through endless space, were focused on the constellation of Pisces, the globe of the earth had raced from the constellation of Aquarius, grabbed the law as it was lowered from Pisces, and was hung like a fruit on a branch of the tree of creation. Or it alighted on it like a bird. That is, the flying earth built its nest on the constellation of Taurus. Having learnt this, consider it fairly! As is explained in the Fifth Premise, how can the well-known fictitious tale be interpreted, other than by ascribing futility to pre-eternal wisdom, proving divine art to be superfluous, and spoiling the wondrous order of the universe, which is proof of the Maker? May ignorance be damned a thousand times !
The Third Matter
The Third Matter
Qāf Mountain
As is well-known, it is one thing to know the nature of something, and another to affirm its existence. The two have to be distinguished between. For there are many things whose existence is certain but then a person is beset by misgivings and deems them impossible, let alone probable. If you like, ask the Seventh Premise; it will reply in the affirmative. Moreover, there are many texts that are incontrovertible, yet doubts have thronged around what they signify. Indeed, confusion has been caused by the answer received to the question: "What does it mean?" If you wish, crack the shell of the Eleventh Premise and you'll find this pearl.
Reminder
It is like this: among certain texts, only the verse "Qāf: By the Glorious Qur'an"(50:1), indicates "Qāf." But "Qāf' could have been like "Ṣād;" not in the east of the world, but in the west of the mouth. Such a possibility, however, causes the evidence to cease being certain. Furthermore, evidence that what it definitely signifies is not other than this is that Qarāfi, [^32] an authoritative scholar (mujtahid) of
[^32]:Abū al-'Abbās Shihāb al-Dīn Aḥmad b. Idrīs al-Qarāfī (d. 684/1285), a famous authority on Mālikī jurisprudence (faqīh) and its principles (uṣūl). Born in Būsh in Egypt, though his family hailed from the Maghrib, died in Cairo.