The savor of which shall not be altered; rivers of wine
Will be a delight to those who drink of them;
And there will be rivers of purified honey.”
For the inhabitants of hell are four rivers, in opposition to those in heaven; they are called “that of heat; that of water, blood, and matter; that of liquid pitch: and that of poison;” that is to say: death, ignorance, simple ignorance, and compound ignorance; for it is said:
“These are the similes which we propose to men; the wise only understand their explanation.”
Account of the tree TUBA, which is in heaven, and the tree ZAKUM, which is in hell.
It is to be known that Túba[118] is a celestial tree which sends branches into every corner of heaven; and this is an emblem of the tree of wisdom, from which branches extend to every corner—to any body, whether it be elemental or imaginary; that is to say, to every mind which is illumed and warmed by a ray of the sun of wisdom; it is by this light that his speech and conduct answer the exigency of wisdom, and that he considers well the end of his actions; so that he has never to repent of any one of his words or deeds, which is a sign of knowledge.
The tree zakúm[119] represents the tree of nature, a branch of which extends to every corner, that is to say, whatever power a man (actuated by it) exerts, he never considers the end of the action which he does, and has therefore always to repent of his words and deeds, which is a sign of ignorance.
As to an explanation about the Har and Kasur, it is to be known that both names relate to secrets of hidden things and sciences, which are concealed from the eyes of the profane by a veil, or by the pavilions of sublimity: