poses and instances of wisdom, and find consolation by making imaginary, embodied nature the source due to misleading their souls and the seductions of unending delusions — you will see that their inborn natures surely reject all this. But those baseless delusions assault them without warning from the sides of the road only because they are turned to the truth and their intention is to discover it. So for sure, the person who has fixed his gaze on his goal, looks at those false conjectures superficially and secondarily. He does not penetrate into the adorned lies. But if and when he considers them purposefully with the intention of buying them, he does not condescend to look at them even, let alone buy them.

Indeed, the conscience and reason see that such ugly things are impossible. The heart does not accept them either. Unless with squabbling and empty words they ascribe to every single particle the intellects of the philosophers and the politicking of the rulers so that each might unite with his brothers, consult concerning the general order, and communicate with each other. An animal would not accept such a way, let alone a human being. But what can one do? A way necessitates whatever it necessitates. This way cannot be depicted in any other manner. Yes, the mark of fallaciousness is that whenever a matter is not given primary importance and is seen as secondary, it may appear to be valid; but if it is given full attention, the possibility of its validity disappears.

Indication

What they call matter can never be abstracted from ever-changing forms and the evanescent motion of events. This means that createdness (hudûs; Ar. ḥudūth) is certain. How astonishing it is! How is it that those who cannot fit in their minds the pre-eternity of the necessarily existent Maker, which is a self-evident necessity, can fit into them the pre-eternity of matter, which is in every way contrary to pre-eternity? It really is astonishing. The more one thinks of it, the more it makes one regret one's humanity that they should consider anomalous and deny the Maker, Who possesses all the attributes of perfection, and ascribe these wondrous artefacts to blind chance and the motion of particles.