Just imagine the sweetness of her body as she embraces you in her arms, so soft and gentle that your two bodies almost blend with each other. Then imagine her beautiful breasts touching your chest and the sheer delight in fondling them. Smell the perfume of her cheeks, so enticing that your heart will forget everything else as it wallows in the sheer pleasure of it, filled with an unspeakable delight emanating from the exquisite touch and sweetly perfumed rapture that she has conveyed to your soul.
Thus far I found myself relishing the ideas, since up to this point things were limited to embracing, blending one with each other, and mutual touching, all of it followed by two beloveds sharing feelings of pleasure and rapture. But where I found myself opposing his visions and heartily disapproving of the sheer obscenity of his ideas was with regard to the following passage:
While you find yourself in this position, they will flirt with you. They will lean over and keep on hugging and kissing you as they cover your chest with their breasts. They will envelop you in their gorgeous faces, cover your body, and coat it with their fluids. Your nostrils will be filled with the sweet scent of their cheeks.
Such talk as this finds an analogy among the ancient Greeks under the name "orgy," the kind of thing that the god of wine and communal mayhem, Dionysus, would call for (duly imitated by the Romans with their god, Bacchus). Those peoples had the customs that they did, and we monotheists have adopted some of that heritage of wisdom as part of our own quest, along with certain aspects of its polytheism and legend. But it makes no sense to see even a merely superficial and unintentional influence in this parallel depiction of the Muslim paradise. My personal opinion is that, in this particular chapter-on revelry and debauchery- Al-Harith al-Muhasibi has done a poor job of cultivating imagination's fertile fields, failing completely to appreciate either meaning or intention. With that in mind I have questioned my own soul about paradise, assuming that it takes a form such as Al-Muhasibi describes it. I have determined that it is only against my will that I will ever be dragged to such a place. Instead I much prefer the other version, a place the like of which no eye has ever seen, no ear ever heard, and no human heart ever conceived. We might perhaps excuse Al-Muhasibi on the grounds that he is addressing the general populace and people with few dreams. His audience is the many deprived and oppressed people in the world, so he writes in accordance with their very limited imagination, people who perceive everything without the benefit of investigation and metaphor. May God never involve us in such delusions and anxieties. Amen!
Invoking this reasoning, I put Al-Muhasibi's book aside. Instead I started contemplating the refreshing bliss that would soon be my good fortune. On the day of our engagement and marriage night, I would be in my beloved's arms. Putting out the light and extinguishing the candles, I closed my eyes and addressed my own souclass="underline"
"Imagine, my soul, that you have just woken up on the promised day, carefree and happy, mouthing words both sweet and scintillating. Then you have done your ablutions prior to performing the obligatory prayers and eaten just enough to keep your hunger at bay. At the bathhouse you have scrubbed and washed yourself with hot water to freshen body and soul, and trimmed your beard and hair. Donning your most elegant clothes, you have daubed yourself with perfume and straightened your general appearance. During the noontime prayers everyone has been staring at you in admiration, wondering what kind of special occasion you are going to as you sit astride your faithful and blessed steed.
"Next imagine that, before you leave, you have decided to take a walk up the mountain that has served as your protector, not to say farewell but rather to look around. You have headed for the summit, passing by the asylum and hearing vague noises and shouts emerging from it. You have then headed back down again via the hermits' forest where you have caught just a few isolated glimpses of them. You have made your way through the shady, fertile valley with its abundant crops and reached the lake where men and boys used to swim, splashing each other with water. After that you have whispered instructions in your horse's ear to convey you slowly to his and your mistress's house. He has neighed in agreement and followed various winding back-gullies till he has eventually reached the main path. Once there the earth has revealed itself to you in all its wonderful color and forms: trees decked in their finest garb and subtlest hues, birds singing and chirping sweetly, and a gentle breeze wafting through the elements of nature so as to bring them into a state of harmony and concord.
"Next imagine that these scenes of beauty all form a pathway that has been laid out for you toward the city where you have passed through squares and alleyways. People have stared at you reverently, assuming that you must be a personage of high rank. Now imagine that you have arrived at the door of your beloved's house surrounded by a retinue of servants, then entered the house with all due honor and respect. There you have been met by young maidens who have greeted you with as many songs and ululations as possible. Once they have settled you in the guest quarters, surrounded by tables of delicious food, your beloved has shown you her lovely visage by peeping out from behind a curtain. `Very soon,' she has told you in her sweet, melodious voice, `the men and witnesses will be arriving. Then, my dear beloved, our engagement will be concluded in a way that accords with your wishes and is pleasing to Almighty God: That said, she has disappeared. Just a few moments later, a group of august, pious-looking men have arrived. I have stood up to greet each of them in turn. The eldest has informed me that he is serving as the bride's representative; two others seem to be his companions, while a further two are people whom you may have met at some point but don't recall.
"Next imagine that you are exchanging expressions of affection and compliments with this group of men. An official witness now brings out the text of the marriage document with all its habitual terminology and ritual. Someone else has asked you for your name and profession, and whether you agree to marry the duly cloistered lady, Fayha', the daughter of the late lamented Hajj Al-Arabi from Sabta and his late wife, A'isha al-Sinhaji. When a request is made to specify the dowry price, you declare that it is too little and quadruple the amount. Now just imagine your overwhelming delight when the document is signed and the official legal certification is completed, followed by a communal recitation of the Fatiha of the Qur'an and their prayers that you and your wife may reside together in all blessing and well-being. You have then joined them in some food and drink, accompanied by conversation appropriate to the seriousness of the occasion. Once in a while you can all hear the sounds of the women in the house, praising God and chanting peals of joy. With the official ceremony over, the two witnesses have offered me their congratulations, stood up to leave, and hurried away with the excuse that they have a large number of Qur'anic duties to attend to. The bride's representative has leaned over and asked you if it suits you to have the actual wedding night in the middle of the current month, Rabi' al-Awwal, and you have agreed, noting that, as the saying goes, the best charity is that which comes soonest. You have been about to ask him for his permission to return to your hostelry, but you have listened as he summons the entire assembly to pray the afternoon prayer with him as imam; and you have done so. Once the prayer is concluded, he has talked to you and his companions about a variety of issues, both religious and secular. In response you have given all kinds of responses and have thereby earned their approval and assent. Like you they have expressed the urgent need for a concerted effort to be made with regard to Spain so that the dangers implicit in the new Christian alliance will not become so severe as to threaten Sabta itself, the other Maghribi cities, and the ports on either side of the straits. The conversation has continued in this serious vein until dinner is concluded, at which point the group has headed for the central mosque where you have prayed in their company. With that you have said farewell and mounted your horse to return to your residence.