Seventh Degree. To this and the following degrees only the leading dá'ís, who fully comprehend the real nature and aim of their doctrine, can initiate. At this point is introduced the dualistic doctrine of the Pre-existent (al-Mufíd, as-Sábiq) and the Subsequent (al-Mustafíd, at-Tálí, al-Láḥiq), which is destined ultimately to undermine the proselyte's belief in the Doctrine of the Divine Unity.

Eighth Degree. Here the doctrine last mentioned is developed and applied, and the proselyte is taught that above the Pre-existent and the Subsequent is a Being who has neither name, nor attribute, of whom nothing can be predicated, and to whom no worship can be rendered. This Nameless Being seems to represent the Zerwán Akarana (“Boundless Time”) of the Zoroastrian system, but, as may be seen by referring to de Sacy's Exposé (pp. cxxi-cxxx) some confusion exists here, and different teachings were current amongst the Ismá'ílís, which, however, agreed in this, that, to quote Nuwayrí's expression, “those who adopted them could no longer be reckoned otherwise than amongst the Dualists and Materialists.” The prose­lyte is also taught that a Prophet is known as such not by miracles, but by his ability to construct and impose on mankind a system at once political, social, religious, and philosophical—a doctrine which I myself have heard enunciated amongst the Bábís in Persia, one of whom said to me that just as the architect proved himself to be such by building a house, or the physician by healing sickness, so the prophet proved his mission by founding a durable religion.* He is further taught to understand allegorically the end of the world, the Resurrection, Future Rewards and Punishments, and other eschatological doctrines.

Ninth Degree. In this, the last degree of initiation, every vestige of dogmatic religion has been practically cast aside, and the initiate is become a philosopher pure and simple, free to adopt such system or admixture of systems as may be most to his taste. “Often,” says Nuwayrí, “he embraces the views of Manes or Bardesanes; some­times he adopts the Magian system, sometimes that of Plato or Aristotle: most frequently he borrows from each of these systems certain notions which he combines together, as commonly happens to these men, who, abandoning the Truth, fall into a sort of bewilder­ment.”

Space does not permit us to cite the pledge or covenant whereby the proselyte bound himself to obey the dá'í, nor to enlarge on the methods whereby the latter sought to approach the adherents of different sects and creeds in order to gain their allegiance. For these and other most interesting matters we must refer the reader to de Sacy's Exposé, vol. i, pp. cxxxviii-clxiii et passim, Guyard's Fragments relatifs à la Doctrine des Ismaélîs and Un Grand maître des Assassins, and other monographs alluded to in the notes to this chapter. The further developments of this sect will be discussed in another portion of this work.