1. أَمدعياً علماً وَلَستَ بقارئٍ

    كِتاباً عَلى شَيخٍ بِهِ يَسهُلُ الحَزنُ

    Do you claim to possess knowledge, though you have not read

    a book under a shaykh, through whom the difficult becomes easy?

  2. أَتَزعُم أَنَّ الذهن يُوضِحُ مشكلاً

    بِلا موضح كَلا لَقَد كَذَبَ الذِهنُ

    Do you suppose the mind can elucidate a difficult problem

    without someone to explain it? No—the mind has surely lied.

  3. وَإِنَّ الَّذي تَبغيه دونَ مُعَلِّمٍ

    كَموقِدِ مصباحٍ وَلَيسَ لَهُ دُهنُ

    Indeed, what you seek without a teacher

    is like one kindling a lamp when he has no oil.