Ibn al-Jawzi (1) said: A remnant of the Babakiyyah still survives. It is reported that once each year they gather—men and women together—extinguish the lamps, and each man seizes whatever woman falls into his hands, claiming she thereby becomes lawful to him. They call this practice “permissible hunting”—may Allah curse them.

Abu’l-Faraj Ibn al-Jawzi, in the corresponding passage of his historical work al-Muntazam, has set out in detail what they profess—may Allah curse them.

Preceding him in this was the celebrated theologian Qadi Abu Bakr al-Baqillani (2). In his refutation of the Batinis, Hatk al-Astar wa-Kashf al-Asrar, he analyzes a treatise compiled by one of their judges in Egypt under the Fatimids, entitled al-Balagh al-A‘zam wa-l-Namus al-Akbar. Al-Baqillani reduced its contents to sixteen progressive stages.

The first stage is to invite a Sunni whom they encounter to prefer ‘Ali over ‘Uthman. If he agrees, they move him on to preferring ‘Ali over the two Shaykhs, Abu Bakr and ‘Umar. Having secured that, they incite him to revile the two, alleging that they wronged ‘Ali and the Prophet’s Household. Next they declare the entire community ignorant and misguided for siding with the majority view, and at last they begin to undermine the very religion of Islam.

For each stage al-Baqillani lists sophistries and delusions that could deceive only the dull-witted, the ignorant, and the wretched (3). Concerning such people Allah says:
“By the sky with its pathways, you are surely in contradictory speech; none is turned away from it but one who is already turned away.” (51:7-9)
—that is, only the misguided are led further astray by it.

He also says:
“Surely you and whatever you worship cannot tempt anyone away from the truth, except him who is destined for Hell.” (37:161-163)

and:
“Thus We have appointed for every prophet enemies—devils from mankind and jinn—who whisper to one another adorned words of deception. Had your Lord so willed, they would not have done it; so leave them and what they invent, so that the hearts of those who do not believe in the Hereafter may incline toward it, be pleased with it, and so that they may perpetrate what they are perpetrating.” (6:112-113)

Many other verses carry this meaning, namely, that only the vilest of men submit to ignorance and error, as a poet said:
“It gains dominion over no one
but the feeblest of madmen.”

Yet even this is only the beginning, for they possess ranks in disbelief, stupidity, frivolity, and recklessness that no one of weak mind or faith should even imagine hearing about—doors of folly that Satan has thrown open for them. Indeed, some of them have taught Satan things he never knew, as one of them boasted:
“I served in Satan’s ranks awhile,
till Satan came to serve in mine.”