and the six the eight and the ten. it is said to him if he claims that what is infinite is not but rather it has increased to an end that what has increased exceeds it? if they say no they are being stubborn and if they say yes they are admitting its finiteness. if he says that the movements are finite from one of its two sides which is the side from which it is received it is said to him so its finiteness from one of its two sides from one of its two sides is it not the finiteness of what is infinite? then yes is necessary. and if it is permissible for what is infinite to be finite from one side then why is it not permissible for it to be finite from two sides? and it is said to him if it is permissible for what is infinite to increase and decrease then why is it not that what is finite does not increase and decrease? and it is said to him if what is infinite has half in the way you described then claim that it has two ends because what has passed from it is tens hundreds and thousands and all of these are the beginning and the end. and he claimed that there is no movement in particular that is not created and all of them are ancient he said just as there is no grain of wheat that does not have a form and an image and the kur of it has a form and an image not every one of them. it is said to him tell us about a person who if he affirmed that every single person is black must he say that every single person is black? if he says no he is ignorant. we asked him about this and he said yes. we said why is it not permissible for him to say that every single person is black and all are white and we make this an analogy with grains of wheat and the kar? he had no distinction in this. he narrated from abu yusuf bin ishaq alkindi that he claimed that the movement of the heavens is one and time is one and has always existed and that tomorrow exists tomorrow and does not exist today and that today exists today and does not exist tomorrow and that they are not separate in existence or illusion. it is said to him then we were as we are persons in the time of ptolemy rather we are existing in the time that comes after and this is ignorant. it is said how do we enter into time?
والستة والثمانية والعشرة. فيقال له إذا زعم أن مالا نهاية له أو ليس إنما زاد على نهاية يجاوزها ما زاد؟ فإن قالوا لا كابروا، وإن قالوا نعم أقروا بتناهيه. فإن قال الحركات متناهية من إحدى جهتيها وهي الجهة التي تلقى منها، قيل له فتناهيها من إحدى جهتيها من إحدى جهتيها أليس هو تناهي ما لا نهاية له؟ فلا بد من نعم. وإذا جاز أن يتناهى ما لا نهاية له من جهة فلم لا يجوز أن يتناهى من جهتين؟ ويقال له إذا جاز أن يكون ما لا نهاية له يزيد وينقص فلم لا يكون ما يتناهى لا يزيد ولا ينقص؟ ويقال له إن كان لما لا نهاية له نصف على الوجه الذي وصفت فازعم أن له طرفين لأن ما مضى منه عشرات ومئون وألوف وهذه كلها أول وآخر وزعم أنه لا حركة بعينها إلا محدثة وجميعها قديم قال كما أنه لا حبة من حبات الحنطة إلا ولها شكل وصورة وللكر منها صورة شكل وصورة ليس لكل واحدة منها. فيقال له فأخبرنا عن إنسان لو أثبت كل إنسان بعينه أسود هل يجب عليه أن يقول كل إنسان أسود؟ فإن قال لا تجاهل وقد سألناه عن هذا، فقال نعم قلنا فلم لا يجوز له أن يقول إن كل إنسان بعينه أسود والجميع بيض، ونجعل هذا قياسا بحبات الحنطة والكر؟ فلم يكن عنده في هذا فصل وحكى عن أبي يوسف بن إسحق الكندي أنه كان يزعم أن حركة الفلك واحدة والزمان واحد لم يزل وأن غدا موجود غدا معدوم اليوم وأن اليوم موجود اليوم معدوم غدا وأنهما غير منفصلين في وجود ولا وهم. فيقال له فقد كنا نحن إذن بما نحن أشخاص في زمن بطليموس بل نحن كائنون في الزمان الذي يأتي بعد، وهذا تجاهل. ويقال كيف ندخل نحن في الزمان