And none but myself ever prayed to me, … nor, in any prostration, was my prayer offered to another.

And his words:

I have always been her, and she has always been me … there is no difference; rather, my own self loved itself.

And his words:

I was a messenger sent from myself to myself … and my own self took my signs as proof of me.

The underlying meaning of these people’s statements, and others like them, contains greater unbelief and heresy than their outward wording. Their outward wording may be thought to resemble the words of spiritually knowledgeable shaykhs devoted to true realization and monotheism. Their underlying meaning, however, contains greater unbelief, falsehood, and ignorance than the words of Jews, Christians, and idol-worshippers.

Thus, the more any of them understood the inner meaning and true nature of this doctrine, the greater his unbelief and wickedness became. Such was al-Tilimsānī, who was among those most knowledgeable about this doctrine and most familiar with its true nature. This led him to put it into practice: he revered Jews, Christians, and polytheists, deemed forbidden things lawful, and wrote books for the Nusayrīs according to their doctrine, affirming their polytheistic creed in them. Likewise, Ibn Sab‘īn was one of their leading figures, and he had his share of unbelief and sorcery