Forty times, it is said, he read through the Metaphysics of Aristotle, till the words were imprinted on his memory; but their meaning was hopelessly obscure, until one day they found illumination, from the little commentary by Farabi, which he bought at a bookstall for the small sum of three dirhams.
Empat puluh kali, dikatakan, dia membaca Metaphysics dari Aristoteles, sampai kata-kata itu dicantumkan pada ingatannya; tetapi artinya tak jelas, sampai suatu hari mereka menemukan pencerahan, dari uraian singkat oleh Farabi, yang dibelinya di sebuah toko buku seharga kurang dari tiga dirham.