They proceeded by affirming the attributes toward Him, not by denial, distortion, or rejection (Clarifying the poet's intent by "those who proceed," namely the people of the Sunnah and the community)

The Shaykh : They came first, just as the evidence comes that guides the caravan and leads it
"They proceeded by affirming the attributes toward Him, not by denial, distortion, or rejection"
From this, we know that he means by those who came before: the people of the Sunnah and the community, who affirm for Allah the Exalted the attributes, not the people of denial, distortion, and rejection. The people of denial are those who deny Allah of what is due to Him of attributes and deny the texts of their meaning. The people of distortion are those who distort them to another meaning, and the people of rejection are those who lie about them. This is the description of the people of denial: they deny Allah of what is obligatory for Him of attributes, they transgress against the texts by distorting them, and they transgress against some of the texts by rejecting them. What are the texts that they reject? They are the ahad reports, for example, in the Sunnah. As for what can be rejected, they attack it with distortion.