Those who disparaged love for some cause (in themselves) are divided into three groups. One is comprised of those who censured it because their rank exceeded it. Such persons, having risen from natural to spiritual love, perceived natural love from the perspective of their exalted rank. They despised it in comparison with that which they had attained and disparaged it accordingly. For natural love, even though it is noble in itself, is vile in comparison with spiritual love, because the highest degree of the perfection of natural love is the first stage of spiritual love. The perfection of the former, let it be understood, is merely a part of the latter. Similarly, one who has ascended from spiritual to divine love will think little of the spiritual in comparison with the divine.

The second group comprises those who were unable to bear love's burdens and afflictions and were vexed by its injustice and tyranny [147] and its abasement and humiliation.

The third group includes those who disparaged love out of ignorance of its source or because their natures were not suited to receive it. We will relate a selection of reports about each of the three groups.

Section One. The Opinion of the Physicians

Those who disparaged love out of lack of knowledge [of its source and because their natures were ill-suited] to receive it include some who are described as scholars, and not only uninformed ascetics who never concerned themselves with knowledge. Thus it is related of Fūrus the physicianthat he said: “How little passionate love (ʿishq) there is in the land of the Greeks. This is because most of them are preoccupied with medicine and philosophy and do not concern themselves with foul things, nor do they desire them.” The author of this book said: If the one who said this had known that love does not come about as the result of human desires or wishes, he would have refrained from censuring it.

It is said that a certain physician was asked about eros and that he replied: “Eros comes [148] from retarded understanding, for I have never seen a lover who was not weak of mind.”

The author of this book said: The Greeks seldom experienced eros and love because most of them had risen to the level of divine things and were preoccupied with these to the exclusion of love. But as for the natural philosopher, he has no excuse for censuring love, since his concerns do not extend beyond the world of nature. For him to censure it is impossible.