Chapter on all Crafts Require Contemplation and Discernment
My brother, know that we have discussed these crafts and occupations, and have included this epistle amongst the epistles on ‘The Intellect and the Perceivable’. This is because man undertakes these crafts with his intellect, discernment, consideration and contemplation; all of which are spiritual and intellectual capacities.
Similarly, any wise person who ponders over these crafts and acts which manifest themselves at the hands of humankind will realize that along with the body their exists another essence that in fact is the one that reveals these well-perfected acts. He will conclude that these crafts are not the work of the body, for after a person’s demise his body remains at it is, no part or organ is taken from it, yet, it is unable to carry out such crafts. Therefore, along with the body, there is another essence – the soul- which has now left it, because of which it is now void of all such merits. It is the soul that stirs the body into action and moves it from one place to another in all six directions. Further, it is the soul that utilizes the body to move things external to the body, and to lift objects on its back and shoulders.
After the soul leaves the body, it needs four people to carry it on a plank of wood upon which it is laid. It does not have the ability to stand, or sit or move. It has no sense of where it is or what is happening to it with regards to its washing and burial. Many, learned persons, who lack an understanding of the soul and its essence, are of the view that all crafts and acts that reveal themselves at the hands of humans are the acts of the body composed of flesh, blood, fat, bones and veins, through the accidents of life, ability, knowledge etc. However, they do not realize that these accidents are not part of the body but are in fact part of the essence that is the soul. Since mankind is a combination of a lifeless body and a soul that is living, these attributes are found in it only when it is alive, not when it isn’t. Finally, life is nothing more than the soul using the body, while death is nothing but the soul ceasing to use it, just as being awake is nothing but the soul making use of the five senses, while sleep is when it ceases to do so.
