"At that time, Badr ibn 'Ammar was the governor of Tyre and Sidon on behalf of the aforementioned Muhammad (meaning Muhammad ibn Ra’iq). Al-Husayn ibn Ishaq al-Tanukhi was at that time the ruler of Latakia. Abu al-'Asha'ir, of the Banu Hamdan al-'Adawi al-Taghlibi, was also [a follower] of the Hamdanid Khasibi mission.

Our Sheikh, al-Khasibi, wrote a note containing several verses to the aforementioned Abu al-'Asha'ir, who was among the illustrious believers in both religious and worldly matters. Likewise, Taghlib ibn Dawud, of the Taghlib al-'Adawiyya, was also one of the great leaders—an Emir occupied with both faith and the world, may Allah be pleased with them. The verses that our Sheikh Abu Abd Allah al-Husayn ibn Hamdan al-Khasibi wrote to Abu al-'Asha'ir are recorded in his Diwan, beginning with: 'The servant of the Eye of Eyes, O Emir...'

I have only mentioned the reports of these individuals to remind you, O brother reading this book, of the era in which these noble masters lived. It was an era where the majority of the ruling monarchs were Gnostics, possessing the knowledge of the Anza’ al-Batin [Ali], the Manifest Truth. It was as if whoever knew Monotheism in their era lived in safety, joy, and peace of mind, with pure senses. This was the era in which our Sheikh [al-Khasibi]—may Allah be pleased with him—resided in Aleppo.