—the esotericists—and others. You will find that every one of their adherents inevitably reveals that his outward stance contradicts what he inwardly conceals. Their secrets are thereby exposed and their veils torn away, making them among the worst disbelievers.

If the messengers concealed the opposite of what they outwardly conveyed, then either others could discover this discrepancy or they could not. If discovering it were impossible, anyone claiming it would be a liar and a fabricator. Thus, the claim of these heretical philosophers, Qarmatians, and their like is invalid. If discovering it were possible, some people would learn that the inward reality contradicted the outward appearance. There would be no fixed limit to the number who could know this: once one person knew it, he would teach another, who would teach yet another, until it became widespread and openly known.

For this reason, those who hold such a belief about the prophets—such as these esotericists among the philosophers, Qarmatians, and their like—turn away from the true substance of his reports and commands. They believe neither in the inward truth of what he reported nor in what he commanded. Rather, their disobedience to his commands and disregard for his reports become apparent to everyone. You will find no believer who thinks well of them. Indeed, their wickedness and hypocrisy become apparent even to ordinary believers, let alone those of greater understanding.

Moreover, when someone is like this, his closest followers know his inward reality better than anyone else, and knowing it necessarily leads to an inward loss of commitment. Whoever knows the condition of the Prophet’s closest followers—Allah bless him and grant him peace—such as Abū Bakr, ʿUmar, and the other earliest believers, knows that they were foremost among people in affirming the inward and outward truth of his message and in their obedience