The Fresh and Sweet is the call of the Truth and the science of the Inward; as for the Salty and Bitter, it is the Falsehood and the science of the Outward which is with them. His saying: {And from each you eat tender meat}¹—He has commanded you to take from their science that which you may adopt among them as dissimulation for your religion, so that your outward appearance may be better than theirs.

Were it not for the fear of length—which causes this discourse to become tedious and tires the understanding—I would have mentioned the Criminal Cycle from its beginning to its end. But the best of speech is that which is brief and indicative, and does not drag on until it bores.

The first manifestation of the Adversary—may God curse him—in human existence alongside Lord Adam—exalted be his glory—was Cain and his sister Anaq, the two children of Adam; because he [Cain] married her and she bore him Uwaj, just as al-Khattab married his mother Sihak and she bore him Umar.

He remained manifest in these personages until Idris appeared. The Adversary was with Idris—exalted be his glory—until the manifestation of Lord Noah—exalted be his glory—manifest through Ham ibn Noah, and his personages were Yaghuth, Ya’uq, and Nasr. Also Wadd and Japheth, the sons of Noah, were two of his personages.

It was related that he was manifest with Noah through al-Darmasil and Japheth ibn Noah, both being his personages. He was with Hud—exalted be his glory—manifest through Ad the Younger and Sodom, the master of evil judgment regarding whom people say: "This is the judgment of Sodom." He was with Lord Salih manifest through Qidar, the hamstringer of the she-camel, and Sadam the Tyrant, and Abir. He was with Abraham—exalted be his glory—manifest through Nimrod ibn Kush ibn Canaan and his vizier Khubal. He was with Jacob—exalted be his glory—manifest through Imlaq the Tyrant and his vizier Amaliq.