FIFTH CHAPTER · THIRD SECTION · Eleventh Article
Eleventh Article
This article explains the etiquette of the noble religion that distinguishes good from evil, and the forms and ceremonies of beautifying clothing, being selective in dress, and protecting and adorning the body according to the sunnah of the Trustworthy Messenger (al-Rasūl al-Amīn).
O dear one! It should be known that the scholars of hadith have unanimously stated: The most beloved garment of the Noble Beloved (al-Ḥabīb al-Akram, peace and blessings be upon him) was the shirt (qamīṣ).
The sleeves of his shirt would reach to his fingers, and the length of its skirt would only come up to above his heels. He advised his ummah to shorten their garments (their hems). For this reason, shortening the garment is sunnah, while lengthening it is considered an innovation (bidʿa) and a sign of self-aggrandizement (arrogance).
Khalīlullāh (Abraham, peace be upon him) considered the shalwar (sarāwīl) to be the best covering garment for both men and women. For the shalwar is a veil even between the private parts and the ground. [167/a]
Wearing a turban is a sign of gentleness, dignity, and a kind of respectability. The turban is the crown of the Arabs. The blessed turban of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) was made of black cloth. Letting the end of the turban hang down between the two shoulders by about two handspans is sunnah. Wrapping it under the chin is an innovation (bidʿa).
One of the Islamic traditions is to wear coarse clothing and patched cloaks. Coarse clothing dries up the veins and instills awe (khashya) in the heart. Wearing garments made of hair and wool is the sunnah of the noble prophets. The first to wear the abāʾ was Solomon (peace be upon him). Wearing an abāʾ to resemble the poor who have nothing, in humility, is the custom of the awliyāʾ (friends of God). The shirt, the undergarment, and the shalwar of the Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him) were white garments made of cotton; his cloak was an abāʾ, and his belt was a green woolen sash.
Looking at green brings joy to the heart and strength to the eyes. Thus, wearing green is sunnah for his ummah. For men, wearing only yellow or red is reprehensible (makrūh) and an innovation (bidʿa). Pure silk is forbidden for them, but fabric mixed with silk is lawful and an adornment for women. Cleaning one’s clothes is gratitude (shukr) for the blessing. Adornment is refinement and elegance; it removes heaviness, sorrow, and gloom. Wearing old clothes with a rich heart is a sign of humility. When dressing, first put on the shirt, then, while sitting, put on the shalwar; this is sunnah. Dressing in this manner protects one from people’s anger and from sorrow entering the heart.
Not removing a garment until it is patched brings comfort to the heart. Giving a garment one will not wear to a poor person is a means of deliverance from calamities. If one has three sets of clothes, giving one set to the poor is generosity. Folding and putting away one’s garment after taking it off protects it from being worn by the devil. It has been narrated from that Noble One (peace and blessings be upon him) that, by the language of the garment’s state, it says: “Whoever cleans and beautifies me at night, I will beautify and adorn him during the day.”
Occasionally walking barefoot on the earth, which is the spread of the Exalted Lord, is a sign of breaking the nafs (the lower self) and being humble. Applying pleasant scents such as musk, amber, aloeswood, and camphor, as well as perfumes and incense, is sunnah; it gives pleasure to the body. Applying kohl (ismid) to both eyes three times is sunnah and an adornment. Ismid lengthens the eyelashes and strengthens the eyes. Applying kohl on the Day of ʿĀshūrāʾ protects from eye pain. Bathing, adorning oneself, applying fragrant perfume, and combing one’s hair and beard are sunnahs favored by all. Starting to apply perfume from the eyebrows relieves headaches. Trimming the mustache, shaving the armpit and pubic hair are among the prescribed (rawātib) sunnahs given to us as duties. Leaving the pubic hair longer than a barley grain is prohibited.
Every Thursday or Friday, it is sunnah and customary for a bald person to shave his head with a razor after the afternoon prayer, to cut off any beard length or width exceeding a fist, to trim his nails with scissors, and to bury his hair and beard together; this is for the health of the body and comfort of the spirit. As it is said: “Trim your nails in accordance with etiquette and the sunnah. Cut those on the right hand first, then those on the left.” Looking into a mirror or clear water to tidy one’s appearance and saying, “O Allah! Just as You have made my creation beautiful, beautify my character as well,” is taken from a noble hadith.
Here, the subject of protecting bodily health and well-being will be concluded with this much explanation, and the discussion of death will begin. For, as the saying goes, “They were born to die,” every born will die. Every perfection has its decline, and whoever comes to this world will depart. This world of coming into being and passing away (kawn wa fasād) is like a caravanserai for us. As confirmed by the noble verse: “Every soul shall taste death. Then to Us you will be returned.” (Qur’an, al-ʿAnkabūt 29:57). Therefore, one must turn one’s face from this transient (fānī) world to that abode of eternity (Dār al-baqāʾ) before dying. For that true homeland, one must work and prepare in this world, which is like exile, with flawless effort. That is, it is most important and necessary to purify the qalb (the heart), which is the locus of God’s gaze, from all unnecessary things (mā siwā) other than Him, to protect oneself from the diseases of the animalistic and wild nafs (lower self), to be filled with the lights of divine character, and to remain united with the Lord alone in both worlds. [167/b]
Poetry
1- Place your existence in the world, be neither a traveler nor a resident,
For the house is full of sorrow, and the roads are full of fear.
2- Since blessing is attained with hardship, and honor and comfort will become humiliation for you,
What benefit is there if your body is immersed in luxury and delight?
3- In the end, your head will be trampled cool in the grave;
What difference does it make if your cap is of felt or a crown?
4- If you walk the path of God, let your body be weak,
For crossing the desert is difficult if the man is burly.
5- By his nature, the doctor thinks the sick is healthy;
He does not recognize the disease, so why is he called a physician?
6- Bodily life becomes a blessing with joy of heart;
What pleasure is there if the body is healthy but the spirit is sick?
7- No matter if poverty, illness, or death comes to the body, O Truth!
If the soul and heart are healthy and sound with good character, what does it matter?
In contemporary Turkish:
1. Leave behind worldly possessions! Be neither a guest nor a resident. The house of the world is full of sorrow, its roads full of fears.
2. Since blessings are attained with difficulty and honor will become humiliation for you, what does it matter if your body is immersed in luxury and delight?
3. In the end, your head will be leveled in the grave. What does it matter if your cap is made of felt or a crown?
4. If you are to walk in the path of Allah, let your body be weak. For when the body is large, crossing the desert becomes difficult.
5. The doctor, by his nature, thinks the sick is healthy. Yet he cannot diagnose the illness; why is he called a physician?
6. When the heart is joyful, worldly life becomes a blessing. What pleasure is there if the body is healthy but the spirit is sick?
7. O Truth! If the soul and heart are healthy and sound with good character, what does it matter if poverty, illness, and death come to the body?
[44] . The thin and wide membrane that separates the chest and abdomen, also called the ḥijāb al-ṣadr, is the diaphragm.
[45] . Dura mater and pia mater.
[46] . Ghashāʾ: Membrane.
[47] . Kahf: Parietal bones.
[48] . Multehima: Conjunctiva.
[49] . Qarīniyya or karniyya: Means cornea.
[50] . In Itāqī, it is written as “Bevvāb.”
[51] . Life is divided into four stages: 1- The developmental period up to about thirty years of age. 2- The period of maturity continuing from about thirty-five to forty. 3- The period of middle age extending up to about sixty. 4- The period of old age until death, during which the centers of life gradually weaken. (Ibn Sīnā, al-Qānūn fī’l-ṭibb, Book One, p. 14.) Some also list five stages: 1- Sinn al-ṣabāwat: The fifteen years from birth to puberty. 2- Sinn al-shabāb: From seven to fifteen or twenty years of age. 3- Sinn al-jawānī: From fifteen to thirty years of age. 4- Sinn al-kuhūlat: From thirty to fifty years of age. 5- Sinn al-shaykhūkhat: After fifty years of age.
[52] . Ibn Sīnā gives the signs that help diagnose temperament under ten headings: 1- Bodily sensation, 2- Muscular and fatty build, 3- Hair, hair growth rate, hair shape, hair color, abundance or scarcity of hair, 4- Facial appearance, 5- Physique, 6- Capacity of organs to receive, 7- Sleep and wakefulness, 8- Functional state of organs, 9- Secretions, 10- Psychological activity. (Ibn Sīnā, al-Qānūn fī’l-ṭibb, Book One, pp. 172-177.)
[53] . Scammony (Mahmūda, for more information on Kısa Mahmud Otu, see Ibn Sīnā, al-Qānūn fī’l-Ṭibb, Book Two, p. 435.
[54] . In the story of the slave girl in the Masnavī, the doctor recognized the person the slave girl was in love with in this way.
[55] . Sumac: The sour and red grains added to kebab and dough.
[56] . Used as a laxative.
[57] . Mastic: A Greek name for a type of gum produced by a small tree growing on the island of Chios, which is chewed raw. It is also used for other purposes.
[58] . The correct form of the word “istiftāgh” in the text should be “istiftāq,” meaning to split or open with the letter qāf.
[59] . The text has “taʿaddī,” but it should be “taghaddī.”
[60] . Abjad: The order of Arabic letters arranged according to the old Semitic alphabet, with additional letters for sounds specific to Arabic, and each letter assigned a numerical value: from one to ten in order, then by tens to one hundred, and by hundreds to one thousand. After dividing these letters into eight groups and inserting vowels, the following eight meaningless words are formed, which serve as a mnemonic for the order of the Arabic letters: abjad, hawwaz, ḥuṭṭī, kalaman, saʿfas, qarashat, sahkhaz, dazghān. (Ferit Devellioğlu, Ottoman Turkish–Turkish Encyclopedic Dictionary, Aydın Kitabevi, Ankara 1988, pp. 233-234.)
[61] . Ijjās: In some places, also used to mean apricot and pear.
[62] . Ḥayd: Refers to the peak of a high mountain.
[63] . Kuhūl: Those between 30 and 50 years of age. Those in the prime of life.
[64] . Sabel: A veil descending over the eye, a disease causing cloudy or blurred vision.
[65] . Dārchīn: Although it is said to be originally dārū-yi chīn, its true origin is “dār-i chīn,” meaning “Chinese millet.” Cinnamon water was used as an intoxicating drink.
[66] . In al-Qānūn: “It strengthens sexual desire.” See Ibn Sīnā, op. cit., vol. II, p. 237.
[67] . Tabāshīr: There are two interpretations. 1- Tabāshīr is found inside the old henna plant. The stem of the henna is jointed, and the best is obtained from its joints. 2- It is formed by burning the aforementioned henna plant, and its ash is called tabāshīr. (Ibn Sīnā, op. cit., vol. II, p. 289, footnote 630.)
[68] . Zahīr: Originally Arabic (z-h-r), meaning internal pain. In medicine, it refers to painful discharge caused by hemorrhoids and bladder inflammation.
[69] . Ibn Sīnā says: “Sumac prevents the flow of bile into the internal organs.” al-Qānūn Translation, vol. II, p. 440.
[70] . Dār-i fulful: A spice with long grains similar to black pepper.
[71] . A plant that grows in India and China.
[72] . Bahak: A disease that causes scaly whiteness and variegated color on the skin.
[73] . Bars/baras: A disease that causes white and variegated spots on the body; vitiligo, leprosy.
[74] . Fatīr: Unleavened flatbread, bazlama. A type of pastry.
[75] . Kaswa has three meanings: 1- Hardness, rigidity. 2- Mercilessness, cruelty. 3- Distress, constriction of the heart. All three are used in Turkish.
[76] . Fuʾād: A spiritual organ, meaning the heart and the place of witnessing God Most High.
[77] . Soapwort: A plant whose roots and branches foam like soapy water, hence called soapwort (saponaria officinalis).
[78] . Yarpuz: A herb similar to thyme.
[79] . Rībās: Sorrel, rheum ribes.
Bread (khubz); the best is clean wheat bread, with finely and well-sifted flour, salted leaven, and normal dough. The best-cooked bread is tandoor bread. Next comes oven-baked loaf bread. Bread baked elsewhere is not good. Hot bread is harmful, cold bread is beneficial. Simit, which is fatīr, is very nourishing, but because it is hard and dry, it digests slowly and is hard to absorb. Bread made from unsifted wheat flour softens the temperament, is easily absorbed and digested, but its nutritional value is low. Kadaif flour is tasty but gives hardness. Bread kneaded with milk is highly nutritious but hard to digest; it causes blockages. Eating toasted wheat bread with water quickly fattens the body and preserves health.
The brain is a soft, jointed substance that is white in color. The brain is formed from the marrow of the arteries, the veins, the membrane (ghashāʾ) called umm al-dimāgh, and the membrane attached to the skull bone. The shape of the brain is like a triangle. Its base is at the front of the head, and its apex, surrounded by two sides, is at the back of the head. The sensation and movement of the body reach perfection through the brain; the sensory organs of the body are connected by soft nerves, and the movements of the limbs are achieved through hard nerves; their wisdoms have been explained earlier.
The best bathhouse is one whose building is old, courtyard wide, water sweet, and temperature moderate. Its first room should be cooling and moist; the second, warming and humid; the third, warming and dry. Thus, one who goes to the bathhouse to preserve bodily health and open the veins should enter its hottest third room gradually. When leaving, one should also exit gradually. Staying too long in the bathhouse can cause faintness, sorrow, distress, dryness, and palpitations.
Tabāshīr (Indian cane, the siliceous hard part of bamboo); is cold in the second degree, hot and dry in the third degree. It strengthens the heart and reduces high fever. It is beneficial for sorrow and fainting caused by bile mixing into the tissues. It relieves thirst, stomach inflammation, and liver heat, and prevents febrile illnesses.
Dārchīnī (cinnamon); is hot and dry in the third degree. It is extremely pleasant and attractive. It opens blockages and corrects all kinds of disorders. Cinnamon oil is polishing, separating, dissolving, and slimming. It is very beneficial for facial redness, freckles, and tremors. It is good for headaches and chest pains. It relieves colds and dry coughs caused by chills. It strengthens the stomach and refreshes the heart. It opens liver blockages. It is beneficial for kidney and uterine pain. For dimness of vision and cataracts, it is beneficial both when eaten and when applied to the eye like kohl.
Fulful (pepper); is dry and hot in the fourth degree. The white variety is hotter than the black. Dār-i fulful is less dry than both. All three break up and disperse hard gases in the stomach and intestines. They cut off phlegmatic fluids that stretch without breaking and warm the nerves and muscles.
It explains the nature, benefits, properties, and rulings of the most commonly used simple medicines and foods according to the order of the abjad, hawwaz, ḥuṭṭī letters.
O dear one! It should be known that medical experts have said: The compound organs in which the soul resides in the human body are as follows: the brain, two eyes, two ears, tongue, lungs, heart, ḥijāb, chest, stomach, intestines, liver, gallbladder, spleen, kidneys, bladder, testicles, penis, and in women, the uterus and breasts. The preservation of all of these is obligatory and necessary.
Each eye consists of seven layers and three fluids. In total, it is known as ten layers. The first layer is the multehima, which is exposed to air. The second layer is the qarīna, which comes after the multehima. It is colorless and takes on the color of the layer beneath it. The third layer is the ʿayniyya, which is either black or hazel (shahlā), or yellowish-green (biliary), or sky blue (zarkā). The layer beneath the multehima is colorless and takes on the color of the layer beneath it. After the ʿayniyya layer comes the white fluid, which is pure like egg white. The fourth is the ʿankabūtiyya, which resembles a spider’s web. After this comes the rutoobat-i jaldiyya, which is transparent and pure like snow.
Amber (kahrabāʾ); is hot in the first degree, dry in the second. It prevents spitting blood and excessive bleeding from the veins. It is beneficial for distress, palpitations (hafaqān), and zahīr. It stops diarrhea.
The food of a person with a sanguine temperament should be cold and stimulating, like sumac; for a phlegmatic temperament, hot and subtle; for a bilious temperament, cold and moist, like pomegranate; for a melancholic temperament, moist.
Ijjās (plum); is cold and moist in the second degree. Its sweet variety relaxes the stomach and causes diarrhea. The sour variety calms heart inflammation and expels bile. The sweet variety causes less diarrhea than the sour.
Blessed watermelon contains the water of Paradise and the flavor found in every food. Its flesh, juice, seeds, and rind are beneficial to all organs and faculties. Watermelon is at once food, drink, and a fragrant basil. It cleanses the stomach and bladder, acts as a soapwort. It brings blessing to seminal fluid and stimulates desire. Its fragrance is pleasant and soothes headaches. It cleanses and beautifies the skin. It strengthens vision, increases appetite and pleasure in eating, and quenches thirst. It kills intestinal worms. It is very beneficial to the body by removing seventy diseases.
Jawz-i bevvā (nutmeg); is hot and drying in the second degree. It strengthens the eyes and is beneficial for a type of eye disease called “sabel.” Its fragrance is pleasant, and eating it aids digestion. It strengthens the liver, spleen, and stomach, and is a diuretic. Its nature is constipating.
The highest degree of preserving one’s health, which is within one’s own control, is this: First, know the temperaments, and then, by changing the necessary causes, protect the natural moisture in the body from inflammation. Prevent excessive separation (taḥallul) of the body parts. If no external harm comes until the end of life, let each of the four stages of human life (asnān al-arbaʿa) be preserved and maintained according to its requirements, so that one completes life in health and well-being with peace of mind.
Saffron (zaʿfarān); is dry in the first degree, hot in the second. It beautifies the skin, is a diuretic, reduces desire, dissolves blockages, and opens the veins. However, it is also constipating.
If a doctor, while taking the pulse, lists the names and attributes of the patient’s friends and acquaintances, and the pulse changes or the face turns pale at a certain name, he knows that the owner of that name is the patient’s beloved.
The brain is a soft, jointed substance that is white in color. The brain is formed from the marrow of the arteries, the veins, the membrane (ghashāʾ) called umm al-dimāgh, and the membrane attached to the skull bone. The shape of the brain is like a triangle. Its base is at the front of the head, and its apex, surrounded by two sides, is at the back of the head. The sensation and movement of the body reach perfection through the brain; the sensory organs of the body are connected by soft nerves, and the movements of the limbs are achieved through hard nerves; their wisdoms have been explained earlier.
Shūnīz (black cumin); has black grains. It is hot and dry at the end of the second degree. It is burning and polishing. It dissolves and expels gases, removes bahak and baras. It kills worms in the abdomen. If two dirhams of soured (oxidized and damaged) cumin are placed on the forehead in a linen bag, it is beneficial for colds and paralysis.
Sandalwood; is cold and dry in the second degree. When applied as an ointment or taken internally, it is beneficial for inflammatory swellings, feverish headaches, and palpitations. It is suitable for stomach weakness caused by heat and pain.
. Abjad: The order of Arabic letters arranged according to the old Semitic alphabet, with additional letters for sounds specific to Arabic, and each letter assigned a numerical value: from one to ten in order, then by tens to one hundred, and by hundreds to one thousand. After dividing these letters into eight groups and inserting vowels, the following eight meaningless words are formed, which serve as a mnemonic for the order of the Arabic letters: abjad, hawwaz, ḥuṭṭī, kalaman, saʿfas, qarashat, sahkhaz, dazghān. (Ferit Devellioğlu, Ottoman Turkish–Turkish Encyclopedic Dictionary, Aydın Kitabevi, Ankara 1988, pp. 233-234.)
. The text has “taʿaddī,” but it should be “taghaddī.”
. Ḥayd: Refers to the peak of a high mountain.
. Ijjās: In some places, also used to mean apricot and pear.
. Tabāshīr: There are two interpretations. 1- Tabāshīr is found inside the old henna plant. The stem of the henna is jointed, and the best is obtained from its joints. 2- It is formed by burning the aforementioned henna plant, and its ash is called tabāshīr. (Ibn Sīnā, op. cit., vol. II, p. 289, footnote 630.)
. In al-Qānūn: “It strengthens sexual desire.” See Ibn Sīnā, op. cit., vol. II, p. 237.
If vomiting is difficult for him or it is not the right time, let him drink hot water boiled with wheat and mastic, and lie on his right side. Or, let him add fine salt to a finger’s length of honey and hold it in the rectum with cotton for about half an hour. Thus, he will find softness, and the spoiled food will leave him easily. Then, let him eat things that strengthen the stomach, like apples, and rest in the bathhouse.
. Ibn Sīnā says: “Sumac prevents the flow of bile into the internal organs.” al-Qānūn Translation, vol. II, p. 440.
. Zahīr: Originally Arabic (z-h-r), meaning internal pain. In medicine, it refers to painful discharge caused by hemorrhoids and bladder inflammation.
. Kuhūl: Those between 30 and 50 years of age. Those in the prime of life.
. Dārchīn: Although it is said to be originally dārū-yi chīn, its true origin is “dār-i chīn,” meaning “Chinese millet.” Cinnamon water was used as an intoxicating drink.
. Sabel: A veil descending over the eye, a disease causing cloudy or blurred vision.
. A plant that grows in India and China.
. Dār-i fulful: A spice with long grains similar to black pepper.
. Bahak: A disease that causes scaly whiteness and variegated color on the skin.
. Yarpuz: A herb similar to thyme.
. Soapwort: A plant whose roots and branches foam like soapy water, hence called soapwort (saponaria officinalis).
. Rībās: Sorrel, rheum ribes.
. Fatīr: Unleavened flatbread, bazlama. A type of pastry.
. Bars/baras: A disease that causes white and variegated spots on the body; vitiligo, leprosy.
. Fuʾād: A spiritual organ, meaning the heart and the place of witnessing God Most High.
. Kaswa has three meanings: 1- Hardness, rigidity. 2- Mercilessness, cruelty. 3- Distress, constriction of the heart. All three are used in Turkish.
The most pleasant of vegetables are yarpuz (pennyroyal), celery, and rībās (sorrel). These are the foods of Khidr and Ilyās. They protect a person, remove jinn and leprosy. They are beneficial for the brain and open nasal blockages. Kemeʾ, which is white truffle, is a kind of manna, and its juice is a cure for the eyes; the black variety is superior.
The brain is a soft, jointed substance that is white in color. The brain is formed from the marrow of the arteries, the veins, the membrane (ghashāʾ) called umm al-dimāgh, and the membrane attached to the skull bone. The shape of the brain is like a triangle. Its base is at the front of the head, and its apex, surrounded by two sides, is at the back of the head. The sensation and movement of the body reach perfection through the brain; the sensory organs of the body are connected by soft nerves, and the movements of the limbs are achieved through hard nerves; their wisdoms have been explained earlier.
The stomach is a circular organ composed of flesh, nerves, and arteries. The stomach is divided into three parts. The first part is called the esophagus, the second part is the cardia (stomach entrance), and the third is the fundus (bottom of the stomach). The esophagus comes from the end of the mouth and ends at the border of the chest bone. The cardia is at the mentioned border and is devoid of flesh, i.e., it is fleshless. The fundus of the stomach is created with flesh. Its location is above the navel. The benefit and function of the stomach is to digest food. The intestines are layered, delicate nerves composed of nerves, fat, veins, and arteries. There are seven: the first is called “bevvām,” the second “duodenum,” the third “sāʾim” (retentive), the fourth “dekkāk,” the fifth “aʿwar” (cecum), the sixth “colon,” and the seventh “mustaqīm” (rectum). The rectum is attached to the anal ring. Their benefit and function is to expel the waste and excess of food from the body.
O dear one! It should be known that the scholars of hadith have said: The habit of the prophets (peace be upon them) was to regularly eat barley bread. The Beloved Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) most often ate that bread, or he would eat barley bread mixed with wheat flour. He would not be satisfied with barley bread for three nights in a row. Most of the time, he would spend his time in hunger and thirst. For this reason, he warned people, saying: “Eating and drinking twice during the day and twice during the night is extravagance and a cause of illness.” To persist in eating meat and drinking broth causes kaswa (hardness of heart). To continue eating meat and fatty foods for about forty days corrupts character and changes temperament. Eating when full without hunger and drinking water without thirst is harmful to health. Likewise, laughing for no reason puts a person in a shameful position. Sleeping day and night without waking is a disgrace and causes laziness.
Quince (safarjal) polishes the fuʾād (spiritual heart), gives light to the heart, and is unmatched in giving courage to the timid. If a pregnant woman eats it with rice pilaf, her child will be strong and beautiful. Eating pomegranate with its oil disciplines the stomach. Eating figs protects from lumbago and rheumatism and gives subtlety to the heart.
. Dura mater and pia mater.
. The thin and wide membrane that separates the chest and abdomen, also called the ḥijāb al-ṣadr, is the diaphragm.
. Kahf: Parietal bones.
. Ghashāʾ: Membrane.
The temperaments of the body are known by ten signs. The necessary conditions are six:
The first of the ten temperaments of the body is the sense of touch (lamas). The sense of touch in a body with balanced temperament is balanced in states of heat and cold. The sense in one with an imbalanced temperament is felt in the direction of the imbalance.
. Ibn Sīnā gives the signs that help diagnose temperament under ten headings: 1- Bodily sensation, 2- Muscular and fatty build, 3- Hair, hair growth rate, hair shape, hair color, abundance or scarcity of hair, 4- Facial appearance, 5- Physique, 6- Capacity of organs to receive, 7- Sleep and wakefulness, 8- Functional state of organs, 9- Secretions, 10- Psychological activity. (Ibn Sīnā, al-Qānūn fī’l-ṭibb, Book One, pp. 172-177.)
. Qarīniyya or karniyya: Means cornea.
. Multehima: Conjunctiva.
. Life is divided into four stages: 1- The developmental period up to about thirty years of age. 2- The period of maturity continuing from about thirty-five to forty. 3- The period of middle age extending up to about sixty. 4- The period of old age until death, during which the centers of life gradually weaken. (Ibn Sīnā, al-Qānūn fī’l-ṭibb, Book One, p. 14.) Some also list five stages: 1- Sinn al-ṣabāwat: The fifteen years from birth to puberty. 2- Sinn al-shabāb: From seven to fifteen or twenty years of age. 3- Sinn al-jawānī: From fifteen to thirty years of age. 4- Sinn al-kuhūlat: From thirty to fifty years of age. 5- Sinn al-shaykhūkhat: After fifty years of age.
. In Itāqī, it is written as “Bevvāb.”
. Used as a laxative.
. Sumac: The sour and red grains added to kebab and dough.
. The correct form of the word “istiftāgh” in the text should be “istiftāq,” meaning to split or open with the letter qāf.
. Mastic: A Greek name for a type of gum produced by a small tree growing on the island of Chios, which is chewed raw. It is also used for other purposes.
. In the story of the slave girl in the Masnavī, the doctor recognized the person the slave girl was in love with in this way.
. Scammony (Mahmūda, for more information on Kısa Mahmud Otu, see Ibn Sīnā, al-Qānūn fī’l-Ṭibb, Book Two, p. 435.
Shūnīz (black cumin); has black grains. It is hot and dry at the end of the second degree. It is burning and polishing. It dissolves and expels gases, removes bahak and baras. It kills worms in the abdomen. If two dirhams of soured (oxidized and damaged) cumin are placed on the forehead in a linen bag, it is beneficial for colds and paralysis.
Each eye consists of seven layers and three fluids. In total, it is known as ten layers. The first layer is the multehima, which is exposed to air. The second layer is the qarīna, which comes after the multehima. It is colorless and takes on the color of the layer beneath it. The third layer is the ʿayniyya, which is either black or hazel (shahlā), or yellowish-green (biliary), or sky blue (zarkā). The layer beneath the multehima is colorless and takes on the color of the layer beneath it. After the ʿayniyya layer comes the white fluid, which is pure like egg white. The fourth is the ʿankabūtiyya, which resembles a spider’s web. After this comes the rutoobat-i jaldiyya, which is transparent and pure like snow.
Since the body absorbs some of the bathwater, the person’s heat at that time quickly dissipates, and as the naturally cold water finds its coolness, it increases the body’s coldness. If one goes to the bathhouse after eating, it helps the body to gain weight. But if one drinks sikanjabin (a mixture of honey and vinegar), one will not experience constipation. If one eats after bathing, one is saved from constipation and will have a moderately plump body. If one goes to the bathhouse after food is digested, again, one will be plump and safe from constipation. Going to the bathhouse on an empty stomach dries out the body.
Isfānākh (spinach); is cold and moist in the first degree. Its nourishment is very good. It is beneficial for the lungs and chest, which are hot and drying. It softens the stomach and relieves bloody back pain.
The most pleasant of vegetables are yarpuz (pennyroyal), celery, and rībās (sorrel). These are the foods of Khidr and Ilyās. They protect a person, remove jinn and leprosy. They are beneficial for the brain and open nasal blockages. Kemeʾ, which is white truffle, is a kind of manna, and its juice is a cure for the eyes; the black variety is superior.
Uftīmūn (dodder); [162/a] is a plant that is drying in the first degree and hot in the third. Its scent is soothing (mussakkin) and is suitable and beneficial for the middle-aged and elderly. It removes melancholic and phlegmatic diseases. It relieves diarrhea, epilepsy, and melancholy (black bile-melancholia). It causes thirst in the young and those with internal heat.
Whoever wishes to preserve bodily health must always be mindful of his own temperament. If his temperament is constipated, let him soften it with liquid foods like figs and senna. Especially for the elderly, softness, comfort, and safety are suitable for their temperament. If there is excessive softness (diarrhea), let him constipate it with things like sumac and husrum (verjuice). If there is bloating, which arises from overeating and manifests as belching gas, or as a change in taste (souring), or simply heaviness due to spoiled food, let him strive to vomit without delay.
The fifth cause is food and drink. These affect the body either purely by quality, which is pure healing; or only by substance, which is pure nourishment; or purely by form, which, if its property suits the temperament and life of the body, is included in the antidote (tiryāq). If not, it is like a deadly poison. Or, it affects both by substance and quality, which are foods that are also medicine. Or, it affects both by quality and form, which are special-effect medicines, like scammony. [158/a] Or, it affects both by substance and form, which is a food with special properties, like apple.
Sumac; is cold in the second degree, dry in the third. It is constipating, strengthening, binding, and retentive. It constipates the stomach, stops bleeding. It draws bile into the abdominal organs. It removes swelling and tumors. It is a cure for toothaches. It quenches thirst, coats and corrects the stomach, and increases appetite. It stops menstrual blood. It blackens the hair and prevents fainting.