the second if the union of the bones at that time was praiseworthy then the bones of the forearms legs and the like would not have been created with appendages. rather each one of those bones would have been created as a single piece because these bones need to be strong. if it were permissible for it to be a single bone its parts would not have multiplied because that would weaken its mass. and since it was not created as a single piece it is known that this with the parts differing in hardness and softness is not permissible.
وثانيهما أنه لو كان اتحاد العظم حينئذ محمودا لم يخلق لعظام الزندين والساقين ونحوهما لواحق. بل كان يخلق كل واحد من تلك العظام قطعة واحدة لأن هذه العظام تحتاج أن تكون قوية فلو جاز أن يكون عظما واحدا لما كثرت أجزاؤها، لأن ذلك مما يضعف له جرمها، وحيث لم يخلق قطعة واحدة علم أن ذلك مع اختلاف الأجزاء في الصلابة واللين مما لا يجوز.