Aslam

(iii) The third subject is that as a patient must obey with attention and care the instructions of the physician regarding diet and other injurious things, so also one addicted to sin must hear the verses of the Quran and the sayings of the Prophet with attention or follow these instructions with fear of God. (iv) The fourth subject is that as a patient must have look to what the physician gives instructions, so also every man should pay attention to what a spiritual guide says, though he has not greed for everything and does not commit every kind of sin. Every believer has got a special sin. The learned men of religion know about these and give instructions accordingly. They must take the lessons of religion to the people according to their diseases.
This world is the abode of patients or hospital, as there are only dead men under the earth and patients above the earth. The number of patients of heart diseases is more than that of the patients of bodily diseases. The learned spiritual men are the physicians of heart diseases and the kings are the care-takers of the hospitals. The patients which does not take the medicine of a learned man should be handed over to the king, so that he may cure him of this evil as a physician hands over a patient who does not observe the rules or who is mad.

DISEASE OF SOUL : It is more severe than that of body.
There are three causes for which disease of soul is more severe than the disease of body. The first cause is that the patient does not know that he is sick. The second cause is that the result of the disease of soul is not seen in the world as the disease of body is seen. That death is the result of bodily disease is seen and one does not like it. Death of soul is the ultimate result of sin. That is not seen in the world and for this reason hatred for sin is less. If however the sinner knows it even, you will see that he depends more upon God's mercy for cure of the disease of soul. He works very hard by giving up idleness for cure of the bodily disease but he does not work so much for cure of the disease of soul. The third cause is that no physician can diagnose this incurable

Vol-IV THE BOOK OF CONSTRUCTIVE VIRTUES 49

disease. The learned men are the physicians and they are also attacked with the incurable diseases of the age and so they are baffled in their treatment. This disease is not openly seen as it exists in everybody. They teach such things to the people as increase their disease, as love of this world is their serious disease. This disease is found in the physicians themselves. They are said : You are talking about treatment but you yourselves have forgotten it. The people are going to destruction on account of the death of physicians as the physicians themselves are engaged in ea ting evil and injurious diets.