pleaseth. Verily, He is the Wise, the All-Pervading.

The essence and the fundamentals of philosophy have emanated from the
Prophets. That the people differ concerning the inner meanings and
mysteries thereof is to be attributed to the divergence of their views and
minds. We would fain recount to thee the following: One of the Prophets
once was communicating to his people that with which the Omnipotent Lord
had inspired Him. Truly, thy Lord is the Inspirer, the Gracious, the
Exalted. When the fountain of wisdom and eloquence gushed forth from the
wellspring of His utterance and the wine of divine knowledge inebriated
those who had sought His threshold, He exclaimed: 'Lo! All are filled with
the Spirit.' From among the people there was he who held fast unto this
statement and, actuated by his own fancies, conceived the idea that the
spirit literally penetrateth or entereth into the body, and through
lengthy expositions he advanced proofs to vindicate this concept; and
groups of people followed in his footsteps. To mention their names at this
point, or to give thee a detailed account thereof, would lead to
prolixity, and would depart from the main theme. Verily, thy Lord is the
All-Wise, the All-Knowing. There was also he who partook of the choice
wine whose seal had been removed by the Key of the Tongue of Him Who is
the Revealer of the Verses of thy Lord, the Gracious, the Most Generous.

Verily, the philosophers have not denied the Ancient of Days. Most of them
passed away deploring their failure to fathom His mystery, even as some of
them have testified. Verily, thy Lord is the Adviser, the All-Informed.

Consider Hippocrates, the physician. He was one of the eminent
philosophers who believed in God and acknowledged His sovereignty. After
him came Socrates who was indeed wise, accomplished and righteous. He
practised self-denial, repressed his appetites for selfish desires and
turned away from material pleasures. He withdrew to the mountains where he
dwelt in a cave. He dissuaded men from worshipping idols and taught them
the way of God, the Lord of Mercy, until the ignorant rose up against him.
They arrested him and put him to death in prison. Thus relateth to thee
this swift-moving Pen. What a penetrating vision into philosophy this
eminent man had! He is the most distinguished of all philosophers and was
highly versed in wisdom. We testify that he is one of the heroes in this
field and an outstanding champion dedi