BİRİNCİ FEN · ÜÇÜNCÜ BÂB · ONUNCU FASIL · Dördüncü Madde
The Fourth Article
Describes the properties and benefits of organs.
O esteemed one! It is known that anatomists have said: The origin of sensation and movement in all sensory and motile organs is either a nerve, or different things, with the source of each power being a separate nerve.
The membranes (ghishā) enveloping all internal organs originate from one of the membranes not foreign to the inner surfaces of the chest and abdomen.
The membranes for the organs of the chest, such as the diaphragm, lungs, veins, and arteries, emanate from the membranes on the inner surface of the ribs. The membranes for the organs and vessels within the abdominal cavity originate from the inner skin (safāq) of the abdominal muscles. [566] All fleshy organs are either fibrous like the muscles or non-fibrous like the liver. And all movements of the body, whether natural or voluntary, occur only through fiber. Voluntary movements occur through the fibers of the muscles. Natural movements, such as the movement of flesh and veins, and compound movements arising from the mixture of natural and voluntary movements, occur through the contraction of longitudinal, transverse, and oblique fibers.
Therefore, longitudinal fibers are for drawing (traction), transverse fibers are for releasing and expanding, and oblique fibers are for grasping and squeezing. In limbs with a single covering (urīd), such as veins, the three types of fibers are interwoven in an intricate pattern. In limbs with two coverings, the fibers of the outer layer are transverse, the fibers of the inner layer are oblique, and the fibers of the innermost part of the inner layer are longitudinal. But they are created in this manner so that drawing fibers and expanding fibers do not gather together, while drawing fibers and grasping fibers remain close to one another. The intestines are an exception to this rule, for they have little need for grasping; rather, they require drawing and expansion.
Some organs, which are distant from their own substance, encompass bodies, and resemble nerves, possess a single covering, while others possess two. There is great benefit in those with two coverings: First, like in veins, they are protected from tearing and splitting due to the powerful movement of the substances within them. Second, valuable things are doubly protected from decay and leakage, as is the case with the spirit and blood within the vessels. Third, when a strong pushing or pulling action is needed, the pushing instrument is located in one layer, and the pulling instrument in another, as in the stomach and intestines. Fourth, the inner nerve layer of that organ serves for protection, while the outer fleshy layer serves for digestion, because it is possible for what is digested to reach it without encountering it.
The temperament of some organs resembles that of blood, so little transformation (assimilation) is required for the blood to nourish them. Like in flesh. Therefore, in flesh and similar tissues, there is a space or cavity where the food reaching them remains for a time before becoming the nourishment of the flesh. The temperament of other organs is distant from blood, requiring many transformations for the blood to undergo assimilation within them. Like in bones. Therefore, food remains in them for some time, either with a cavity or multiple cavities, such as the femur (azm-i sāk), the humerus (azm-ı fekk-i esfel), and the lower jaw bone. These organs take in more than their necessary amount of nourishment so that they may gradually assimilate blood within themselves. Stronger organs send excess nourishment to weaker neighboring organs, such as the heart sending nourishment to the axillary glands, the brain to the glands behind the ears, and the liver to the ernebe (the sides of the nose).
“We glorify [God] in the most beautiful manner, shaping and creating everything according to wisdom, with a glorious countenance and an everlasting dominion. He is free from all imperfection.”
[556]. Sevdā: One of the four humors accepted by the ancients in human temperament. It is a type of secretion emanating from the body besides phlegm, blood, and bile.
[557]. Jawsram: An infectious skin disease caused by the Hansel microbe.
[558]. Nutfe: The union of two halves, each of a different sex, in the uterus.
[559]. See al-Hakim, al-Mustadrak, II, 672/4228 for this hadith expressing this truth.
[560]. Bukhari, “Bad’u’l-Khalq” 6, “Anbiya” 1, “Qadar” 1; Muslim, “Qadar” 1.
[561]. Kemirdek: Refers to the bony part of the tail. It also refers to the term kemircik, which denotes the cartilage of the nose, eye, and ear. (Hayat Büyük Türk Sözlüğü, page 701.) This infrequently used term is written as "kemirden" by İtâkî, read as “kümürden” by Esin Kâhya, and translated as cartilage. Şemseddîn-i İtâkî’s Illustrated Book of Anatomy, Edited by Esin Kâhya, Atatürk Culture, Language and History High Council Atatürk Culture Center Publications, Ankara 1996, p. 126.
[562]. Bukhari, “Bad’u’l-Khalq” 6, “Anbiya” 1, “Qadar” 1; Muslim, “Qadar” 1.
[563]. "Subhâne’l-Hâlıkı’l-Bârî’i’l-Musavviri’l-Muhyi’l-Mumiti’l-Hayyi’l-Kayyûm, Celle Celâluhû wa amme nevâluhû wa lâ ilâhe gayruhû."
[564]. Tendon: A dense, regular connective tissue that connects muscles to bones. It is also called kiriş.
[565].
(Kursak) no suitable equivalent could be found here. However, Esin Kahya used an expression in the fourth section of the first book of the translation of al-Kânûn fi’t-Tıb, "like the formation of rennet cheese" regarding this part. Rennet is a mixture obtained from calf's serum and containing the enzyme rennin. Serum is a substance secreted by mucous membranes in ruminants.
Sublime is the Creator, the Fashioner, the Perfector, the Giver of Life, the Revivifier, the Living, the Sustaining; Exalted be His Majesty and abundant are His gifts, and there is no god but He.
[566]. Safaq: The thin skin beneath the hairy skin.
From this purified blood, when it has not yet attained its consistency, it is drawn by the kidneys, which change it with water mixed in, until it becomes thick. Then the concentrated part of what remains in the kidney becomes abundant and goes to the bladder as urine. Afterward, the pure blood that matures in the liver reaches all the organs through the vessels. The force of growth gives life to the organs; strength and power manifest in the flesh and fat of the body. From the blood remaining in the vessels comes sperm for men and both sperm and milk for women. Sperm fills the kidneys and testicles (husye), and milk goes to the mammary veins. Thus, if the spleen does not separate and divert this essence mentioned earlier from the blood due to a disease, diseases of the soul arise in the body’s members, such as fever, intermittent fevers, and madness. And if a disease afflicts the gallbladder and it does not keep bile away from the blood, then illnesses like thirst arise from that blood. Similarly, each organ and power in the body performs its service. If one of them is deficient or fails to perform its duty, the body deteriorates, and the human soul cannot perform the tasks it should.
The simple organ (mufrad) is that which shares with the whole in definition and name if any of its parts are taken away. Such as bone, flesh, and nerve. These are called organs of similar constitution. The compound organ (murekkeb) is that whose part, when taken away, does not share with the whole in definition or name. Such as the face, hand, and foot. For only a part of the face is face. They are also called instruments of tools. The first of the organs possessing similar constitution is bone, which has been created solid and hard. For bones are the foundation of the body and the pillar of the movement of its organs. Then cartilage comes, which is soft; it bends and flexes. It is created softer than bone but harder than other organs. The function of cartilage is to beautifully accomplish the connection of a soft organ to a hard one. Thus remaining between the soft and hard bodies, preventing the soft body from being harmed by the hard body during impacts and falls. Then come the nerves, which are substances that emerge from the brain or spinal cord, soft when bending, firm when separating, and white in color. All the organs of sensation and movement are completed with nerves. Then there are tendons (evtar), which are substances originating from the ends of muscles and resembling nerves. They are closely attached to the movable organs. As the muscle contracts and returns, the tendons also contract, drawing the movable members. And as the muscles relax and extend and return to their place, the aforementioned tendons ease the organ into its state.
Soul: One of the four humors accepted by the ancients in human temperament. It is a kind of secretion besides phlegm, blood, and bile.
Bukhari, “Creation of Souls,” 6, “Prophets,” 1, “Destiny,” 1; Muslim, “Destiny,” 1.
This hadith expressing this truth can be found in Hakim, al-Mustadrak, II, 672/4228.
Nutfe: The union of two halves and separate sexes of cells in the womb.
Leprosy: A contagious skin disease caused by the Hansel microbe.
Kemirdek: Refers to the bony part of the tail. There is also the term kemircik, which refers to the cartilage of the nose, eye, and ear. (Dictionary of Great Turkish Words, page 701). This infrequently used term is written as “kemirden” by Shamsaeddin-i Itaki, read as "kümürden" by Esin Kahya, and translated as cartilage. From the Illustrated Anatomy Book of Shams al-Din Itaki, Published by Atatürk Culture, Language and History High Council Atatürk Culture Center, Ankara 1996, p. 126.
For example; goodness and evil, understanding and foolishness, stinginess and generosity, fear and courage, love and hatred, greed and contentment, noble character and baseness, poverty and wealth, ease and hardship, life and death, beauty and maturity, weariness and fatigue—whatever state there is, it arises in the essence of that nutfe. For that nutfe is the levh-i mahfuz of the fetus's body, and the levh-i mahfuz is the manifestation of this world. Thus, the fortunate one finds his fortune in his mother’s womb, and the wretched one also finds his misery in his mother’s womb. As the Noble Prophet (peace be upon him) announced with a sign through the saying: “The fortunate one is he who is fortunate in his mother's womb. The wretched one is he who is wretched in his mother's womb,” everyone’s destiny is affected by what has been mentioned above. For the entire form, characteristics, and mixture of mankind have differed in their mothers' wombs according to the positions of the stars.
Herein, the appointed times of death are also determined differently within him, according to his temperament. In essence, it has been observed that the bodies of children and young men possess a balance of warmth and moisture. The bodies of young men are intensely fiery. The bodies of adults and the elderly have become cold and dry due to their distance from the spiritual vapor and warm blood – as explained above. However, it has been determined that women's temperaments are colder and more moist than those of men.
The essence of foods, which is sperm, or a seed, unites with the woman’s seed through sexual intercourse at a specific time and enters the womb. There, after forty days, it abandons its seed-like form and transforms into the form of a blood clot (alaka), meaning congealed blood. After this state lasts for forty days, that is, eighty days from the beginning, it becomes a mudga, which means it takes the shape of chewed flesh. Upon completion of the third forty days, or one hundred twenty days, bones, nerves, veins, organs, muscles, fats, hairs, and nails appear. When the fourth month is completed, all the organs of the fetus become distinct, and this stage's child possesses an animalistic soul, whose nourishment comes from blood through the umbilical cord. Because the seed settles in the womb, it is under the influence of Zuhal in the first month, then enters the tutelage of Mupiter in the second month, Mars in the third month, the Sun in the fourth month, Venus in the fifth month, Utarit in the sixth month, and the Moon in the seventh month. Thus, if a child is seven months old when it is born, it lives; if it is eight months old when it is born, it does not live, but dies. Because in the eighth month it enters the tutelage of Zuhal. Since Zuhal is cold and dry, its nature is mortality. If it is nine months old when it is born, it lives because it is under the tutelage of Mupiter. For Mupiter is warm and moist, so its nature is life.
The coldest substance in the body is phlegm. After phlegm come hairs; after hairs come bones; after bones comes marrow; then ligaments (ribat); then fasciae; then pleura; then nerves; after nerves comes putrid marrow; after that, the brain; after the brain comes flesh; after flesh comes fat and skin. The moistest member of the body is phlegm. After phlegm comes blood; after blood comes fat; after fat comes internal fat; after internal fat comes the brain; after the brain comes putrid marrow; then the fatty tissue in women's breasts. Next comes the lungs, which are the place of breathing; then the liver; then the spleen and kidneys. Finally, there is the skin.
O esteemed one! It should be known that anatomists have said: All bodily organs with similar parts originate from two seeds. Flesh and fat are exceptions, for both come from blood. Thus – excluding flesh and fat – the organs whose components resemble each other originate from the father’s seed, just as cheese originates from rennet, and they originate from the mother's seed, like curdled milk. Just as the curd and milk are a part of what they produce, so too, each of the two seeds is a part of every essence of the fetus within the womb. Then, the woman’s menstrual blood becomes the nourishment of the fetus’s umbilical cord in the womb, and the fetus grows by being nourished with it. Those that do not become nourishment fill the spaces between the earlier organs and become flesh and fat. Excess blood remains until the time of lochia, thereby removing the mother's original nature. After the child is born, the nutritive blood formed in the liver takes the place of the blood received from the umbilical cord, closes the umbilical canal, and that blood forms the flesh and fat which begins to originate from it. Flesh originates from the solid part of the blood, shaped by its warmth and dryness. Fat arises from watery and oily blood; therefore, it dissolves and separates with heat.
For example, the organs within a person such as the heart, stomach, liver, spleen, gallbladder, lungs, and kidneys; the forces of traction, retention, digestion, separation (mumayyizah), expulsion of superfluities, shaping, increase, and proliferation – all are appointed in the body as servants. And each is diligently performing its duty at every moment. For the heart, which is the source of life, constantly gives warmth and force to the aforementioned organs in varying degrees. The traction force in the stomach draws various foods into the stomach; the retention force preserves them; and the digestive force cooks them. The separation force separates the solid from the subtle parts of cooked food, and the force that expels superfluities sends the solid and thick part to the intestines. The subtle part remaining in the stomach is drawn by the liver, and the shaping (tasvir) force in the liver colors it red like blood. The black froth appearing on top of it is drawn by the spleen and transformed. The yellow froth remaining in it is drawn by the gallbladder and transformed. The phlegm within it is drawn by the lungs and sent to the throat through breathing.
"Allah, who fashions [His] creation in perfect form, gives life, causes death, is ever-living, whose dominion has no limits, whose blessings reach all – He is free from every imperfection. There is no god but Him."
Thus, the movement of celestial bodies and the mixture of elements (imtizac) are for the birth and emergence of man; and the purpose of all creations in the universe is only for the manifestation of the noble existence of the perfect human being (al-insan al-kamil). All beings other than the perfect human being have been created as servants and helpers to him. Just as in the blessed presence of our most excellent ancestor, Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him), "You are not but a mercy to the worlds."
"It is said: O esteemed one! Know that the wise have stated: This world is our compassionate mother. Just as a mother nurtures her child, digesting foods he cannot and transforming them into sustenance suitable for him, then delivering it through her breasts, so too this world is our compassionate mother, providing us with appropriate nourishment through plants and animals – like two breasts. It delights us with fruits of varied colors and delectable provisions, nurturing us thereby. This world, unlike other realms, is inwardly directed. Thus, it watches over us and is present in our upbringing. Therefore, we are still, in essence, dwelling within our mother’s womb, as some interpret the hadith: ‘The fortunate one is fortunate in his mother's womb, and the unfortunate one is unfortunate in his mother's womb.’ This meaning also aligns with the verse: 'Those who are blind in this world will be blind in the Hereafter; they have gone far astray’ (Isra, 17:72). A perfect being has expressed this through a couplet.
Regarding the diaphragm within the chest, and organs like the lungs, veins, and arteries—their origins lie in the membranes on the inner surface of the ribs. Similarly, the origins of the membranes surrounding the organs and vessels within the abdominal cavity are found in the inner skin of the abdominal muscles (safaq). All fleshy organs are either fibrous, like muscle tissue, or non-fibrous, like the liver. Every movement of the body—whether natural or voluntary—occurs through fiber. Voluntary movements arise from the fibers of muscles. Natural movements, such as those of flesh and vessels, along with compound movements that combine both natural and voluntary actions, are achieved through the contraction of longitudinal, transverse, and oblique fibers. Longitudinal fibers are responsible for pulling motions; transverse fibers for releasing and extending; and oblique fibers for grasping and compressing.
The text then proceeds to explain the composition, names, and characteristics of the bones within the human body in three sections."