with five thousand angels, all clearly marked.

[The Liar and the Destroyer from the tribe of Thaqīf]

Spirits come to such people, converse with them, and even take visible form before their eyes; yet these spirits are nothing but jinn and devils, while the recipients imagine them to be angels—exactly like the spirits that address those who worship the stars and idols.

One of the earliest figures of this sort to appear in Islam was al-Mukhtār ibn Abī ʿUbayd. Concerning him the Prophet—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—foretold in the rigorously authentic ḥadīth recorded by Muslim:

“There will arise in Thaqīf a great liar and a ruthless destroyer.”

The liar was al-Mukhtār ibn Abī ʿUbayd, and the destroyer was al-Ḥajjāj ibn Yūsuf.

When it was said to Ibn ʿUmar and Ibn ʿAbbās that al-Mukhtār claims something descends to him, they replied, “He has spoken truly,” and recited Allah’s words:

“Shall I inform you upon whom the devils descend? They descend upon every sinful liar.” ⦗26:221-222⦘

On another occasion someone said, “Al-Mukhtār alleges that revelation is sent to him,” whereupon he answered with the verse:

“Indeed, the devils inspire their allies so that they may dispute with you.” ⦗6:121⦘

[Refuting Ibn ʿArabī’s Claims]

These very satanic spirits are the “spirit” which the author of al-Futūḥāt claims delivered that book to him; hence he proceeds to list various kinds