This letter, written to Hâdji Abdullatif Harazmî, informs of the mystery of why beautiful appearances are sweet:
Beauty, no matter where it is, is from the wujûd, that is, from the real existence. Wujûd, that is, existence, is the source of every goodness, every beauty. Only Allâhu ta’âlâ exists. The existence of creatures has originated from Allâhu ta’âlâ by way of shades. The beauty of creatures also has come from the Divine Being by way of shades. The essence, the origin of creatures is ’adam (nonexistence). ’Adam is vice. Nonexistence is the source of all evil. For this reason, the essence of creatures is ugliness, deficiency. The beauty seen on creatures has come from the real existence, yet since it is seen on the mirror of ’adam, it has become like ’adam and has obtained a share from ugliness and
deficiency. Because the creature is ugly in actual fact, a creature’s seeming beautiful to another creature is not from the true beauty of the real existence that causes the beauty in the creature. For, he has little relation with true beauty. Having an extensive relationship with the beauty which has been reflected on ’adam and which has for this reason become ugly, he gets flavour from it. A man who cleans or repairs sewers does not enjoy frangrance as much as he enjoys the noxious smells he is used to. As we have heard, while a man of the sewerage was passing the perfumery market, odorous scents affected him and made him faint. They made him smell some najâsat. The noxious scent smelling sweet to him, he recovered.