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AlGhazalisIhya-Book_of_Destructive_Matters_of_Life, page : 13
An Exposition on the Difference between the two Positions shown by a
Tangible Example
The heart is like a pool filled either from rivers or from underground springs. The
first represent knowledge derived by means of deduction from the evidence of
the world, while the second is the inner, spiritual knowledge.
One side of a portico was once decorated by Byzantine craftsmen, while the
other was decorated by craftsmen from China. Between the two sides a veil was
suspended. The Byzantines painted and carved their side, while the Chinese
merely polished their side so that it became a mirror. When the veil was
removed, the mirror reflected the work of the Byzantines with added brilliance.
The Byzantines, then, resemble the scholars, while the Chinese are like the
Sufis.
An Exposition on Religious Texts testifying to the Correctness of the Sufis’
Method in Acquiring Knowledge, not by Learning or from the Customary
Method
Tangible Example
The heart is like a pool filled either from rivers or from underground springs. The
first represent knowledge derived by means of deduction from the evidence of
the world, while the second is the inner, spiritual knowledge.
One side of a portico was once decorated by Byzantine craftsmen, while the
other was decorated by craftsmen from China. Between the two sides a veil was
suspended. The Byzantines painted and carved their side, while the Chinese
merely polished their side so that it became a mirror. When the veil was
removed, the mirror reflected the work of the Byzantines with added brilliance.
The Byzantines, then, resemble the scholars, while the Chinese are like the
Sufis.
An Exposition on Religious Texts testifying to the Correctness of the Sufis’
Method in Acquiring Knowledge, not by Learning or from the Customary
Method