Sufis that they hold the same view of the hereafter as the Peripatetic philosophers. Thus, he would count the Sufis among the Bātiniyyah (esotericists), although in his usage this designation encompasses both them and the Peripatetic philosophers.

In fact, people use the designation Bātiniyyah for two groups. The first consists of those who say that the Quran and Sunnah have an inner meaning contrary to their apparent meaning. These are the people commonly known as the Bātiniyyah—the Qarmatians and all other kinds of heretics—and they are the ones this philosopher meant.

These, in turn, fall into two basic groups. One group holds this view concerning outward actions, even prayer, fasting, pilgrimage, zakat, and the prohibition of forbidden acts such as indecency, injustice, associating partners with Allah, and the like. They maintain that the scriptural statements prescribing these obligations and prohibiting these forbidden acts do not bear the apparent meaning familiar to people at large, but instead have secrets and hidden meanings known to them. Thus they say, “Prayer is knowledge of our secrets, and fasting