  The sage proposes to resolve the king's puzzlement by means of a thought experiment comprised of two hypothetical situations. While this experiment is ultimately about what counts as sufficient grounds to persuade him of the existence of God as the sage has described him, this is neither announced in advance nor immediately obvious from what is said. Accordingly, the sage asks the king whether, upon being told that the ruler of India was a virtuous man and that the people of India also had excellent character traits and behaved justly towards one another in all their dealings, he would be compelled to revere their ruler and recount his exploits with praise. The Khazar king replies that there could hardly be any compelling obligation, if there is doubt about whether the justice of India's people was entirely of their own making, and they have no king at all, or whether it really was due to their king, after all, or, finally, whether it was attributable to both. His unstated but nonetheless crucial assumption is that, of course, there is doubt, because no compelling evidence or argument has been provided to establish any of the three alternatives just mentioned.