“the Creator, the All-Knowing,” and swear by him. They belong to the Ismāʿīlīs, who hold that Muhammad ibn Ismāʿīl abrogated the religious law of Muhammad ibn ʿAbd Allāh. Their disbelief is greater than that of the extremists. They maintain that the world has existed from eternity, deny the resurrection, and reject Islam’s obligations and prohibitions. They belong to the esotericist Qarmatians, whose disbelief is greater than that of the Jews, Christians, and Arab polytheists. Their ultimate aim is to be “philosophers” following the doctrine of Aristotle and others like him, or “Magians.” Their doctrine combines the views of the philosophers and the Magians, while they hypocritically profess adherence to Shiism. Allah knows best.

Shaykh al-Islām—may Allah have mercy on him—also said, in refutation of brief statements from groups of the “Druze”:

The disbelief of these people is a matter on which Muslims do not differ. Indeed, whoever doubts their disbelief is himself a disbeliever like them. They have neither the status of the People of the Book nor that of the polytheists; rather, they are misguided disbelievers. It is therefore unlawful to eat their food; their women are taken captive and their property seized. They are heretics and apostates whose repentance is not accepted. Rather, they are to be killed wherever they are found and cursed as described. They may not be employed as guards, gatekeepers, or custodians.

Their scholars and pious men must be killed lest they lead others astray. It is forbidden to spend the night alongside them in their houses or travelling parties, to walk with them, or to accompany their funeral processions when their death is known. It is forbidden for those governing the Muslims to neglect Allah’s command to enforce the prescribed punishments upon them, in whatever manner the person enforcing them—not the person subjected to them—sees fit. Allah is the One whose help is sought, and upon Him we rely.