Machine summary:
It is said that there were four great learned men and philosophers in the world: two in the pre-Islamic age, namely, Aris• totle and Alexander the Great, and two in the Islamic age, namely, Abu Nasr and Abu 'Ali. Abu 'Ali availed himself greatly of the works of Abu Nasr, a fact which he himself admits, saying that he had an incomplete knowledge of metaphysics until he had thoroughly studied the books of Farabi on the sub• ject.
" 'Abbad saw that Abu Nasr had already rendered the instrument useless, and he was so upset by the whole · incident that he is said to have forsaken all pleasures for the rest of his life and expressed his sorrow for having wasted his time in the company of mere pleasure-seekers, thus neglecting the cultivation of his own ego.
" Bayhaqi goes on to say, ''I myself once visited the Imam with my father (may God have mercy upon him !) in the year 507, and he asked me to ex• plain a verse in the Hamasah which runs; (View the image of this page) (Nor do they pasture, when they alight, on the flanks of quietude nor in the grove of meekness).
Mas'ud, he refers to Mas'ud's great learning and mentions the philosophical discussion that took place between them in the following sentences; 7° (View the image of this page) " ~ U:.
J~JI" for all the references of al-Bayhaqi's books see vol.