7 Preface يَخرُجُ مِن بَينِ الصُّلبِ وَالتَّرائِبِYusuf AliProceeding from between the backbone and the ribs:1A man’s seed is the quintessence of his body. It is therefore said metaphorically to proceed from his loins, i.e., from his back between the hipbones and his ribs. His back-bone is the source and symbol of his strength and personality. In his spinal cord and in the brain is the directive energy of the central nervous system, and this directs all action, organic and psychic. The spinal cord is continuous with the Medulla Oblongata in the brain.