1848.] Notice of the Ikhwdn al safd. 189 



If any one of our brothers is rich but uninstructed, it is his duty to 

 seek one of his brothers who possesses knowledge and is poor, to take 

 him into his house and assist him with his wealth. His well informed 

 brother is to communicate to him his knowledge in return. Thus they 

 help each other to improve their conditions in this world and in 

 the life to come. But the rich ought never to let the poor feel his 

 dependence, nor to treat him with hauteur on account of his poverty ; 

 for wealth is a worldly possession, by which the life of this body, during 

 our stay in this world is sustained ; and knowledge is a spiritual posses- 

 sion, and the sustenance of the immortal soul in the world to come ; the 

 soul is better than the body, and the life of the soul better than the life 

 of this body ; for the former is finite, it diminishes and ends, whereas the 

 life of the soul in the world to come is eternal. It is said in the 

 Qoran, " You suffer on that occasion only the first death." The well 

 informed brother must not envy the other for his wealth, nor despise 

 him for his ignorance, nor must he boast of his knowledge, nor is he to 

 expect a remuneration for imparting to him his knowledge. Their rela- 

 tion is like that of the hand to the foot : they are equally connected 

 in one body and assist each other. The hands do not expect thanks or 

 payment, if they put the shoes on the feet or extract a thorn from 

 them ; nor do the feet expect a reward, if they convey the hands to 

 the place which is conducive to their growth and rise, and where they 

 escape the danger of being cut off ; for they are members of one body 

 and must preserve and assist each other. In the same way the ear 

 does not reproach the sight, if it hears the call, nor the eye reproaches 

 the ear, for seeing the person from whom the voice comes ; for they are 

 faculties of the same mind, and the welfare of the one, is the welfare of 

 the other. In the same manner the brothers of poverty ought to assist 

 each other in worldly and spiritual needs. 



The assistance which the poor, who is possessed of knowledge, and the 

 rich, who is ignorant, ought to afford to each other, may be illustrated 

 by an apologue : Two men made in company a journey through a desert, 

 one had his eyesight, but he was weak and had so many provisions 

 with him that he was unable to carry them. The other was blind, but 

 strong and without provisions. The former took the latter by the 

 hand and lead him, and the blind man carried the burden of the seeing 

 on his shoulder, and they both lived on these provisions. In this manner 



