acting on behalf of and translating for the Unseen that never manifests and cannot be seen. This, according to them, is the spirit of the believer. These individuals behaved tyrannically in the mountains, spreading this doctrine among one another, purchasing misguidance through its means, and calling [others] to their own selves.

Consequently, the Al-Khasibi fellowship (al-'Isabah al-Khasibiyyah) dwindled among them—those who never deviated from the truth or the word of honesty, remained steadfast upon the esoteric secret of al-Khasibi and his teachings, and remained hidden in their midst.

As for the corrupt sheikhs who went astray from recognizing the truth due to being devoid of the essence of the Path, the call of their forebear and origin, Iblis, firmly settled within their souls at that point. Their corrupt selves enticed them into believing that 'Ismat al-Dawlah, may God sanctify his soul, was the one who had transmitted this secret to them, and they acted upon it, claiming a continuous lineage back to him, though some among them do not assert this.