«قَدْ أَزْمَعْتُ أَنْ لَا أَزُودَكَ بَتَاتًا»[
I have resolved not to supply you with travel provisions outright.
Azmaʿtu expresses a firm resolve; azūduka means to furnish someone with provisions, and batātan adds finality. The patron is not dismissing the visitor forever: a condition follows.
Assistance is made dependent on producing a piece of writing. The story now explains why the examiner possesses a literary puzzle suitable for challenging the elder in Marāghah.
«وَلَا أَجْمَعَ لَكَ شَتَاتًا»
Nor will I gather your scattered affairs.
Shatāt means dispersion; the patron makes restoring the visitor’s circumstances conditional on the letter.