The Commander of the Faithful—Majestic is his mention— said: "Whosoever conceals an ailment for three days and does not meet a physician, his pain will endure; but whosoever comes to the physician and informs him of it, it is a right upon Allah to heal him from it."

The furthest a servant can be from Allah—Mighty and Majestic is He—is when his [only] concern is his stomach and his private parts. The "stomach" is the First [the first usurper/opponent] and the "private parts" are the Second. He says: Whosoever follows these two and rejects the Truth has indeed distanced himself from Allah. This is the first level of the esoteric. In the profound esoteric sense, he says: The furthest a man can be from the Gnosis of the Commander of the Faithful—Majestic is his mention—is when he speaks with "Short-coming" (al-Taqsir); and there is no distance more evil than falling short in the Gnosis of Allah. Let none of you seek the sciences of the commoners (al-Amma), lest that lead you out of your religion and the Gnosis of your Lord.

The Commander of the Faithful—Majestic is his mention— said: "Let none of you set out on a journey in which he fears for his religion and his prayer." The "journey" (alSafar) is the seeking of knowledge.

Cupping (al-Hijama) benefits the body and strengthens the intellect. By cupping, he meant the establishment of the exoteric (al-Zahir), for in that is the purification of the body.