The statement about it is conclusive. It is divided into two types: The external sense: This is what allows us to perceive external objects, such as sights, sounds, and smells. The internal sense: This is what allows humans to perceive what is within themselves, such as hunger and thirst. It is clear that this description of the path of sense perception dealt with the apparent and did not explain the manner of sensory perception, so it was of no significant value.

The Mahdi used the word "hearing" (al-sam') in various meanings. He applied it to the faculty of hearing in humans, as in his saying: "And hearing is what all audible things are heard with, from the Sharia and otherwise." He also applied it at times to the realities of the Sharia, as in his saying: "Reason has no entry into hearing." And he applied it at other times to the method of the arrival of the Sharia, as in his saying: "And hearing is of two types: mutawatir (mass transmission) and ahad (individual transmission)." When we find him counting hearing as one of the paths of knowledge, which are "limited to three categories: sense, reason, and hearing," we can interpret this difference as follows: See: Ibn Tumart, Risala fi al-'Ilm (Treatise on Knowledge): 68. Same source and page. 69. Ibn Tumart, Risala fi al-Salat (Treatise on Prayer): 70. Ibn Tumart, A'azz ma Yutlab (The Most Cherished Thing Sought): 71. Ibn Tumart, Risala fi al-'Ilm (Treatise on Knowledge): 72.