if he sees an evil deed, he covers, conceals, and buries it. He does not oppose anything; he is neither morose nor a liar, nor ungrateful for the blessing of his Lord, nor a seeker of spoils, nor a seeker of prestige."

He said: "Increase for me the descriptions of the believer, for perhaps Allah will grant me long life so that I may see one with these qualities." He said to him: "O my son, if you find a believer who is sincere, a gnostic, a follower of the truth, and a learned jurist whose action matches his word and whose inward matches his outward, then you have found Allah." He asked: "I have found Allah?" He said to him: "Yes, if you do not doubt that, you have found the path to Allah."

Types of Brothers and Description of the Gnostics:

He said to him: "O my master, increase for me, for I would love for you to make known to me the path to knowing the brothers, and to tell me whom I should take as a brother?" He said: "He whom you rely upon in a situation and find him therein as you rely upon yourself, and who is concerned for your affairs as he is concerned for himself; perhaps even preferring your desire over his own and your pleasure over his own." He said: "O my master, I think I shall not find anyone with these descriptions, so whom then should I take as a brother?"

He said: "O my son, the brothers are of two types: the brothers of reality and faithfulness, and the brothers of outward smiling and hypocrisy. As for the brothers of reality and faithfulness, they are the people of purity and clarity. Their hearts have become clear, their bodies purified, their deeds improved, and their actions made pure. They are connected, not severed; there is no difference between them in worldly matters nor any disagreement in religion. They are like the fingers of the palm, or like the forearm to the upper arm; what pains the group pains the individual, and what gladdens the group gladdens the individual. Their bodies are separate, but their souls are one soul. They are like rising full moons or radiant stars; they do not befriend an enemy for Allah's sake, nor do they antagonize a friend for Allah's sake.