• First Indication

The foolish man in the previous story and his trustworthy companion correspond to three other pairs:

• The instinctual soul and the heart;

• The students of philosophy and the pupils of the All-Wise Qur’an;

• The people of unbelief and the community of Islam.

The worst error and misguidance of the students of philosophy, the people of unbelief and the instinctual soul, lies in not recognizing God. Just as in the preceding story the trustworthy man said, “there can be no letter without a scribe, no law without a legislator,” we too say the following:

A book, particularly one in each word of which a minute pen has inscribed another whole book, and in each letter of which a fine pen has traced a poem, cannot be without a writer; this would be entirely impossible.