what prompted me to write it despite my compassion for it and my awe for your browsing it is that when i knew that the predominant thing in your will and the dominant thing in your doctrine is to bring the learned closer and exclude the ignorant and that whenever you read a book or hear a speech you are behind what is in it of deficiency or excellence with the breadth of understanding and the soundness of knowledge and that whenever you see a mistake you forgive it and correct its owner and do not rebuke him for it and do not undermine it for him. and whenever you see what is right you announce it and observe it so you call to it and persist in it. and because when i felt safe from the punishment of wrongdoing and trusted in the reward of goodness that was a reason for organizing it and inspiring to draw closer through it. and the cause is more deserving of preference than the effect because the action is carried by its cause and is added to it and depends on it and is included in it.
والذي دعاني إلى وضعه مع إشفاقي منه، وهيبتي لتصفحك له، أني حين علمت أن الغالب على إرادتك، والمستولي على مذهبك، تقريب العالم وإقصاء الجاهل، وأنك متى قرأت كتابا أو سمعت كلاما، كنت من وراء ما فيه من نقص أو فضل، باتساع الفهم، وصحة العلم؛ وأنك متى رأيت زللا غفرته وقومت صاحبه، ولم تقرعه به، ولم تخرمه له. ومتى رأيت صوابا أعلنته ورعيته، فدعوت إليه وأثبت عليه. ولأني حين أمنت عقاب الإساءة، ووثقت بثواب الإحسان، كان ذلك موجبا لنظمه وموحيا للتقرب به. والسبب أحق بالتفضيل من المسبب؛ لأن الفعل محمول على سببه، ومضاف إليه، وعيال عليه، ومضمن به.