and the words of the people of heresy and unbelief who have striven to spread corruption throughout the land. They believe in both in a general, undifferentiated way, accepting both groups as truthful, or else turn away from both without examining either group’s path in depth. They are like someone who hears the words of Muhammad ibn Abdullāh, the truthful and trustworthy—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—and the words of Musaylimah, the unbelieving liar, but does not understand the contradiction and difference between them. He consequently believes both, endorses what each says, accepts each one’s standing without question, and says:

“This is Allah’s Messenger, and this too is His messenger.”

These people, however, cannot openly proclaim among Muslims that anyone other than Muhammad—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—is a messenger. Instead, they make claims equivalent to messengership, or even greater. They say:

“These are the words of Allah’s Messenger, and these are the words of Allah’s saints—indeed, the words of the Seal of the Saints. These are the words of those accomplished in spiritual knowledge, the words of rational thinkers and those versed in demonstrative proofs, and the words of rigorous speculative thinkers. We accept both.”

Thus, the most accomplished among them, who understand the contradiction, inwardly side with the Messenger’s enemies and incline more towards them. In their eyes, those enemies are the ones who possess true insight and explain the reality of the path.

As for someone who does not understand the contradiction, he may regard the two groups as equal. He may incline more towards Musaylimah’s followers for one reason or another, while inclining more towards Abū Bakr al-Siddīq and those like him in another respect. He may favour one group in one respect and the other in another.

These and similar things actually occur because of this state of affairs, whose root lies in