Muḥammad b. Faḍl al-Balkhí says: “Knowledge is of three kinds—_from_ God, _with_ God, and _of_ God.” Knowledge _of_ God is the science of Gnosis (_`ilm-i ma`rifat_), whereby He is known to all His prophets and saints. It cannot be acquired by ordinary means, but is the result of Divine guidance and information. Knowledge _from_ God is the science of the Sacred Law (_`ilm-i sharí`at_), which He has commanded and made obligatory upon us. Knowledge _with_ God is the science of the “stations” and the “Path” and the degrees of the saints. Gnosis is unsound without acceptance of the Law, and the Law is not practised rightly unless the “stations” are manifested. Abú `Alí Thaqafí[25] says: _Al-`ilm ḥayát al-qalb min al-jahl wa-núr al-`ayn min al-ẕulmat_, “Knowledge is the life of the heart, which delivers it from the death of ignorance: it is the light of the eye of faith, which saves it from the darkness of infidelity.” The hearts of infidels are dead, because they are ignorant of God, and the hearts of the heedless are sick, because they are ignorant of His Commandments. Abú Bakr Warráq of Tirmidh says: “Those who are satisfied with disputation (_kalám_) about knowledge and do not practise asceticism (_zuhd_) become _zindíqs_ (heretics); and those who are satisfied with jurisprudence (_fiqh_) and do not practise abstinence (_wara`_)become wicked.” This means that Unification (_tawḥíd_), without works, is predestination (_jabr_), whereas the assertor of Unification ought to hold the doctrine of predestination but to act as though he believed in free will, taking a middle course between free will and predestination. Such is the true sense of another saying uttered by the same spiritual guide, viz.: “Unification is below predestination and above free will.” Footnote 25: Also a native of Níshápúr. He died in 328 A.H. (_Nafaḥát_, No. 248). Lack of positive religion and of morality arises from heedlessness (_ghaflat_). Well said that great master, Yaḥyá b. Mu`ádh al-Rází: “Avoid the society of three classes of men—heedless savants, hypocritical Koran-readers, and ignorant pretenders to Ṣúfiism.” The heedless savants are they who have set their hearts on worldly gain and paid court to governors and tyrants, and have been seduced by their own cleverness to spend their time in subtle disputations, and have attacked the leading authorities on religion. The hypocritical Koran-readers are they who praise whatever is done in accordance with their desire, even if it is bad, and blame whatever they dislike, even if it is good: they seek to ingratiate themselves with the people by acting hypocritically. The ignorant pretenders to Ṣúfiism are they who have never associated with a spiritual director (_pír_), nor learned discipline from a shaykh, but without any experience have thrown themselves among the people, and have donned a blue mantle (_kabúdí_), and have trodden the path of unrestraint.