The family of Ibn Sīnā were counted among these very people; indeed, both his father and grandfather served as advocates of their mission, and on that account he became immersed in the doctrines of the philosophers. Such sectarians outwardly pose as followers of the revealed religions, yet claim that each religion possesses an inner meaning that contradicts its outward law. Even within their own secret preaching they acknowledge ranks: those who reach the “supreme proclamation” and the “greatest law”—such as the Qarmaṭians—