Several prominent Ismaili thinkers explained that "ta’wil" should be used to understand sharia law, sacred history and creation itself, as well as the anthropomorphic descriptions of God. Qadi al-Nu'man, a famous Muslim jurist of the Fatimid period, believed that it is important to recognize and understand the symbolism behind the stories in the Quran based on certain verses that hint to an inner meaning, such as: “Thus your Lord will choose you and teach you the symbolic interpretation ("ta’wil") of events ("ahadith")” (Quran 12:21). Nasir-i Khusraw, a prominent Fatimid dignitary, explained that through revelation ("tanzil"), intellectual matters were transformed into a state that could be understood by humankind. "Ta’wil" is necessary to revert them to their original intellectual state. He also said that one must not be satisfied with the exoteric form but look for the person who can explain the original esoteric meaning to them. In saying this he alluded to the Imam of the Time. Al Mu’ayyad fi l-Din al-Shirazi, another prominent Ismaili thinker, further explains that "ta’wil" is what reunites the beginning (source) and the end (destination) of the circle of existence.