from true knowledge and faith. As a result, in many of these matters they neither listen nor reason; rather, they resort to sophistry in rational matters and Qarmatian esotericism in matters of revelation.

The point here is to emphasize that, even if we suppose that the soul is perfected through knowledge alone, as they claim—although this claim is false—the soul has two faculties: a theoretical faculty of knowledge and a practical faculty of will. Both faculties must therefore be perfected through knowing Allah and worshipping Him. Worshipping Him encompasses loving Him and humbling oneself before Him. No soul can ever attain perfection except by worshipping Allah alone, without partner. Worship encompasses knowing Him, loving Him and being His servant. For this Allah sent the messengers and revealed the divine Books, all of which call to the worship of Allah alone, without partner.

These men, however, hold that the acts of worship commanded by the messengers are intended to refine the soul’s character, preparing it for the knowledge which they claim constitutes its perfection, or to put the household and the city in order, which is practical wisdom. They thus make acts of worship mere means to what they claim to be knowledge. Consequently, they consider these obligations to lapse for anyone who has attained the goal. Such is the practice of the Ismā‘īlī heretics and of those who have embraced heresy, wholly or in part, while affiliating themselves with the Sufis, the speculative theologians, the Shī‘ah or others.

The Jahmiyyah said: “Faith is nothing more than knowledge of Allah.” Although this statement is better than theirs—for it defines faith as knowledge of Allah, together with the knowledge of His angels, His Books and His messengers that this entails—these men identify perfection with knowledge of absolute existence and its concomitants. Yet this is something that