The Philosophy of the Teachings of Islam — Page 125
The Effect of Ginger 119 It should be remembered that according to medical science, ginger is the medicine that is called Sonth in Hindi. One of the qualities of ginger is that it strengthens the system and relieves dysentery and warms it up so that a person becomes capable, as it were, of climbing a mountain. By placing camphor and ginger in juxtaposition it is intended to convey that when a person moves from a condition of subordination to his passions towards virtue, the first reaction is that the poisonous matters from which he suffers are suppressed and the surge of passions begins to subside as camphor suppresses poisonous matters. That is why it is found useful in the treatment of cholera and typhoid. When poisonous matters are completely suppressed and the patient recovers his health to a degree in which he still feels weak, the second stage is that he derives strength from a drink flavoured with ginger. In spiritual terms this drink is the manifestation of divine beauty which is the nourishment of the soul. When he derives strength from this manifestation he is enabled to climb high mountains, that is to say, he performs such surprisingly difficult feats in the cause of God that no one whose heart is not inspired by the warmth of love can perform. In these verses God Almighty has employed two Arabic terms to