Excellence
of reciting Ṣalāt-'Alan-Nabī ﷺ
The Prophet of mankind, the Peace of
our heart and mind, the most Generous and Kind ﷺ
has said, 'Without doubt, your names along with your identity are presented
before me, therefore, recite Ṣalāt (Durūd) upon me in eloquent words.'
(Muṣannaf
'Abdur Razzāq, vol. 2, pp. 214, Ḥadīš 3111)
صَلُّوْا عَلَى الْحَبِيْبِ ۞ صَلَّى اللّٰهُ
تَعَالٰى عَلٰى مُحَمَّد
What
does 'Madanī guard' of stomach mean?
Madanī guard of the stomach is to
refrain from consuming Ḥarām food and to eat even Ḥalāl food less than one's
appetite. The following health related saying of Ḥujjat-ul-Islam, Sayyidunā
Imām Muhammad Ghazālī is considered the most appropriate principle for those
who wish to apply a Madanī guard on their stomach. The Imām has said, 'Whoever
eats only when he is hungry and withdraws (his) hand from the food while still
hungry, will never be in need of a doctor. Therefore, food should only be
consumed when one is absolutely hungry.'
(Iḥyā-ul-'Ulūm,
vol. 2, pp. 5)
Yā
Ilāhī! Payi kā Qufl-e-Madīnaĥ kar 'aṭā
Az paey Ġhauš-o-Razā kar bhūk kā gawhar 'aṭā
O Almighty,
bless us with the Madanī guard for our stomach
For the sake of Ġhauš and Razā grant us the gem of hunger
Intentional
hunger
Dear Islamic brothers! Although it
is permissible to eat until one is full, countless religious and worldly
benefits lie in applying a Madanī guard on the stomach. Abstaining from food in
compulsion when it is not available is not something remarkable, but refraining
from eating and staying hungry for the pleasure of Allah when food is available
in abundance, is indeed an extraordinary feat. It is stated that the Noble
Rasūl ﷺ would intentionally remain hungry.
(Shu'ab-ul-Īmān,
vol. 5, pp. 26, Ḥadīš 5640)
Lūī
lay raḥmat, lagā Qufl-e-Madīnaĥ payi kā
Pāye gā Jannat, lagā Qufl-e-Madīnaĥ payi kā
Gain divine
grace by applying Madanī guard on the stomach
Attain Paradise by applying Madanī guard on the stomach
صَلُّوْا عَلَى الْحَبِيْبِ ۞ صَلَّى اللّٰهُ
تَعَالٰى عَلٰى مُحَمَّد
Neighbourhood
of the Holy Prophet ﷺ in Paradise
Indeed, intentional hunger is a
great Sunnaĥ of our Beloved Prophet ﷺ
and words cannot express the excellence of Sunnaĥ. The Holy Prophet ﷺ has stated, 'He who loves my Sunnaĥ, loves
me, and he who loves me will be with me in Paradise.'
(Mishkāt-ul-Maṣābīḥ,
pp. 30)
In Sūraĥ Al-Aḥqāf, verse 20, Allah
says:
اَذْهَبْتُمْ طَيِّبٰتِكُمْ فِيْ حَيَاتِكُمُ
الدُّنْيَا
وَاسْتَمْتَعْتُمْ بِهَا ۖ فَالْيَوْمَ تُجْزَوْنَ عَذَابَ الْهُوْنِ
You have
exhausted your good things in your worldly life and fully enjoyed them,
therefore, today you will be given the humiliating punishment.
[Kanz-ul-Īmān (Translation of Quran)] (Part 26, Sūraĥ Al-Aḥqāf, verse 20)
Blessed
hunger of the Holy Prophet ﷺ
Commenting on the foregoing verse,
the spiritual successor of A'lā Ḥaḍrat Imām Aḥmad Razā Khān, Ṣadr-ul-Afāḍil
Shaykh Na'īmuddīn Murādābādī has stated in his renowned exegesis of the Holy
Quran, Khazāin-ul-'Irfān: In this verse, Allah has reprimanded the unbelievers
for having worldly pleasures. Therefore, the Holy Prophet ﷺ and his companions abstained from worldly pleasures.
In Ṣaḥīḥ Bukhārī and Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim,
it is stated that until the apparent demise of the Holy Prophet ﷺ, the blessed family never ate bread made
from barley for two consecutive days. It is also mentioned in a Ḥadīš that at
times the whole month passed, but fire would not burn on the stove (for cooking
food). The blessed household would merely survive on water and a few dates.
Sayyidunā 'Umar Fārūq has said, 'O people! If I had wanted, I would have eaten
better than you and worn better clothes than you, but I want to reserve my
pleasures and comforts for my Hereafter.'
(Khazāin-ul-'Irfān,
pp. 907)
صَلُّوْا عَلَى الْحَبِيْبِ ۞ صَلَّى اللّٰهُ
تَعَالٰى عَلٰى مُحَمَّد
Hungry
for many nights
Sayyidunā 'Abdullāĥ Ibn 'Abbās has
narrated that the Prophet of Raḥmaĥ, the Intercessor of Ummaĥ, the Owner of
Jannaĥ ﷺ used to remain hungry for many nights in
succession. His blessed household often did not have anything to eat at night
and whenever they would get something to eat, it was mostly bread made from
barley.
(Jāmi'
Tirmiżī, vol. 4, pp. 160, Ḥadīš 2367)
Food
of blessed family
Sayyidunā Anas has stated that the
Beloved Prophet ﷺ pawned his armour for
barley. He has further stated that he presented some cooked and melted fat with
some barley bread in the respected court of the Holy Prophet ﷺ. He heard the Holy Prophet ﷺ
say, 'My entire family has never had one 'Ṣā' (about two kilos and three
quarters) of food in the morning and in the evening.' Keep in mind that the
family of the Beloved and Blessed Prophet ﷺ
consisted of nine different homes.
(Ṣaḥīḥ
Bukhārī, vol. 3, pp. 158, Ḥadīš 2508)
Dear Islamic brothers! This is the
remarkable condition of the Noble Rasūl ﷺ
who was given the keys to the treasures of both the worlds. The Prophet of
mankind, the Peace of our heart and mind, the most Generous and Kind ﷺ adopted poverty intentionally. Otherwise,
by Allah, whoever gets anything, gets it as the Ṣadaqaĥ of the Noble Rasūl ﷺ and his spiritual light reaches everything
in the universe.
Spiritual
insight
It is said that a saint once picked
up a piece of bread to eat. When he looked at it with his spiritual insight, he
realized that a ray of light emerged from it. When he focused on the direction
of the light going upwards, he saw that the light (Nūr) was actually linked to
a ray of light of the Beloved Mustafā ﷺ.
On looking closer, he discovered that the Nūr of the Holy Prophet ﷺ reached every worldly favour (Na'mat).
(Al-Abrīz,
pp. 229)
Two
stones tied to stomach
Sayyidunā Abū Ṭalḥaĥ has narrated
that some of the companions once complained to the Holy Prophet ﷺ about their hunger and showed him the
stones they had tied to their stomachs. Seeing this, the Beloved and Blessed
Prophet ﷺ raised his blessed clothing – revealing
the two stones tied to his blessed stomach. Sayyidunā Imām Tirmiżī has stated
that stones were tied on the blessed stomach due to severe hunger and weakness.
(Shamāil-e-Tirmiżī,
pp. 169, Ḥadīš 372)
Āp
bhūkay raĥay aur payi pay paṭṭhar bāndhay
Ĥam ġhulāmaun ko milay khuwān Madīnay wālay
The Prophet
remains hungry with stones tied on his abdomen
Yet blesses the servants with delicious cuisines
صَلُّوْا عَلَى الْحَبِيْبِ ۞ صَلَّى اللّٰهُ
تَعَالٰى عَلٰى مُحَمَّد
Attainment
of respect
Sayyidunā Abū Bujayr has narrated
that the Beloved and Blessed Prophet ﷺ
once felt extreme hunger. He took a stone, tied it to his blessed stomach and
said, 'Beware! There are many people who eat delicious food and have a lavish
lifestyle in this world but, on the Day of Judgement, they will be hungry and
naked. Beware! There are many people who strive to become honourable, yet they
are gathering provisions of humiliation.
Beware! There are many people who
are seen humiliating themselves but this is a means of respect for them.'
(Al-Mawāĥib-ul-Ladunniyyaĥ,
vol. 2, pp. 123)
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