and I related this to the emir. For this reason, I was told, after the gathering ended and their true nature became clear to the people, Qifjaq’s associates wrote him a letter describing what had happened. He was then serving as the sultan’s deputy in Hama.

I also explained to the emir that they practised various religious innovations, such as wearing shackles around their necks and similar things, and that we had forbidden them to practise innovations contrary to the Sharia. The emir mentioned the hadith concerning innovation and asked me about it. I cited the hadith of al-‘Irbād ibn Sāriya and that of Jābir ibn ‘Abd Allāh. I subsequently cited both at the public gathering, as I shall recount.

I said to the emir:

“I have not put these people to the test. Rather, they claim to possess spiritual states through which they can enter fire, something those who adhere to the Sharia cannot do. They say, ‘We possess these states, which those who adhere to religious law cannot attain. They have no right to object to us; rather, they must accept our practices, whether they accord with religious law or contradict it.’ I have sought the guidance of Allah, glorified be He, concerning this: if they enter the fire, I shall enter it with them. Whoever is burned, whether from our side or theirs, may Allah’s curse be upon him, and he shall be the defeated party. This is to take place after we wash our bodies with vinegar and hot water.”

The emir asked, “Why is that?”

I replied:

“Because they coat their bodies with preparations made from frog fat, the inner rind of bitter oranges, talq stone, and other substances