Guidance for Perceiving Minds — Page 45
45 When asked if they consume questionable sustenance, they respond, “We have no issue; we are compelled by necessity. ” Yet, they are not compelled; they are simply lying. They have forsaken the secure abode of righteousness and settled in a land where peo- ple are assassinated and kidnapped. They trade religion for gaining bread, and eagerly seek what comes without cost. Their pens craft false fatwas and malicious accusations, and their faith can be bought with a mere coin or two. They obstruct others from the truth and whisper like demons. At the sight of a table set with diverse dishes, they fall on it like flies or descend upon it like vultures upon carrion. They solicit funds from people through emotional sermons, and they hunt their vic- tims disguised as jurists. Their sole occupation is scheming; where can one find a hunter akin to them? Thus, the books of fables were penned to show their deeds, while the reality of their circum- stances was elucidated in hypothetical tales. Some orators dubbed them Abul-Fat h al-Iskandar i , while others named them Ab u Zayd al-Sur u j i ; yet, they are naught but these scholars. So take a lesson, O people of discernment. Those who crafted such narratives did so only after their hearts trembled upon witnessing the actions of these scholars, and their skin crawled at the sight of the manipulations of these deceitful individuals. They perceived them as people whose words profess belief while their hearts harbour disbelief. Thus, they composed rhythmic tales as a cautionary message to the unaware, attributing their creation and narration to others out of fear of retribution from the malevolent. Similarly, they bore witness to their grievances against the scholars. Had they lived in our era, they would have exposed their