 saw many of the authors of literature before me who had entrusted those who came after them with the literature of covenants in which they approached the truth and provided good guidance except that i saw that most of what they drew of that were branches for which they did not clarify the reasons good qualities for which they did not uncover the causes and praiseworthy matters for which they did not indicate the origins.
ورأيت كثيرا من واضعي الآداب قبلي قد عهدوا إلى الغابرين بعدهم في الآداب عهودا قاربوا فيها الحق، وأحسنوا فيها الدلالة، إلا أنى رأيت أكثر ما رسموا من ذلك فروعا لم يبينوا عللها، وصفات حسنة لم يكشفوا أسبابها، وأمورا محمودة لم يدلوا علىأصولها.