the esoteric (al-Batin) and their lack of belief in it; so that He may torment them by establishing them, and to teach the believers the secrets of their meanings and to conceal themselves by them, as a kindness from Him Almighty towards them.

The disagreement between us and the schools of thought (Madhahib) is not in the revelation (Tanzil), but in the esoteric interpretation (Ta'wil).

And indeed, He Almighty did not name for us the esoteric persons (al-Ashkhas al-Batinah) and the esoteric gnoses (al-Ma'arif al-Batinah) with the names of those five apparent obligations (al-Muftaradat al-Khamsah al-Zahirah), and make His Almighty's address in the heavenly books except for this meaning, not for any other. Just as He, Glory be to Him, does not intend by the names with which He Almighty addressed us—such as the fig (al-Tin), the olive (al-Zaytun), the palm (al-Nakhl), the grapes (al-A'nab), the pomegranate (al-Rumman), the crawling creatures/animals (al-Dawab), and other than that of the names of worldly things—except the esoteric persons and gnoses, to cover/conceal their meanings.

And it is not permissible to believe in and profess religion by these apparent named objects merely because their names are applied to the praised (al-Mahmud), or to blame the lights and planets/stars because their names are applied to the blamed (al-Madhmum). And if that were permissible, it would be obligatory to believe in blaming the praised and