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The
Book of the Decisive Treatise,
Determining the Connection Between the Law and Wisdom & Epistle
Dedicatory.
THE BOOK
OF THE DECISIVE TREATISE, DETERMINING THE CONNECTION BETWEEN THE
LAW AND WISDOM
". . . [T]he
Law makes it obligatory to reflect upon existing
things by means of the intellect, and to consider them;
and consideration is nothing more than
inferring and drawing
out the unknown from the known . . ."1a
"You ought to know that what is
intended by the Law is only to teach true science
and true practice. True science is cognizance of God
(may He be blessed and exalted) and of all the existing things
as they are, especially the venerable ones among them; and
cognizance of happiness in the hereafter and of misery in the
hereafter. True practice is to follow the actions that
promote happiness and to avoid the actions that promote
misery; and cognizance of these actions is what is
called 'practical science.'"1b
". . . [T]he
link between the physician and the health of bodies is [the same
as] the link between the Lawgiver and the health of souls . . ."
This health is what is called 'piety.'"1c
". . . [I]njuries
from a friend are graver than injuries from an enemy " I mean that
wisdom is the companion of the Law and its milk
sister. So injuries from those linked to it are the gravest
injuries " apart from the enmity, hatred, and quarreling they
bring about between both of them. These two are companions by
nature and lovers by essence and instinct."1d
EPISTLE DEDICATORY
". . . [E]xistence
is the cause and reason of our knowledge, while
eternal knowledge is the cause and reason of existence."1e
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