the spiritual state that would bring him closer to the Possessor of Majesty, such shaykhs would be more worthy of being followed than people (1) of knowledge, truthfulness, and justice, who guarantee him only what Allah and His Messenger have guaranteed to those who obey Him.

Likewise, the Ismaili imams, such as al-Mu‘izz, al-Hākim, and their like, should then be more worthy of being followed than the imams of the Twelvers, for the former make far greater claims to knowledge of the unseen, disclosure of the inner meaning of the sharia, and exalted rank than the Twelvers make for those whom they follow. They guarantee him (2) all of this while declaring forbidden things lawful and abandoning religious obligations. They tell him:

“We have relieved you of prayer, fasting, pilgrimage, and zakat, and we guarantee you Paradise in return for your allegiance to us [and we are certain of this].” (3)

The Twelvers, however, say:

“No one is entitled (4) to Paradise until he fulfills the religious obligations and refrains from forbidden things.” (5)

If following someone who speaks with certainty merely because of his certainty were preferable, then following these people would be preferable to following someone who says:

“If you sin, you may be punished or you may be pardoned.”

He thus remains between fear and hope. There are many analogous examples. It is therefore clear that merely venturing to speak with certainty indicates neither that a person possesses knowledge nor that he is truthful. Rather, withholding judgment and refraining from assertion until the evidence becomes clear is the practice of rational people.

The fourth response is to say: His statement (6), “They are certain that they alone, to the exclusion of Ahl al-Sunnah, will attain salvation,” is a lie—indeed, a lie (7). For if by this he means that every one of those who