Mantic uttaïr, Request made to Muhammad

A man humbly asked the Prophet’s permission to pray upon his rug. The master would not grant it, saying to him: “At this hour the earth and the sand are burning hot. Place thy face upon the burning sand and upon the earth of the road, since all who are wounded by love must bear its mark upon their faces. When thou perceivest a wound in the soul, it is fitting that the scar should be visible on the outside. So long as the scar of the heart cannot be seen in this way, how canst thou be considered wounded? Show the scar of the heart, for in the dwelling-place of love, men of heart are known by their visible wound.”