publicizing evil and indecency. When souls hear such things, they are stirred to desire, yearning, and infatuation. Whenever a person sees, hears of, or imagines someone doing what he himself desires, this prompts him to do it. When women see male animals mounting females, they feel drawn toward sexual intimacy and intercourse. Likewise, when a man hears of someone engaging in sexual acts with beardless youths or women, sees this, or imagines it, this urges him to do the same.
When a person thinks of food, he craves it and feels drawn to it. If something he desires—clothing, a woman, a dwelling, or anything else—is described to him, his soul inclines toward it. A person far from his homeland longs for it whenever he is reminded of it. Thus, whenever a person pictures something he loves, his love and desire for that beloved, sought-after object are stirred, whether through its description or through seeing it. Both produce a mental image. Such an image may arise through hearing, seeing, or thinking about things connected with it. When the soul pictures those associated things, it passes to another image, stirring the impulse of love, whether that love is praiseworthy or blameworthy.
This is why mentioning the Hijāz stirs in souls the desire to perform Hajj. They are likewise stirred by mention of al-Abraq, al-Ajra‘, al-‘Aliyy, and similar places: a person saw those stopping places while journeying to the beloved, so mentioning them brings the beloved to mind. Likewise, mentioning the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, brings him to mind and stirs love for him.