they command little respect!’
It is said that Malik b. Dinar resided in Basra for forty years:
However, he did not consider it proper to eat the dates of that city, be they fresh or dried. He died without tasting any of them even once. Each time the season for ripe dates had passed he would say: ‘O people of Basra, this stomach of mine has missed nothing of this, nor has anything been added to you.’
Someone asked Ibrahim b. Adham:
‘Why don’t you drink water from the Zamzam well?’ He answered: ‘If I had a bucket [of my own], I would drink it!’
Abu Ali al-Daqqaq said:
Whenever al-Harith al-Muhasibi stretched his hand toward any food of suspicious origin, a vein in his fingertip would begin to throb and he would know that it was not permissible for him.
[Likewise,] once Bishr al-Hafi was invited to a meal and some food was placed in front of him. He tried to reach out his hand for the food, but his hand would not stretch. He repeated this three times, until a man who knew him said: ‘His hand cannot reach out to touch dubious food. Why did the host bother to invite a man like this to his party?’
Ahmad b. Muhammad b. Salim at Basra said:
Sahl b. Abdallah [al-Tustari] was asked about that which is absolutely lawful. He answered: ‘This is something with which one cannot disobey God Most High.’ Sahl also said: ‘This is something with which God is not forgotten.’
Once al-Hasan al-Basri entered Mecca:
And saw one of the children of Ali b. Abi Talib – may God be pleased with him – resting his back against a wall of the Kaaba and preaching to people. Al-Hasan rushed to him and said: ‘What is the foundation of religion?’ He answered: ‘Scrupulousness!’ [Al-Hasan] then asked: ‘What is the ruin of religion?’ He answered: ‘Greed!’ Al-Hasan marveled at him. Al-Hasan said: ‘One tiny measure (mithqal) of true scrupulousness is better than a thousand measures of fasting and prayer.’
God Most High revealed to Moses – peace and blessings be upon him:
The ones nearest to Me have reached their position only through scrupulousness and abstention.
Abu Hurayra said:
Those who are scrupulous and abstain [from the delights of this world] today will be God’s closest friends tomorrow.
Sahl b. Abdallah al-Tustari said:
A person who does not adhere to scrupulousness would eat an elephant’s head, yet would remain hungry.
It is related that someone brought to Umar b. Abd al-Aziz some musk that was taken as spoils of war:
He held his nose closed, saying: ‘Its only merit is its scent and I would hate to discover its scent without the rest of the Muslims being able to partake of it.’
Someone asked Abu Uthman al-Hiri about scrupulousness:
He responded: ‘Abu Salih Hamdun [al-Qassar] was attending to his friend at his last moment. When the man died, Abu Salih blew out the oil lamp. Someone asked him about this. He answered: Until this moment the oil has belonged to him, but now it belongs to his heirs. Go look for some other oil!’
Kahmas said:
I committed a sin over which I have wept for forty years. Once a brother of mine came to visit me. I bought a piece of fried fish for him. When he had finished [eating it], I took a piece of clay from my neighbor’s wall so that he could wash his hands with it. However, I forgot to ask the neighbor’s permission!
It is related that a certain man wrote a note, while residing in a rented house:
He wanted to blot what he had written with some dust from the wall of the house. It occurred to him that the house was rented, but he thought that this was of little importance. So he blotted his writing with dust. He then heard a voice say: He who thinks little of dust [today] will learn that he has a long accounting to do tomorrow!
Ahmad b. Hanbal pawned a bucket with a grocer at Mecca – may God Most High protect it:
When he wanted to redeem it, the grocer brought out two buckets saying: Take whichever of the two is yours! Ahmad said: I am not sure which bucket is mine. So it is yours and my money is also yours! The grocer said: This is your bucket! I just wanted to test you. No, I will not take it! said Ibn Hanbal. He then walked away, leaving the bucket with the grocer.
Once Ibn al-Mubarak let his expensive horse roam free, while he was performing his noon prayer:
The horse grazed in the field of a village that belonged to a [local] ruler. So Ibn al-Mubarak abandoned the horse and [refused to] ever ride it again. It is related that Ibn al-Mubarak once traveled all the way from Merv to Damascus because of a pen that he borrowed from someone in order to return it to its owner.
Al-Nakha'i rented a riding animal:
When his whip dropped from his hand, he descended, tied the animal, returned and picked up the whip. Someone told him: It would have been easier for you if you had directed your mount to the place where the whip had fallen to pick it up! He answered: No, I hired it to go to that place, not this!
Abu Bakr al-Zaqqaq said:
I wondered about in the wilderness of the Children of Israel for fifteen days. When I finally found the way, I met a soldier who gave me a drink of water. Its harshness entered my heart and tormented me for thirty years! It is said that Rabi’a al-Adawiyya mended a tear in her shirt in the light cast by a ruler’s lamp. She lost her heart for a while until she remembered [that episode]. She then ripped her shirt and rediscovered her heart.
Sufyan al-Thawri was seen in a dream:
He had a pair of wings with which he was flying from tree to tree in the garden of Paradise. Someone asked him: By what means did you obtain them? He answered: By scrupulousness!
Hassan b. Abu Sinan once came upon some companions of al-Hasan al-Basri:
He asked What is the most thing difficult for you? They answered: Scrupulousness. He said: There is nothing easier for me than that. They asked him how that could be. He responded: For forty years I have not quenched my thirst by drinking from that stream of yours! Hassan b. Abu Sinan did not sleep on his side, eat cooked food or drink cold water for sixty years. Someone saw him in a dream after his death and asked him: How has God treated you? He answered: Quite well. However, I am barred from entering Paradise on account of a needle I borrowed and never returned.
Abd al-Wahid b. Zayd had a slave who served him for many years:
He spent forty years in worship. Before that he had been a grain-measurer. After he died, someone saw him in a dream and asked him: How has God treated you? He answered: Well. However, I am barred from Paradise, because [God held against me] the dust of the grain measure with which I dispensed forty measures.
Jesus, son of Mary – peace be upon both of them – passed by a cemetery:
He called upon one of the dead lying there, and God Most High restored him to life. Jesus asked him who he was. He answered: I was a porter. I carried things about for people. One day, I was carrying firewood for someone. I broke off a splinter from that firewood and I have been accountable for that since I died.
Abu Sa'id al-Kharraz was speaking on scrupulousness:
When Abbas b. al-Muhtadi passed by. He said: Abu Sa’id, aren’t you ashamed?! You sit under the roof of Abu al-Dawaniq, drink from Zubayda’s pool, do business with false coins, and yet you talk about scrupulousness?!
Related Ahadith on Wara’
The Prophet ﷺ said:
One of the best features of a man’s Islam is his giving up that which does not concern him.
The Prophet ﷺ is reported to have said:
Be scrupulous, and you’ll be the most worshipful of people. (Ibn Majah, al-Bayhaqi.)
Imam al-Sha’rani’s commentary on this hadith:
A scrupulous person is the most worshipful of people because those who eat things that are absolutely lawful (al-halal al-khalis) cease to tire from worship, and those who don’t tire from worship are more worshipful than those who do. (Sha’rani, al-Uhud al-Muhammadiyya, 1.137)
The Prophet ﷺ said:
O mankind! God is good, and accepts only that which is good. He has given the believers the command He gave to the Messengers: “O Messengers! Eat of the good things, and do good also, Truly, I am All-Aware of what you do” [Quran 23:51] and: “O mankind! Eat of what is lawful and goodly in the earth” [Quran 2:168]. And He [also] said: “O mankind! Eat of the good things with which We have provided you” [Quran 2:168]. Then he spoke of “a man on a long journey, wild-haired and dusty, who raises his hands up to heaven, saying, ‘Lord! Lord!’ and yet his food is unlawful, his clothes unlawful, and his drink unlawful, and his sustenance unlawful: how, then, shall his prayer be answered?” (Sahih Bukhari, Sahih Muslim)
God is Pure and Accepts Only the Pure: The hadith emphasizes that Allah is pure and only accepts acts, deeds, and offerings that are pure and lawful.
Command to Eat Lawful (Halal) Things: It reminds believers to consume what is lawful and good, as has been commanded to both the Messengers and mankind in the Quranic verses.
Impact of Unlawful Sustenance on Prayer: The hadith tells a story of a man who is in a state of desperation and makes earnest prayers to Allah. Despite his sincere supplications, his prayers are not accepted because his sustenance (food, drink, clothing) is unlawful. This illustrates the spiritual importance of seeking lawful means and sustenance to ensure that one’s supplications are favorably received by Allah.
The Prophet said:
The lawful is clear, and the unlawful is clear. But between the two are ambiguous matters not known to many people. Whosoever avoids these matters, has preserved his honour and his religion intact. But whosoever falls into them shall fall into the unlawful, in the fashion of a shepherd who grazes his flock around a sanctuary, so that he is near to violating it. Assuredly, every king has a sanctuary, and God’s sanctuary on this earth is composed of His prohibitions.
This is one of the foundational hadiths in Islamic jurisprudence and ethics, often referred to as the “Hadith of Clear and Ambiguous Matters.” It highlights several key points regarding the principles of halal (lawful), haram (unlawful), and doubtful matters in Islam:
- Clear Distinctions: The hadith starts with the assertion that certain things are clearly lawful and others are clearly unlawful, making it easier for believers to follow the straight path.
- Ambiguous Matters: There exist matters that are ambiguous or doubtful, and not everyone is aware of their rulings. These are the gray areas between what is clearly halal and what is clearly haram.
- Prudence and Piety: The Prophet (PBUH) advises that avoiding these ambiguous matters helps safeguard one’s honor and religion. It ensures that one does not inadvertently fall into what is haram.
- Metaphor of the Shepherd: The hadith uses the metaphor of a shepherd grazing near the boundary of a sanctuary, which is akin to a person engaging in doubtful matters, risking falling into the unlawful.
- The Sanctuary of Allah: Just as a king has a sanctuary that must not be violated, Allah has set boundaries (prohibitions) that believers must respect and avoid.
They relate on the authority of Abu Hurayra that the Prophet said:
Sometimes when I return to my family, I find a date on my bed or elsewhere in my house, and raise it to my mouth, but then fear that it might be from someone’s charity, so I put it aside. [Despite his absolute poverty, the Blessed Prophet was not permitted to accept charity.]
Bukhari relates that 'A'isha (r) once said:
Abu Bakr (r) once said, “Abu Bakr (r) used to have a servant-boy who would collect the kharaj [a tax paid by non-Muslims on landed property in return for protection of the Islamic state] for him, and Abu Bakr would buy food for himself out of this money. One day, however, the boy brought something, and Abu Bakr ate it. ‘Do you know what that was?’ the boy asked him, and Abu Bakr said, ‘What?’ ‘In the jahiliyya, he said, I was a soothsayer; something which, in fact, I did not know how to do, but I deceived a man, who met me just now and gave me what you ate.’ And Abu Bakr put his finger into his throat, and vomited all that was in his stomach.”
According to Zayd ibn Aslam:
‘Umar ibn al-Khattab (r) once drank some milk, which he liked. “Where did you get this milk?” he asked the man who had given it to him, and he replied that he had been on his way to a well, when he passed some animals which had been given in charity, and some people who were milking them; he had taken some of it in his water-skin, and gone away. Hearing this, ‘Umar put his finger in his throat, and vomited it up.
Narrated An-Nu'man bin Bashir:
I heard Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) saying, “Both legal and illegal things are evident but in between them there are doubtful (suspicious) things and most of the people have no knowledge about them. So whoever saves himself from these suspicious things saves his religion and his honor. And whoever indulges in these suspicious things is like a shepherd who grazes (his animals) near the Hima (private pasture) of someone else and at any moment he is liable to get in it. (O people!) Beware! Every king has a Hima and the Hima of Allah on the earth is His illegal (forbidden) things. Beware! There is a piece of flesh in the body if it becomes good (reformed) the whole body becomes good but if it gets spoilt the whole body gets spoilt and that is the heart.” (Sahih Bukhari, Book of Belief)
Hasan bin 'Ali (May Allah be pleased with them) said:
I remember (these words) from Messenger of Allah (ﷺ): “Give up what is doubtful to you for that which is not doubtful; for truth is peace of mind and falsehood is doubt”. (At-Tirmidhi, who categorised it as Hadith Hasan Sahih.)
Related Anecdotes on Wara’
Imam ash-Shadhili said:
Scrupulousness has to do with what goes out and enters here (he pointed to his mouth) and with the heart, that there should enter it nothing except what Allah and His Messenger love.” Then he followed that, and said, “Whenever the spirit is abundantly watered with the showers of sciences, and the self (nafs) is firmly rooted in good works, then all good results. But whenever the self has power over the spirit, then drought and sterility result, the Order is overturned and every evil befalls. So take heed of the guidance of the Book of Allah and the healing words of His Messenger, prayers and peace be upon him, for you will never cease to enjoy the good as long as you love these two the most. But evil has already come to him who turns away from them.
And he said:
He said, Sincere love is built on four corner-stones, the first one being faith, then comes the belief in the Oneness of Allah, thirdly comes right intention, and fourthly high aspiration (himma). Also if a person does not have four virtues in himself, let him abandon hope of happiness, these virtues being: knowledge (ilm), scrupulousness (wara), fear of Allah (hayba), and humility towards the slaves of Allah. The principles, corner-stones and virtues are all necessary for the seeker.
Ahmad Az-Zarruq said in his Qawa'id At-Tasawwuf:
The demands made on a person should be according to his rank and he should be addressed according to his background. A common man is not expected to have more than taqwa. A faqih is not expected to be anything other than correct. The murid is expected to have sincerity as well as the first two qualities. The gnostic is expected to have scrupulousness. A common man without taqwa is corrupt. A faqih without correctness is incompetent. A murid without truthfulness is a fraud who is amusing himself.
Ibn Fodio said in Kitab at-Tahir: Formulation of the Principles of Political Insight by Muhammad Bello ibn Shaykh ibn Fodio:
If the aim is to promote the best interests of the Shari’a, this is more strongly recommended like establishing particular forms of dress for rulers, qadis and governors even though this is contrary to what happened in the time of the Messenger and Abu Bakr because outward embellishment only occurred in the time of ‘Umar, may Allah be pleased with him, when the Companions conquered Syria. They had dealings with non-Arabs and the non-Arabs only showed respect for good garments and outward forms. Some of the Companions thought that they should unite these people and put awe for the people of Islam into them by using every permitted type of clothing. On the other hand, some of them thought that scrupulousness would have a better effect on the self, as they feared its deceitfulness. If there is a specific benefit to be gained, there is no disagreement about wearing a garment which will bring that about. Therefore it is said that when ‘Umar came to Syria and found that Mu’awiya ibn Abi Sufyan had appointed a chamberlain, was using fine horses, wearing sumptuous clothes and acting like a king, he questioned him about it. Mu’awiya said to him, “We are in a land where this is necessary.” Then ‘Umar said, “I neither order you to do that nor forbid you from it.” He meant, “You have the best knowledge of your state and know whether you really need to do this, thus making it a good thing, or whether it is unnecessary and so not a good thing. “This indicates that Umar and others thought that the states of rulers and governors vary in different cities, times and circumstances. That is why it is necessary to institute new adornments and political systems that did not exist in the past. It could even be that they are necessary in certain cases. (cf. Sunan al-Muhtadin by al-Mawwaq)
From Sayyiduna Ali:
Sayyiduna ‘Ali, may Allah ennoble his face, entered Basra and found people in the mosque and he told them to leave, until he came to Hasan al-Basri, and he saw upon him containment and guidance. He said to him, ‘I will ask you, and if you answer me, I will give you. If you do not answer me I will ask you to leave as I have asked your companions.’ Hasan said to him, ‘Ask whatever you want.’ He said to him, ‘What spoils the Deen?’ Hasan replied, ‘Greed.’ Sayyidina ‘Ali said to him, ‘What builds the Deen?’ And Hasan said, ‘Scrupulousness.’ He said to him, ‘Remain seated, the likes of you should speak to people.’ (From the Basic Research by Ibn Ajiba.)
A measure of the extent of Hasan al-Basri's extreme godwariness and scrupulosity (wara') is given by his following statement, also quoted by Ghazali:
Forgetfulness and hope are two mighty blessings upon the progeny of Adam; but for them the Muslims would not walk in the streets. (Al-Ghazali’s the Remembrance of Life and Death, T.J Winter, p. 18.)
Sufyan al-Thawri was once asked about scrupulousness and he replied:
I have found, and you must not believe otherwise that scrupulousness applies to every small coin. If you find a coin, but leave it alone, then know that you are a Muslim of piety.
Be scrupulous in all your affairs. Righteousness in the deen depends on it as the greatest imam, Sidi al-Hasan al-Basri, may Allah be pleased with him and help us by him, said:
Ascend to Allah by means of your himma since what was going to happen has happened and what is decreed will certainly come about. By Allah, turning to creation is hidden shirk. The Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, “If someone devotes himself to Allah, Allah will spare him every burden and provide for him from where he does not reckon.” Prefer Allah to all things since things are by their nature transitory and vanishing. ‘All things are passing except the face of Allah.‘” (Second Letter from Shaykh Ahmad al-Badawi; Shaykh Ahmad al-Badawi was the student of Shaykh Moulay al-‘Arabi al-Darqawi Letters)
Beyond this, leave what does not concern you and observe the limits of your Lord wherever you are by adopting scrupulousness:
It is a fundamental of the deen and the key to the treasure of the secrets of the stations of certainty. Cling to the sunna of your Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, in all your acts of worship and daily affairs. The most important thing of all is hatred for this world and disdaining it and fleeing both with the heart and body from it and its people. Our master Shaykh ash-Shadhili, may Allah be pleased with him and help us by him, was asked, “We do not see that you do all that much. In what way have you surpassed people causing them to respect you as they do?” He, may Allah be pleased with him, answered, “By one sunna which Allah imposed on His Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace. I cling to it. It is turning away from you and from this world of yours.” (Second Letter from Shaykh Ahmad al-Badawi.)