The followers of the Truth (ahli-i haqq) are distinguished by their being the objects of vulgar blame, especially the eminent ones of this community. The Apostle, who is the examplar and leader of the adherents of the Truth, and who marches at the head of the lovers (of God), was honoured and held in good repute by all until the evidence of the Truth was revealed to him and inspiration came upon him. Then the people loosed their tongues to blame him. Some said, “He is a soothsayer;’ others, “He is a poet; ” others, “He is a madman ;” others, “He is a liar;” and so forth.. And God says, describing the true believers : “They fear not the blame of anyone ; that is the grace of God which he bestows on whomsoever He pleases ; God is bounteous and wise (Kor. v 59). Such is the ordinance of God, that He causes those who discourse of Him to be blamed by the whole world, but preserves their hearts from being preoccupied by the world’s blame. This He does in His jealousy : He guards His lovers from glancing aside to “other” (ghayr) lest the eye of any stranger should behold the beauty of their state; and He guards them also from seeing themselves, lest they should regard their own beauty and fall into self-conceit and arrogance. Therefore He hath set the vulgar over them to loose the tongues of blame against them, and hath made the blaming soul (nafs-i lawwama) part of their composition in order that they may be blamed by others for whatever they do and by themselves for doing evil or for doing good imperfectly.

–Kashf Al-Mahjub of Al-Hujwiri: “The Revelation of the Veiled” : An Early Persian Treatise on Sufism