HIS EARLY LIFE
The philosopher’s origins are relatively unknown, even by his most intimate companions. Some of his disciples believe that his ancestors descend from Samarqand, whilst others say he was born in Homs or Nishapur. Various myths have been created by those that came after him. As far as I know, nothing mystical has ever occurred to him and he has not indicated anything to that effect to me.
The philosopher was always vague about his childhood, in order that his personality was not confused with his teachings. From the snippets that he has revealed to me, I can only hypothesize that he displayed, from an early age, an appetite for knowledge and that as a result he suffered. His family could not bear his incessant craving for knowledge. Thus, he was passed on from family member
