What is the ruling on dividing Islam into husks and kernels?

The Shaykh : It is not permissible to divide Islam into kernel and husk, nor is it permissible to divide Islam into what is secondary and what is essential, for two reasons. The first is that what some people do not consider essential may be considered essential by others. The second reason is that, even if we accept that rulings differ—and this is a very obvious fact—there is the obligatory (fard), there is the recommended practice (sunnah), there is the recommended (mustahabb), there is the recommended (mandub), and so on. This is a reality that cannot be denied. However, as we have said, Islam must be taken as a whole, indivisible. Then, every Muslim takes from it according to his capacity, his activity, and his desire to draw near to his Lord, Blessed and Exalted is He. It is not permissible for a Muslim who is knowledgeable in his religion to drive people in a single direction, because people differ in every way in their starting points, in their adherence to their religion. Perhaps a person is content, for example, regarding prayer with the five obligatory prayers and does not care about the recommended practices and voluntary prayers, but on the other hand, he performs Hajj and 'Umrah frequently. So, we do not interfere in his affair, because every Muslim knows what benefits himself from his own self: whether it is voluntary prayer, or voluntary Hajj and 'Umrah, or zakah, or so on. Rather, it is upon us to explain, and it is upon the others for each of them to take what is appropriate to his situation and his self, and so on. So, I am now saying that regarding the division of prayers into obligatory and voluntary, we do not deny this division; we do not deny it, because the hadith has come