p1

-^{Ghayat Al-Hakim^man.
The man is either Zayd 23 or not Zayd, and Zayd is either
obscure or not obscure. What is not obscure is known.
The primordial, may Allah enlighten your vision, is the joint
agreement of the Elements to accept an image. There are two
types of primordial: a personal primordial which does not
receive, except one image composed of the complex Elements,
earth, water, fire, and air and does not transform from one state
to another. The other is a whole primordial that accepts all
images which are composed of the simple Elements: heat,
coolness, dryness and wetness, and it does not transform from
one state to another. Aristotle presents it well as he defines the
primordial, with respect to its general aspects, as a force
acceptable to various images. With respect to its characteristics,
he defines it as a body that influences all entities.
We presented these meanings to enrich the mind and
sharpen the intellect. These meanings and the like are the
spiritual talismans and the words of inspiration that Adam
learned from his Lord. 24 Only knowledgeable people and those
who triumph in getting in touch with the total reality can
comprehend them. For the purpose of comprehending their
meanings, we have presented this treatise. At this point, I
would like to conclude this treatise and move along to what we
have promised you in the introduction of this book. I beseech
Allah's help in achieving what we hope and intend to
accomplish.
Abd-ar Rahman Abu Zayd ibn Muhammad ibn Khaldun who penned the Muqaddimah in
1381, used his own name of Zayd objectively to illustrate a point in the text. Perhaps Zayd is
a common name used for such examples, or the author of Picatrix may possess it as his own.
24 Sura2,37
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