whoever has his secret guarded in his heart and is asked to talk about it but he lets it out of his hand becomes the seeker who desires someone who does not require his obedience does not think about his consequences and does not guard against a calamity for him. the more he divulges his secrets the more numerous his followers will be and the more lasting his misery in serving them will be. so if the origin of the secret is known to a number of people or fewer then it is very difficult to conceal it. however there is no blame on the one who betrayed it if he was not the one who divulged it and no one knew about it before him.
ومن كان سره مصونأ في قلبه يطلب إليه في الحديث به فأخرجه عن يده، صار هو الطالب الراغب إلى من لا يوجب له طاعة، ولا يفكر له في عاقبة، ولا يتحرز له من مصيبة. وكلما كانت إذاعته لأسراره أكثر كان عدد مواليه أكثر، وشقاؤه بخدمتهم أدوم. فإذا كان أصل السر معلوما عند عدة أو أقل من العدة، فما أعسر استتاره. غير أنه لا لوم على صاحب الخيانة فيه إذا كان ليس هو الذي أفشاه، ولا من قبله علم.