卷首·书名与序　为何学占星要先通四门学问

Al-Bīrūnī, The Book of Instruction in the Elements of the Art of Astrology

比鲁尼《占星之术基础教导之书》

He said: A knowledge of the configuration of the world, and of the shape of the heavens and the earth and what lies between them, in the form of reports accepted on authority, is very useful in the art of astrology. Through it the listener gains a training in which he grows used to the terms current among the practitioners of the art, and comes to grasp them and their meanings easily, so that when he later turns his hearing back to them, he meets the answers concerning their causes and their proofs with a mind already rested, and the labour of both sides does not fall on him at once. For this reason I have made this memorandum for the one who asked for it, Rayḥāna daughter of al-Ḥasan, in the form of question and answer, since that is the better way and the easier for understanding. I have begun with geometry, then arithmetic and number, then the configuration of the world, and then the judgements of the stars, because no one deserves the title of astrologer until he has mastered these four arts. God, in His mercy, grants success in what is right.

他说：关于世界的构造、天与地的形状以及天地之间万物的知识，若以接受前人传述的方式来学，对占星之术大有用处。借着它，听者得到一番训练：他渐渐习惯这门学问的行家所通用的名词，能轻易把握这些名词和它们的意思；等他日后再回过头来听这些名词时，遇到讲其原因与证明的解答，心已从容，两头的劳苦不会同时压到他身上。为此，我为请求此书的哈桑之女赖哈娜写了这本备忘录，用问答的形式，因为这种方式较好，也较容易理解。我从几何开始，然后是算术与数，然后是世界的构造，然后是星的判断；因为谁若没有精通这四门学问，就不配称为占星家。愿真主以祂的慈悲，使人在正当之事上得到成功。