upon the body or by his having put on heavy clothes for keeping himself
warm, or sometimes through excessive physical exertion. Gradually,
therefore, something like sweat begins to accumulate upon the sudoriferous pores of his skin. This accumulation is also due to decomposition
which is not apparent. When the perspiration begins to accumulate in
the armpits, it begins to be malodorous. It also generates malodours it
collects upon the pelvic girdle, at the femoral bone and between the
fingers, especially if one has put on gloves. It also collects when there is
a deposit of putrid matter which results in the course of movement and
by the friction of the external organs. In the latter case malodour prevails over the whole body. It also forms when the palms and the feet are
rubbed against each other till they are warm. Whatever the part of the
body, perspiration and dirt are present in one form or the other, although they may not be visible. The noblest part of the human body is
the head. When some-one asked Ibn Abi Maryam why he wore a turban
('amamah) and a band round his mouth (litham), he replied:
"I regard that part of my body which has in it all kinds of knowledge
about the world and which takes me to the higher aspects of knowledge through the agency of the senses, as deserving of adornment
and of being saved from filth and pain."
It is not only repulsive to see or to touch, but even to speak of the perspiration and filth that keeps on seeping out of the body pores. But to
some people consumed by their appetitive soul in their frenzy for love,
these things appear beautiful. They are blinded by love, and, therefore,
even find beauty in tears which they compare to scattered pearls. The
lover regards the saliva of the beloved to be sweet and he compares it to
honey and wine. He would liken the smell of the beloved's mouth to
musk and amber, and in his love ecstasy does not for a moment consider
these things to be noxious. He likes them as long as they are a part of
the beloved's body. But considered apart from the beloved, if what
flows out of the eyes and the mouth becomes congealed the same person would find these things revolting and would not even touch them or
look at them. When tears become congealed in the corners of the eye,
they are converted into dirt. When they flow from the eyes, they are
crystal-clear, like pearl-drops, but, once they move away from the eye
and the cheeks, they become repulsive. The same thing is true of the
saliva which, once it is out of the mouth and the teeth strikes one as
repulsive. I should believe that if the mistress of a person seized with inordinate love spits on the food, he will not be able to eat it, especially if
the spit contains phlegm, which has come through gurgitation from the
lungs to the windpipe or has come from the windpipe through the route
of the nostrils. If anyone desires this, let it be judged by someone who is
safe from the frenzy of love. It will be proved beyond any doubt that
