Editing Al-Sherar (section)

===Doctrine and faith===

Over its long history, Al-Sherar developed a distinct interpretation of the Cult Mechanicum. The Alim were highly philosophical and their doctrines generally sought to solve problems of faith. Although in many cases the differences with the Martian Orthodoxy would be brushed over as merely linguistic, some major controversies emerged.  The details given here refer to the key heterodoxies in the '''Submission of the Alim''', the mainstream views of Al-Sherar's tech priesthood at the time of the Great Crusade.

The Alim of Al-Sherar venerate the Machine God, who they know as '''Makinallah'''.  However, their understanding of Machine Spirits - the '''al-gine''' - differs markedly from that of Mars. According to the Alim, the al-gine inhabit all machines, human and xenos alike, but those in human machines are subservient to Makinallah while xenos technology is animated by impious al-gine. For this reason, the tech-priests of Al-Sherar do not make offerings to the al-gine themselves, seeing this as a route to developing the ego of the al-gine and risking the creation of Abominable Intelligence.  Instead, their prayers of maintenance are directed to the Makinallah in order to remind the al-gine of its rightful duties.

The doctrine of the '''Teknabiyyun''' (sing. ''Teknabiyy'') allowed the Forge World to easily accept the Emperor of Mankind.  In contrast to the Martian orthodoxy, the Alim expected no avatar of the Machine God, but rather a succession of prophets and messengers, each of whom would unfold a new revelation to mankind. It seemed clear to the techpriests of Al-Sherar that the Emperor and his Great Crusade for human unity were ''divinely-inspired'', and this temperate position allowed for dissent to be openly expressed in the governing council of the Diyanet - and even in its subordinate ''Mahalla'' - rather than simmering under the surface.

Heterodoxy was also tolerated among the Alim and many theological questions were debated at the time of the Great Crusade. The most prominent dispute was over the nature of the Makinallah. Scholars such as Hashim 4d6'16c6f6f66 argued that the machine god had a machine nature because to have any other nature would be an imperfection. Others opposed this position as putting a limit on the limitless Makinallah, an equally troubling contradiction. Although questions of definition might seem hairsplitting distractions during the great upheavals of the Great Crusade and Hektor Heresy, they were a central part of the life of the tech priests of Al-Sherar.

Even at the worst periods of dispute between Al-Sherar and Mars, the Alim were never formally denounced for Heresy. During the more liberal period of the Great Crusade, they were seen as representative of the range of beliefs possible under the greater auspices of the Cult Mechanicum. Later, their doctrines would be pronounced as "errors" and "mistakes" that needed correction rather than a full-blooded purge. The relative gentleness of these relations is perhaps best understood by considering the implications of these views. The doctrine of the al-gine made for a less vehement denunciation of alien technology, but it hardly encouraged dabbling with Xenos science, and the Alim were known for scrupulously avoiding any technology relating to Abominable Intelligence. Similarly, the reverence paid to the Emperor as a messenger of the Machine God was pronounced, even among those Alim who occasionally voiced opinions contrary to the Imperial line. These great similarities in practice helped to keep Al-Sherar in the Imperial fold and would ease its assimilation into the orthodoxy of the Cult Mechanicus.