19-3 Abul Abbas Muhammad ibn Ibrahim ibn Ishaq al-Taleqani رضي الله عنه narrated that Abu Sa’id al-Hassan ibn Ali al-Ado’we quoted Ebad ibn Saheeb, on the authority of his father, on the authority of his grandfather, on the authority of Al-Rabi’a - the companion of al-Mansoor, “One day Ja’far Ibn Muhammad as-Sadiq عليه السلام went to see Mansoor when an Indian doctor who read medical books was there. The Imam عليه السلام was listening. When the Indian doctor finished reading, he asked the Imam عليه السلام, ‘O Aba Abdullah! Do you want me to teach you medicine?’ As-Sadiq عليه السلام replied, ‘No, since what I know is better than what you know.’ The Indian doctor said, ‘What do you know?’ The Imam عليه السلام said, ‘I treat heat with cold, cold with heat, moisture with dryness and dryness with moisture. I leave the rest of the affairs to the Honorable the Exalted God and rely on the Prophet’s saying ‘that the stomach is the center of all ailments and abstinence is the best treatment for all ailments. The body should be given time to get used to things.’ The doctor said, ‘Medicine is nothing else but this.’ As-Sadiq عليه السلام said, ‘Do you think that I have learned these things from books on medicine?’ The Indian doctor said, ‘Yes, I do.’ As-Sadiq عليه السلام said, ‘No. I swear by God that I have only learned these from the Glorified God. Am I better in medicine or you? The Indian doctor said, ‘I am better.’ As-Sadiq عليه السلام said, ‘O Indian! May I then ask you a few questions?’ He said, ‘Go ahead and ask.’
As-Sadiq عليه السلام said, ‘O Indian! Why is the skull made of several pieces?’ He said, ‘I do not know.’ The Imam عليه السلام asked, ‘Why is there hair on the skull?’ He said, ‘I do not know.’ The Imam عليه السلام asked, ‘Why is there no hair on the forehead?’ He said, ‘I do not know.’ The Imam عليه السلام asked, ‘Why are there lines and wrinkles on the forehead?’ He said, ‘I do not know.’ The Imam عليه السلام asked, ‘Why are the eyebrows above the eyes?’ He said, ‘I do not know.’ The Imam عليه السلام asked, ‘Why the two eyes are shaped like almonds?’ He said, ‘I do not know.’ The Imam عليه السلام asked, ‘Why is the nose placed in between them?’ He said, ‘I do not know.’ The Imam عليه السلام asked, ‘Why is the hole in the nose located beneath it?’ He said, ‘I do not know.’ The Imam عليه السلام asked, ‘Why is there a lip and the moustache above the mouth?’ He said, ‘I do not know.’ The Imam عليه السلام asked, ‘Why do men have beards?’ He said, ‘I do not know.’ The Imam عليه السلام asked, ‘Why are the front teeth sharp, the grinding teeth are wide and the canine teeth are tall?’ He said, ‘I do not know.’ The Imam عليه السلام asked, ‘Why is there no hair on the palm of the hand?’ He said, ‘I do not know.’ The Imam عليه السلام asked, ‘Why are the nails and the hair not alive?’ He said, ‘I do not know.’ The Imam عليه السلام asked, ‘Why is the heart shaped like a pine seed?’ He said, ‘I do not know.’ The Imam عليه السلام asked, ‘Why do the lungs have two divisions which move in place?’ He said, ‘I do not know.’ The Imam عليه السلام asked, ‘Why is the liver curved?’ He said, ‘I do not know.’ The Imam عليه السلام asked, ‘Why does the kidney look like a bean?’ He said, ‘I do not know.’ The Imam عليه السلام asked, ‘Why do the two legs not bend backwards?’ He said, ‘I do not know.’ The Imam عليه السلام asked, ‘Why are the feet curved?’ He said, ‘I do not know.’
As-Sadiq عليه السلام said, ‘But I know.’ The Indian doctor said, ‘So please tell me.’ As-Sadiq عليه السلام said, ‘The skull is made of several pieces since it is hollow. It would break up, if it was not made up of several pieces. It lasts longer since it is made up of several pieces. There is hair on top of the skull so that the oil from the base of the hair can reach the brain, and evaporation can take place from the tips of the hair to let off the heat of the brain. There is no hair on the forehead so that light can reach the eyes. There are lines and wrinkles on the forehead to block the sweat from the head, so that it doesn’t reach the eyes long enough for one to wipe it off. It is similar to the river beds on the Earth which hold the water. The eyebrows are placed above the eyes to control the amount of light that reaches the eyes. O doctor! Have you not noticed that when there is too much light, people hold their hand above their eyes so as to limit the amount of light which reaches the eyes. The nose is placed in between the two eyes so as to equally divide the light into them. The two eyes are shaped like almonds so that drops of medication can stay in them and not fall off. The holes in the nose are located beneath it, so that the waste stuff from can leave the skull through it and the smell of things can be sensed by it. If the holes were placed above it neither could the waste stuff leave the skull nor could you smell anything. A lip and the moustache are placed above the mouth so as to hold the waste stuff leaving the skull through the nose and so as not to pollute the food and drinks until one can wipe the lip and the moustache off. Men have beards so that they may be distinguished from women. The front teeth are sharp to make it easier to bite and chew. The grinding teeth are wide so that it is easier to break down the food which we chew and the canine teeth are high to reinforce the grinding teeth just as pillars which are used in buildings. There is no hair on the palm of the hands so that one can feel what he touches with them. Were there any hair on the palms of the hands, nothing could be felt by touching. The nails and the hair are not alive, since they look awkward when they grow and they look better when they are trimmed or cut. However, if they were alive one would feel pain. The heart is shaped like a pine seed because it is upside-down. Its top is narrower so that it can fit on between the lungs, and the lungs are cooled while it pumps and the brain doesn’t burn out due to heat. The lungs have been made in two divisions which move in place so that it may encompass the heart and get cooled with its beating. The liver is curved so that it may encompass the stomach with its weight placed on the stomach in order that the stomach’s vapors may leave it. The kidney is shaped like a bean so that it affects the flow of the sperm through its passage (vas deferens) to be a drop at a time. Were it like a rectangle or a circle, one could not feel the joy of ejaculation. Once semen leaves the seminal vesicle in the back it goes through with a spring like action into the ejaculatory duct. The two legs bend the way they do, since we normally walk forward and our movements are balanced. Were it otherwise, we would fall down when we walked. Our feet are curved, since once we step on the ground we do not feel all the weight. This is similar to a millstone. If a millstone is placed on its round edge even a child can turn it. However, if it falls on the ground even a strong man cannot move it.’
The Indian doctor asked, ‘Where did you learn this knowledge from?’ As-Sadiq عليه السلام replied, ‘I learned these from my forefathers who had learned it from God’s Prophet عليه السلام. God’s Prophet had learned it from Gabriel who had learned it from God the Lord of the Two Worlds, may His Majesty be Exalted, who created the body and the soul.’ The doctor said, ‘You are right. I bear witness that there is no god but God and Muhammad is the Messenger of God and His servant and you are the most knowledgeable man of your time.’”