by Allah of that malady, and his soul regained health and balance. The self-evident truths of reason were once again accepted and trusted with assurance and clarity. This did not come about through constructing a proof or arranging an argument, but through a light that Allah cast into his breast. That light is the key to the greatest forms of knowledge. He said:

“Whoever supposes that spiritual unveiling depends on abstract proofs has restricted Allah’s vast mercy.”

Then he said:

“I came to regard the paths of seekers as confined to four groups:

The speculative theologians, who claim to be people of reasoned judgment and rational inquiry.

The Bātiniyyah, who claim to be devoted to receiving instruction and specially designated to draw knowledge from the infallible Imam.

The philosophers, who claim to be people of logic and demonstration.

The Sufis, who claim to be the elect of the divine presence and people of unveiling and witnessing.

“I said to myself: ‘Truth cannot lie outside these four groups, for these are the people following the paths to truth. If truth is barred to them, no hope remains of attaining it.’”

He then explained that the purpose and benefit of speculative theology is to defend the Sunnah through disputation, not to ascertain the realities of things; that the teachings of the Bātiniyyah are false; and that philosophy is partly true and partly disbelief, while its true elements do not fulfill the intended aim. He then related that he devoted his efforts to the Sufi path and learned that it could only be attained through knowledge