and that Salmān is the Gate. One of their foremost leaders and learned men recited verses of his own composition during the year 700 AH, saying:

“I bear witness that there is no deity but Haydara, the balding, large-bellied one;
No Veil conceals him but Muhammad, the truthful, the trustworthy;
And no path leads to him but Salmān, the mighty, the steadfast.”

They say that this arrangement has always existed and will always continue. The same applies to the Five Orphans and the Twelve Chiefs, whose names are well known among them and recorded in their vile books. They maintain that these figures continually appear alongside the Lord, the Veil, and the Gate in every cycle and era, forever and ever, without interruption or end.

They say that the devil of devils is ʿUmar ibn al-Khattāb—may Allah be pleased with him—and that next to him in the hierarchy of devilry is Abū Bakr—may Allah be pleased with him—followed by ʿUthmān—may Allah be pleased with them all, honour them, and exalt their ranks far above the assertions of heretics and the pretensions of the various misguided and corrupt groups. They maintain that these figures likewise remain present at all times, in the order already described. Their corrupt doctrines have branches and details that all derive from these fundamental principles.

This accursed sect gained control of a large part of Syria. (They are well known and openly profess this creed. Their condition has been verified by everyone who has associated with them and come to know them, including discerning Muslims, their scholars, and ordinary people as well, at