Note 534 — Chapter VI

The sects may be distinguished by the names of their founders, and called Hanefites, Asharian, Keramían, Shafeites, etc.; or by the nature of their doctrine, and named Sefatian, “attributists;” Matazalah, “separatists;” Mashabian, or Tasbiah, “assimilators,” etc.; or by their relation to some established doctrine or community, and then entitled Rafs, “heretics;” Navaseb, “enemies;” finally, these sorts of distinctions may be mixed. No doubt, these various classifications burden the memory with a great number of names which may create confusion. I am sparing in introducing others than those which are in the text of the Dabistan. According to those distinctions, their number may be diversely stated. We have already seen the principal sects reckoned to be four; here above are reckoned six; the author of Sharh-ol Mowakef (Pocock, p. 209) enumerates eight principal sects.