How can Abd al-Qadir al-Jilani be a Sunni, a follower of the Sunnah, and an abhorrer of innovation (bidʻah), while he is the founder of a Sufi tariqa that includes litanies (awrad) and recitations (ahzab) not authentically reported from the Prophet (peace be upon him), and he believes in concepts such as "the majdhūb (one divinely attracted), the salik (the spiritual seeker), inspiration, and the tariqa (spiritual path)"? And is it permissible to approve of all schools of thought of Ahl al-Sunnah wa al-Jamaʻah, such as the Ashʻaris, the Atharis, the Maturidis, and the Salafis? And why can we not be upon one single path, which is the path of Muhammad (peace be upon him)?

Imam Abd al-Qadir al-Jilani was one of the people of knowledge and Sunnah, and things have been attributed to him of which he is innocent. Even if some criticisms against him are valid, he is a human being who errs and is correct, and his error is forgiven if he exerted effort (ijtihad). If a Muslim discerns an error in a scholar, it is not permissible to follow him in that, for the ultimate authority lies in the Qur’an and Sunnah. The common person emulates whoever he trusts among the people of knowledge and piety, as Allah Almighty says: "So ask the people of the Reminder if you do not know." The correct position in matters is what the Companions and the Imams of the preferred generations were upon, and those who followed their methodology. Disagreement is a cosmic law and has its reasons.