and spiritual understanding is, in their view, no longer bound by commands and prohibitions: forbidden things become permissible for him, and obligations cease to bind him. Their rancor then becomes apparent, their secrets are exposed, and people at large discover the true nature of their hidden religion. Thus they came to be called the Bātiniyyah (esotericists), because they conceal beliefs contrary to what they outwardly profess.

If—Allah forbid—the religion of the Messengers were like this, its closest adherents would have known this and revealed its hidden teachings. Those possessed of knowledge and discernment would then have regarded it as akin to the religion of the Bātiniyyah. Yet it is self-evident that the Companions, who knew the Messenger’s inner and outward life better than anyone else and understood his purposes and intentions most fully, were the most steadfast of the entire community in obeying his commands—in private and in public—and maintained this obedience until death. Those closest to him and most intimately acquainted with his inner life—such as Abū Bakr and ʿUmar—were the most steadfast in obedience, privately and publicly, and the most diligent in fulfilling their obligations and avoiding what was forbidden, inwardly and outwardly.

In certain respects, the heretics among the Sufis have resembled these people. They hold that the spiritual wayfarer must perform what is commanded and refrain from what is forbidden until, as they claim, he attains spiritual knowledge and realization. At that point, religious obligations cease to bind him. They interpret the words of the Most High accordingly:

“And worship your Lord until certainty comes to you.”

They claim that “certainty” means the spiritual knowledge they profess to possess. Here, however, certainty means death and what follows it, as the Most High says of the people of Hell:

“And we used to indulge in vain discourse with those who indulged in it,
And we used to deny the Day of Judgment,
Until certainty came to us.
So the intercession of intercessors will not benefit them.”

Al-Hasan al-Basrī said: “Allah has appointed no endpoint for His believing servants short of death.”