بِسْمِ اللهِ الرَّحْمَنِ الرَّحِيمِ

In the name of God, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.

أَحْمَدُ اللهَ أَوَّلًا، حَمْدًا كَثِيرًا مُتَوَالِيًا؛ وَإِنْ كَانَ يَتَضَاءَلُ دُونَ حَقِّ جَلَالِهِ حَمْدُ الْحَامِدِينَ.

I praise God first, with much continuous praise, even though the praise of those who praise pales in comparison to the right of His Majesty.

وَأُصَلِّي وَأُسَلِّمُ عَلَى رُسُلِهِ ثَانِيًا صَلَاةً تَسْتَغْرِقُ مَعَ سَيِّدِ الْبَشَرِ سَائِرَ الْمُرْسَلِينَ.

And I pray and send peace upon His messengers second, a prayer that encompasses, along with the Master of Mankind, all the other messengers.

وَأَسْتَخِيرُهُ تَعَالَى ثَالِثًا فِيمَا انْبَعَثَ عَزْمِي مِنْ تَحْرِيرِ كِتَابٍ فِي إِحْيَاءِ عُلُومِ الدِّينِ.

And I seek His guidance, Exalted is He, third, regarding my resolve to write a book on reviving the religious sciences.

وَأَنْتَدِبُ لِقَطْعِ تَعَجُّبِكَ رَابِعًا أَيُّهَا الْعَاذِلُ الْمُتَغَالِي فِي الْعَذْلِ مِنْ بَيْنِ زُمْرَةِ الْجَاحِدِينَ،

And I take it upon myself, fourth, to put an end to your astonishment, O critic who exaggerates in criticism among the group of deniers,

الْمُسْرِفِ فِي التَّقْرِيعِ وَالْإِنْكَارِ مِنْ بَيْنِ طَبَقَاتِ الْمُنْكِرِينَ الْغَافِلِينَ؛ فَلَقَدْ حَلَّ عَنْ لِسَانِي عُقْدَةُ الصَّمْتِ

who is excessive in reproaching and denying among the ranks of the heedless deniers; for the knot of silence has been loosened from my tongue,

وَطَوَّقَنِي عُهْدَةَ الْكَلَامِ وَقِلَادَةَ النُّطْقِ: مَا أَنْتَ مُثَابِرٌ عَلَيْهِ مِنَ الْعَمَى عَنْ جَلِيَّةِ الْحَقِّ، مَعَ اللَّجَاجِ فِي نُصْرَةِ الْبَاطِلِ وَتَحْسِينِ الْجَهْلِ،

and the responsibility of speech and the necklace of expression have been placed upon me: regarding what you persist in of blindness to the obvious truth, along with obstinacy in supporting falsehood and justifying ignorance,

وَالتَّشْغِيبِ عَلَى مَنْ آثَرَ النُّزُوعَ قَلِيلًا عَنْ مَرَاسِمِ الْخَلْقِ وَمَالَ مَيْلًا يَسِيرًا عَنْ مُلَازَمَةِ الرَّسْمِ

and inciting against those who chose to withdraw a little from the customs of creation and inclined slightly away from constant adherence to formal ritual,

إِلَى الْعَمَلِ بِمُقْتَضَى الْعِلْمِ طَمَعًا فِي نَيْلِ مَا تَعَبَّدَهُ اللهُ تَعَالَى بِهِ مِنْ تَزْكِيَةِ النَّفْسِ وَإِصْلَاحِ الْقَلْبِ،

to act in accordance with knowledge in the hope of attaining what God, Exalted is He, has prescribed of purifying the soul and reforming the heart,

وَتَدَارُكًا لِبَعْضِ مَا فَرَطَ مِنْ إِضَاعَةِ الْعُمُرِ يَائِسًا عَنْ تَمَامِ حَاجَتِكَ فِي الْحَيْرَةِ وَانْحِيَازًا عَنْ غِمَارِ

and to make up for some of what has passed of wasting one's life, despairing of your full need in bewilderment and distancing yourself from the masses