divinity for ‘Ali; likewise, some of the Isma‘ilis claim divinity for al-Hakim and for others of the lineage of ‘Abd Allah ibn Maymun al-Qaddah, who affiliate themselves with Muhammad ibn Isma‘il ibn Ja‘far. Many people make similar assertions about certain shaykhs—either those genuinely known for their righteousness or those merely assumed to be righteous while they are nothing of the sort. Their statements are of the very same kind as the Christians’, and some of them are even worse.

When most of these people are confronted with a clear demonstration of the unsoundness of their doctrine, they answer in language identical to that of the Christians: “This is a matter that transcends reason.” Some of them even repeat what al-Tilmisani used to say to the foremost advocate of wahda, declaring: “It has been established for us through kashf (mystical unveiling)….”