Saturday, August 22, 2026

The Blessed Sunnah of Hunger: Moderation in Eating, Spiritual Discipline and the Simple Diet of the Prophet ﷺ

Du'ā of the Holy Prophet

The Beloved and Blessed Prophet would often make the following Du'ā:

يَا مُقَلِّبَ الْقُلُوْبِ ثَبِّتْ قَلْبِيْ عَلٰى دِيْنِكَ

O the One Who turns the hearts! Keep my heart steadfast in Your religion.

(Musnad Imām Aḥmad, vol. 4, pp. 515, Ḥadīš 13697)

Four from forty thousand

Sayyidunā 'Abdullāĥ Ibn Mubārak has narrated that a wise man chose the following four pieces of advice from forty thousand.

1.     Do not trust every woman in every matter.

2.     Never rely on your wealth.

3.     Do not overburden your stomach (by overeating).

4.     Do not acquire such knowledge that does not benefit you, like (information, news etc.).

(Al-Munabbihāt lil-'Asqalānī, pp. 47)

صَلُّوْا عَلَى الْحَبِيْبِ ۞ صَلَّى اللّٰهُ تَعَالٰى عَلٰى مُحَمَّد

Seven intestines

The Prophet of Raḥmaĥ, the Intercessor of Ummaĥ has stated, 'The believer eats in one intestine while the unbeliever and the hypocrite eat in seven intestines.'

(Ṣaḥīḥ Bukhārī, vol. 6, pp. 246, Ḥadīš 5394)

Meaning of seven intestines

Dear Islamic brothers! The foregoing Ḥadīš does not imply that a Muslim possesses only one intestine while an unbeliever possesses seven. Every person possesses seven intestines. What is meant by this Ḥadīš is that gluttony is the habit of the unbelievers.

Elaborating on this Ḥadīš, Hujjat-ul-Islam, Imām Muhammad Ghazālī has stated, 'A hypocrite eats seven times more than a Muslim. It may also mean that the desire of a hypocrite (to eat) is seven times more than that of a Muslim. Here, the word 'intestine' alludes to 'desire or craving' because it is the desire which urges a person to consume food. It does not mean that a hypocrite has more intestines than a Muslim.'

(Iḥyā-ul-'Ulūm, vol. 3, pp. 89)

Difference between diet of Mūmin and that of hypocrite

Sayyidunā Ḥasan Baṣrī has stated, 'A Muslim is like a little sheep or goat, (as) merely a handful of dates and barley and a single gulp of water is sufficient (for it). As for the hypocrite, he is like a wild animal that chews incessantly and then swallows its food. Its stomach does not shrink for its neighbour and it does not sacrifice anything even for its own brother.'

(Qūt-ul-Qulūb, vol. 2, pp. 324)

Food of Imām Aḥmad Razā

Imām Aḥmad Razā Khān used to consume very little food. Shaykh Sayyid Ayyūb 'Alī Shāĥ has narrated, 'The food of A'lā Ḥaḍrat contained just a small bowl of goat meat gravy without chilli and one or two biscuits made from Sūjī (granulated wheat flour). This was not everyday, at times he did not use to eat even this little amount of food.'

(Ḥayāt-e-A'lā Ḥaḍrat, vol. 1, pp. 27)

Seven Madanī pearls

The companion Sayyidunā 'Abdullāĥ Ibn 'Abbās has stated that a wise person should prefer seven things to seven other things:

1.     He should prefer poverty to wealth.

2.     He should prefer (worldly) disgrace to (worldly) respect.

3.     He should prefer humility to self-esteem.

4.     He should prefer hunger to eating to a full stomach.

5.     He should prefer sadness to happiness.

6.     He should prefer the poor pious people to the rich people of the world.

7.     He should prefer death to life.

(Al-Munabbihāt lil-'Asqalānī, pp. 85)

صَلُّوْا عَلَى الْحَبِيْبِ ۞ صَلَّى اللّٰهُ تَعَالٰى عَلٰى مُحَمَّد

Ritual ablution (Wuḍū) after twelve days

Sayyidunā 'Abdul Waĥĥāb Sha'rānī has stated, 'I have seen many Auliyā of Allah who remained resolute in adopting the virtue of hunger. Some of them went to the toilet just once a week as they would be shy from Allah in repeatedly undressing themselves in the toilet. Shaykh Tājuddīn Żākir had reached such a state that he needed to make Wuḍū only once in twelve days (as it would not become invalid).'

(Tanbīĥ-ul-Mughtarīn, pp. 36)

صَلُّوْا عَلَى الْحَبِيْبِ ۞ صَلَّى اللّٰهُ تَعَالٰى عَلٰى مُحَمَّد

Traveller of Madanī Qāfilaĥ

Dear Islamic brothers! Those who eat less applying the Madanī guard to their stomach, feel less thirst compared to those who eat in excess. Because of drinking less water, they do not have the need to sleep in excess and such people are more energetic after sleeping for only a few hours.

Once, during the early days of Dawat-e-Islami, our Madanī Qāfilaĥ travelled to Punjab from Bāb-ul-Madīnaĥ (Karachi, Pakistan). In this Qāfilaĥ, there was an old person with a white beard who revealed to me (i.e. the author) during the journey that his Wuḍū had been valid for the past two days. He also revealed that his late Murshid used to remain in the state of Wuḍū for fifteen days. All this is the blessing of applying the Madanī guard to the stomach. By doing this, the need of sleeping and that of going to toilet decrease and one can get a lot of time for worshipping and carrying out religious Madanī activities.

Hungry for three days

Sayyidunā Anas has narrated that once the Lady of Paradise, Sayyidatunā Fāṭima-tuz-Zaĥrā brought a piece of bread and served it to the Holy Prophet . When the Holy Prophet asked about the bread, she replied, 'I had prepared some bread which I did not like to eat without you, therefore, I have brought this piece of bread here.' The Prophet of Raḥmaĥ, the Intercessor of Ummaĥ has said, 'During the last three days, this is the first food which has entered the mouth of your father.'

(Mu'jam Kabīr, vol. 1, pp. 259, Ḥadīš 750)

اَللّٰهُ اَکْبَر! The one who possesses the keys to the riches of the universe in his blessed hands has no interest in worldly things. This was indeed the intentional hunger of the Holy Prophet ﷺ. As for his generosity, he would bestow a lot upon others.

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