..,·ish to express my gratitude and sincere thanks to the Department of Religion at Ter..ple University, to Dropsie Uni·ersity, and to the Departnent of Oriental Languages and Literatures at Cairo University, for their instruction and counsel. also wish to express my great appreciation for the co~nents, direction and consideration of my Ph.D. Committee· Drs. Guilford Dudley JIJ, Allan Lazaroff and Norbert Samuelson. To Professor Isoacil R. al Faruqi, Chairman of the Disserta- tion Committee, I o~e special thanks for the care and guidance with which he has directed and advised me throu~hout my graduate study. Finally. I .:ould like to thank Hr. Joseph Lc1>i s for his able assistance in editing my English and ~!iss Linda Scherr for her patient and painstaking lahor in t}~ing the manuscript. Wisdom consists in knowing things as they are in their real, observable character, not as someone would desire or like them to be. --Saadia~ Kitab al 'Amanat tJa al zctiqadat, p. tss. As justice is a quality liked and coveted for its o•:rn self, for its intrinsic beauty, the same applies to truthfulness, except perhaps in the case of such people as never tasted how sweet it is, or know the truth, but deliberately