It so happened that, once the brother arrived, he found that Satan had already laid and hatched the eggs of their unbelief there, installed his throne, and run riot—having led astray the two factions known as the Sabʿiniyya and the ʿArabiyya (1). Yet by means of his coming to that frontier post, Allah tore their ranks to shreds, scattering them far and wide; He ripped away their veils, exposed the code words that concealed their atheism and unbelief, unveiled their secrets and disgraced them, and obliged groups of them to repent.

He even brought one of their leaders to repentance—though in the sight of Allah’s believing servants he was contemptible—and this penitent went on to compose a book laying bare their unbelief and atheism. He had previously been among the inner circle (2) of the accursed enemy of Allah and His Messenger, the atheist Nusayr (3). What happened became widely known and firmly accepted among the general body of Muslims and their elite alike—emirs, judges, jurists, muftis (4), shaykhs, and the mass of those fighting in Allah’s cause—save for a handful of raw ignoramuses who, out of fear of the believers’ hands and tongues, slunk away in humiliation and disgrace.

Thus the Word of Allah was exalted over the enemies of Allah and His Messenger; they were openly cursed by name in public gatherings, and Nusayr the atheist (5), now a powerless shut-in, was seized by a dread and abasement that defy description.