In the Baalbek mosque, I was once giving a sermon to a group of listless, disheartened people who had not found a path from the world of form to the world of meaning.

I saw that my breath was not effective, and my fire had no effect on the wet firewood.

I regretted educating beasts and holding a mirror in a place of blind people. However, the door of meaning was open, and the chain of discourse was long.

Regarding the meaning of this verse: 'And We are closer to him than [his] jugular vein,' I brought the discourse to a point where I said:

The friend is closer to me than myself,

And yet the difficulty is that I am far from Him.

What can I do? To whom can I say?

That He is beside me, and I am separated.

I was intoxicated by the wine of this discourse, with the dregs of the cup in my hand, when a passerby passed by the edge of the gathering, and the last part of the discourse affected him, and he shouted, and others in agreement with him began to roar, and the inexperienced of the gathering became agitated.

I said: O Glory to God! The informed ones are present, and the close ones without vision are far!

If the listener does not understand the speech,

Do not seek the strength of eloquence from the speaker.

Bring the expanse of the field of devotion,

So that the eloquent man can strike the ball.