Is it correct to say that some practical rulings are more important than some matters of creed?

The questioner : Is it correct to say that some practical rulings are more important than some creedal matters, such as some rulings regarding prayer, or that the ruling on prayer is more important than knowing that Adam was a prophet or a messenger, and similar creedal matters in which there was disagreement among the Salaf?

The Shaykh : This also reminds me of some of my discussions with those people. I once said, if it were permissible to distinguish between the hadiths of rulings and the hadiths of creed, then the opposite would be the correct view. This is because practical rulings contain two things: creed and action. If action is devoid of creed, it becomes scattered chaff. Therefore, the condition they claimed for rulings is more fitting for creed, because every practical ruling becomes invalid if it is stripped of creed. As for creeds, they are creeds, meaning they are separate from any action. In other words, there are two types of action: action of the heart and action of the body. The rulings of the Shari'ah include both the action of the heart and the physical action. So if that condition were applied, transferring it from there to here would be more appropriate and more fitting. But we do not distinguish between this and that.

The questioner : But the question remains: could it be that some practical rulings are more important?

The Shaykh : And this ...