How hideous is ignorance after Gnosis and disbelief after Faith! And even more hideous than these two is a Gnostic man who commits a sin, so Allah strips him of Gnosis. The sin which causes Allah to strip a person of Gnosis is transgression against The Guardian (al-Wali).

Whosoever knows Allah in His Occultation (Ghayba) is the one who knows Him in His Manifestation (Zuhur). Whosoever’s Lord is absent from him falls into wandering; so let him ask one who is more knowledgeable than him regarding his Lord about the Occultation, the Manifestation, and the Transfer (al-Nuqla), so that he may make it known to him, and he must comply with everything the Scholar tells him. If he remains in doubt regarding his Guardian, he is accursed.

Whosoever awakens from his sleep while being a Gnostic of his Lord has departed from hardship and is saved from servitude.

Whosoever says, "I am of the progeny of Ali," is among the allies of the Taghut (false deity/tyrant). And whosoever says, "I am of the progeny of Fatima," shall vacillate within the punishment of the Fire. Muhammad ibn Abd Allah ibn Mehran said to him: "Even if he is a monotheist (Muwahhid) and a believer?"

He replied: "He must disavow this lineage, for the [true] Alawite is the one who has attained the Gnosis (Ma'rifa) of Allah. Verily, he uses this lineage as a proof before the common folk (al-Amma) against the people of the exoteric (Ahl al-Zahir).