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GhazzaWs Alchemy of Happiness. 



and be took it out of his blessed mouth and would not eat it. 

 On another occasion a cup of milk was brought to the 

 faithful witness Aboo Bekir by his slave, and he took it 

 and drank it. After drinking it, he inquired, " where did 

 you get the milk ?" The slave said, " I told a man his 

 fortune, and he gave me the milk in return." As soon as 

 the faithful witness heard this, he frowned severely upon 

 his servant, inserted his blessed finger down his mouth, and 

 threw up the whole of the milk, so that none of it remained 

 on his stomach. He then said, " I fear that if any of the 

 milk should remain on my stomach, God would expel 

 knowledge and love from my heart." Now what harm 

 could result to other people from their eating those dates 

 or drinking that milk, that they should have been so care- 

 ful about such little things ? And since they did abstain 

 from such little things, regarding them as injurious, how 

 should it be otherwise than injurious to these foolish people 

 to drink wine, in full bowls and even by the jar full ? 



They know that the wisdom, piety and abstinence of the 

 prophets and saints were not less than their own. Can 

 there be any more astonishing folly than that of these men 

 who dare to compare themselves with the sea, because they 

 are not disturbed by drinking several bowls of wine, while 

 they compare the prophet of God, to a little water, which 

 is changed in its taste by a single date ? They are just 

 worthy that Satan should seize hold of them by the beard 

 and mustachios, and drag them after him both in this world 

 and the next, making them a shame and reproach. 



Now the faithful, truthful and experienced in religion, 

 who are mindful that the soul is treacherous, deceptive, 

 perfidious, malicious and false, always watch carefully over 

 their own souls, lest they should do something that tran- 

 scends the commands of the law, or that is contrary to rea- 

 son. The soul is always disposed to say to itself, " I am 

 obedient to the truth : I am submissive to the holy law : 



