"When we had lost our kingdom and our possessions, we set out with the blessed Hilla to the coast of the sea in ships. The reason for our departure and our journey was twofold. The first was to ascertain the extent of their power and their actions, day and night, in counting and measuring our camels and our legs and our hooves, to ward off what the ignorant fool might imagine, that our long slumber was for their benefit and their corruption. The second was that in a single moment, they wiped out everything that was upon it. The second of these two things was the narrowness of the situation and the emptiness of the house of wealth. May God Almighty never empty it of goodness and blessings, but the world has its ups and downs, changes and transformations. Livelihoods recede and surge, lie dormant and shine. These two things drove me out. When we reached the place of ascent to the heights, and disembarked from the bellies of the ships, by the protection of the Great and High God, and mounted the backs of beasts, with the help of God the Powerful and the Giver, we began to follow the path of the accursed, unjust, and wicked ancestor, the chief of human devils, Hamad Bilal. We cut through thorns and tightened our belts, and we were pulled from low to high, and from high to low.