To attract a handful of boys thou hast made its honour to consist in the 'tens,' and 'fives'; thou hast abrogated the authority of every
verse which abrogates another, art still unlearned in its doctrines the intricate passages seem to thee plain, while in its plain teachings thou hast no faith; thou hast abandoned the light of the Qur'ân, and for the sake of the multitude hast made its outward form the tool of thy hypocrisy for a measure of barley and two plates of chaff. Now thou intonest its cadences, now recitest its stories; sometimes thou makest of it a weapon for strife; sometimes in thy irreverence throwest it into disorder, sometimes esteemest it a prodigy; now thou interpretest it according to thine own conjecture, and again determinest to the contrary of that; now in thy fancy thou takest the conclusion of its passages for the beginning, now absurdly turnest its meaning inside out; again thou expoundest it by thine own opinion, and explainest it according to thine own knowledge; amongst the thirty caskets of the Qur'ân thou wanderest not except with railing.
Sometimes thou sayest to a foolish friend, perhaps a lazy clothweaver, "If I write thee a charm, keep it clean, O youth, and soil it not; but there must be a sacrifice in the morning,--the blood of a black bird is required." All this deceit for a diram or two, a supper or a breakfast for thy belly!
Thou hast wasted thy life in folly; what can I say? begone, and shame to thee! Thou creepest into some mosque or other in thy appetite, thy throat full of wind, like a pipe or a bell; shame on thy
religion and thy faith for this appetite! May either wisdom be thy portion, or death! Shame on thee for such a nature, such accomplishments and science,--they bring thee no esteem!