How many such witnesses and proofs are there that there is no difference between the heavenly Books or the Messengers—that their religion is one, their God is one, and they are also one person. Opposing this are many verses and witnesses mentioned regarding the differences in their religions, laws, sayings, and rulings, which [only] confirms and proves and it proves the negation of the outward and the affirmation of the inward. This is because every prophet among them nullifies the outward forms of the laws of those before him. This is a deception upon the people of rejection and denial, and a teaching for the people of response among the believers, so they may realize that the intent of the Messengers by that is the rejection of the outward among the believers and its performance among the disbelievers. If their intent had not been the affirmation of the inward and the nullification of the outward, it would have been mandatory for us to perform all of their laws, not one law to the exclusion of others. Or, it would have been mandatory upon the Messengers for the outward forms of all their prayers and all their laws to be of a single image, because they are all one person, their God is one God, and their religion is one religion. However, the intent is the knowledge of the outward so that we may use it as a guide to the inward, and its performance among the Opposites [Al-Adhdad] for the purpose of concealment, not for religious profession or belief.

This is supported by what our Sheikh established in the (Book of Contracts [Kitab al-Uqud]), saying: "If the Gnostic knows the persons of