THE SEA OF DOUBT

the method of the Ta'limitesA group, also known as the Batiniyya, who believed that truth could only be attained through the "ta'lim" (instruction) of an infallible Imam or leader., who, in seeking truth, rest upon the authority of a leader; and why, thirdly, I have been led to reject philosophic systems; and finally, what I have accepted of the doctrine of the SufisThe practitioners of Islamic mysticism, who emphasize the internal, spiritual dimension of the faith., and the sum total of truth which I have gathered in studying every variety of opinion. You ask me why, after resigning at BagdadThe capital of the Abbasid Caliphate and a major center of medieval learning where the author held a prestigious professorship. a teaching post which attracted a number of hearers, I have, long afterwards, accepted a similar one at NishapurA major city in the Khorasan region (modern-day Iran) where the author returned to teaching later in life.. Convinced as I am of the sincerity which prompts your inquiries, I proceed to answer them, invoking the help and protection of God.

Know then, my brothers (may God direct you in the right way), that the diversity in beliefs and religions, and the variety of doctrines and sects which divide men, are like a deep ocean strewn with shipwrecks, from which very few escape safe and sound. Each sect, it is true, believes itself in possession of the truth and of salvation,

“each party,” as the KoranThe central religious text of Islam. saith, “rejoices in its own creed”;
but as the chief of the apostles original: "Prophet Muhammad", whose word is always truthful, has told us,
“My people will be divided into more than seventy sects, of whom only one will be saved.”
This prediction, like all others of the Prophet, must be fulfilled.

From the period of adolescence, that is to say, previous to reaching my twentieth year to the present time when I have passed my fiftieth, I