Generally, it was characterized by violence; and not devoid of control at times, as was its way in its criticism of those who differed with the Salafi viewpoint.

It is clear from the foregoing that the disagreement regarding Al-Murshida between acceptance and rejection is a result of the disagreement between the Ash'aris and the Hanbalis, which was particularly widespread in the Levant. The Ash'aris sided with it, such as Al-Alai, Ibn Asakir, and Al-Subki, because it carried a predominantly Ash'ari spirit. The Hanbalis sided against it, such as Ibn Al-Majd, Al-Dhahabi, and Ibn Taymiyyah. We would not be deviating from the truth if we said that both positions, acceptance and rejection, derived part of their substance from this very disagreement between the Ash'aris and the Hanbalis. In any case, they indicate the extent of Al-Murshida's spread and circulation among people on the one hand, and its integration with the general Ash'ari thought and its contribution to its popularity and spread on the other hand.

We should not overlook, through the manifestations of attention to Al-Murshida presented, that its spread and the attention given to it through explanation and teaching, especially in the Maghreb, was more prominent in Sufi circles. It was circulated among them and memorized by their tongues. This is what both Ibn Al-Naqqash and Al-Shaybani explicitly mentioned. The former says: "... the group of righteous فقهاء and scholars who gathered in the protected Tlemcen under their sheikh and role model, the young, pure, knowledgeable, Sufi traveler, the ascetic Abu Abdullah Muhammad ibn Al-Sheikh Al-Mubarak, hastened to memorize [i.e., Al-Murshida] and recite it." And the latter says: "The known creed called Al-Murshida, attributed to Imam Al-Mahdi, may God have mercy on him, is often used by the people of virtue from the Sufis and they recite it for the sake of seeking blessings in their dhikr." Furthermore, many of its commentators whom we have encountered were prominent Sufis such as Ibn Abbad, Al-Sunumi, Ibn Al-Naqqash, and Al-Kharrat. Although their commentaries that are in our hands differ in the Sufi tendency, appearing more or less, as we mentioned earlier.

Al-Durra Al-Mufrada: Ibn Al-Naqqash (225) Al-Shaybani, Sharh Al-Murshida: (226)