Sayyiduna Ibn Mas’ud (may Allah be pleased with him) says that I went to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), and he said:“O Ibn Mas’ud! Which link of faith is the strongest?”I said: Allah and His Messenger know best. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said:“The strongest link of Islam is to befriend and love for the sake of Allah, and to have enmity for His sake.”Then he said:“Ibn Mas’ud!”I said: I am present, O Messenger of Allah! The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said:“Do you know which person is the most virtuous?”I said: Allah and His Messenger know best. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said:“The best among people in terms of deeds are those who have understanding in religion.”Then he said:“O Ibn Mas’ud!”I said: I am present. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said:“Do you know who among people is the most knowledgeable?”I said: Allah and His Messenger know best. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said:“The greatest scholar is the one who keeps his eye on the truth at the time of people’s differences, even if he falls short in his own actions. Even if he comes crawling on his knees, among those before you, differences arose into seventy-two (72) sects, of which three were saved and the rest were destroyed. One was the group that confronted the kings and fought them regarding their religion and the religion of ‘Isa (peace be upon him), so they seized them, killed them, and cut them apart with saws. The second was those who did not have the strength to confront the kings, nor the power to call people to Allah’s religion and the religion of ‘Isa (peace be upon him), so they went out into the cities and became dervishes and monks, and they are those about whom Allah the Exalted said: ‘And monasticism which they invented – We did not prescribe it for them, except seeking the pleasure of Allah’ (They adopted it in pursuit of Allah’s pleasure.)”Then the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said:“Whoever believed in me, followed me, and affirmed me, he fulfilled the right of caring for it, and whoever did not follow me, then these are the ones who will be destroyed.”