And messengers We have told you of before and messengers We have not told you of; and God spoke directly to Moses. God's way sunna regarding his friends awliyāÌ is to veil some and to make others known. This is also His way with the prophets [عليه السلام]. He pro- claims the names of some and refers to others in a general way. Belief is obligatory in all the prophets as a whole and individually just as respect is obligatory for all of the friends as a whole and individually. Likewise He veils some of the states of the servants and makes others apparent. He asks for purity and sincerity with regard to what He makes apparent to them. With regard to what He veils from them He jealously protects their hearts from viewing these states as an entitlement that gives them special claim to the meanings of the realities He has singled out for them. [His words] and God spoke directly to Moses tell of His selecting [Moses] to hear His speech without intermediary.
