Thereupon arose another man and said to her'O damselhear a few questions from me.'Say on，'quoth she；and he said'What are the conditions of valid [purchase by] payment in advance？'
'That the amount [of the thing bought]the kind and the period[of delivery to the purchaser]be [fixed or] known，'replied she.（Q.）'What are the Koranic canons of eating？'（A.）'The confession [by the eater] that God the Most High provideth him and giveth him to eat and drink and thanksgiving to Him therefor.'（Q.）'What is thanksgiving？'（A.）'The use by the creature of that which God vouchsafeth to him in the manner and to the ends for which He hath created it.'（Q.）'What are the Traditional canons of eating？'（A.）'The [preliminary] naming[of God] and washing the handssitting on the left buttock，eating with three fingers and eating of that which is chewed.'
（Q.）'What are the civilities of eating？'（A.）'Taking small mouthfuls and looking little at one's table-companion.'
（Q.）'What are the heart's stays [or articles of faith] and their correlatives？'（A.）'They are three in numberto wit，（1）holding fast to the Faiththe correlative whereof is the shunning of infidelity（2）holding fast to the Traditional Law and its correlativethe shunning of innovation [or heresy] and（3）holding fast to obedience and its correlativethe shunning of disobedience.'（Q.）'What are the conditions of ablution？'
（A.）'（1）Submission to the will of God（2）possession of discernment of good and evil [or having attained the age of discretion]（3）purity of the water and（4）absence of legal or material impediments.'（Q.）'What is belief？'（A.）'It is divided into nine partsto wit（1）belief in the One worshipped（2）belief in the condition of slavery [of the worshipper]
（3）belief in one Godto the exclusion of all others（4）belief in the Two Handfuls（5）belief in Providence（6）belief in the Abrogating and（7）in the Abrogated（8）belief in GodHis angels and apostles and（9）in fore-ordained Fategeneral and particularits good and illsweet and bitter.'（Q.）'What three things do away other three？'（A.）'It is told of Sufyan eth Thauri that he said'Three things do away other three. Making light of the pious doth away the future life，making light of kings doth away [this] life and making light of expenditure doth away wealth.'（Q.）'What are the keys of the heavensand how many gates have they？'（A.）'Quoth God the Most High'And heaven shall be openedand it shall be [all] doors，'and quoth he whom God bless and keep'None knoweth the number of the gates of heavensave He who created itand there is no son of Adam but hath two gates allotted to him in the skies，one whereby his subsistence cometh down and another where-through his works [good and evil] ascend. The former is not closed，save when his term of life comes to an endnor the latter，till his soul ascends [for judgment].'（Q.）'Tell me of a thing and a half thing and a no-thing.'（A.）'The thing is the believerthe half thing the hypocrite and the no-thing the infidel.'（Q.）'Tell me of various kinds of hearts.'（A.）