 when i saw these people with their fame in the horizons and their progress in the industry and peoples emulation of them and their use of their writings each one of them followed the one who preceded him without contemplating his mistakes and correctness by sight and observation until everyone who looked into their writings thought that this was due to knowledge of the planets and their positions.
ولما رأيت هؤلاء القوم، مع ذكرهم فى الآفاق وتقدمهم فى الصناعة واقتداء الناس بهم واستعمالهم مؤلفاتهم، قد تبع كل واحد منهم من تقدمه من غير تأمل لخطائه وصوابه بالعيان والنظر، حتى ظن كل من نظر فى مؤلفاتهم أن ذلك عن معرفة بالكواكب ومواقعها.