The Spiritual Strength of Hunger: Taṣawwuf, Self-Control and the Virtues of Eating Less

Strength in hunger

Unlike common people, Sayyidunā Saĥl Bin 'Abdullāĥ would remain strong in hunger and, he would become weak whenever he ate anything.

(Risāla-tul-Qushayriyyaĥ, pp. 142)

A Persian poet has said:

Agar laźźat-e-tark-e-laźźat badānī
Digar laźźat-e-Nafs, laźźat-e-nākhwānī

If you realize the pleasure of giving up pleasures
You will never consider the pleasure of Nafs as pleasure at all

Attainment of Taṣawwuf

Sayyidunā Junayd Baghdādī has stated, 'We have not attained Taṣawwuf just by discussions and argumentation but by adopting hunger, aversion to the world and by abandoning the desires of our Nafs.'

(Sab'a Sanābil, pp. 241)

I am worst person

Sayyidunā 'Ušmān Ghanī has stated that there are five signs of a pious person.

1.     He remains in good company.

2.     He protects his tongue and private parts.

3.     He considers the pleasures of the world as a nuisance and religious blessings as a divine mercy.

4.     He does not fill his stomach even with Ḥalāl food for fear of it containing a little Ḥarām.

5.     Besides himself, he considers every Muslim forgiven in the Hereafter while he considers only himself as a sinner and fears punishment.

(Al-Munabbihāt, pp. 59)

Pitiable condition due to hunger

Sayyidunā Faḍālaĥ Bin 'Ubayd has narrated that when the Beloved and Blessed Prophet ﷺ used to lead the Jamā'at of Ṣalāĥ, there were some companions who used to fall during the Ṣalāĥ because of severe hunger. These companions were the Aĥl-e-Ṣuffaĥ. The Bedouins used to consider them as insane. When the Holy Prophet ﷺ would finish the Ṣalāĥ, he used to turn towards them and say, 'If you knew what reward is in store for you in the court of Allah, you would wish that your hunger and poverty would prolong even more.'

(Jāmi' Tirmiżī, vol. 4, pp. 162, Ḥadīš 2375)

Hungry for many days

Some of the companions and saints would not eat anything for many consecutive days. In this regard, Hujjat-ul-Islam, Imām Muhammad Ghazālī has stated, 'Sayyidunā Abū Bakr Ṣiddīq would not eat anything for six days. Sayyidunā 'Abdullāĥ Bin Zubayr did not eat for seven days. The student of Sayyidunā 'Abdullāĥ Ibn 'Abbās namely Abū Jawzāĥ did not eat for seven days. Sayyidunā Ibrāĥīm Bin Adĥam and Sayyidunā Sufyān Šaurī remained hungry for three days. All these blessed saints would gain help in walking on the path of the Hereafter by means of hunger.'

(Iḥyā-ul-'Ulūm, vol. 3, pp. 98)

Remaining hungry for one year

Dear Islamic brothers! Not everyone is strong enough to remain hungry for many days. This was one of the special qualities and marvels of these blessed people. In fact, they used to receive spiritual sustenance. By the bounty of Allah, some of them remained hungry for forty days consecutively. Our own spiritual guide Ghauš-e-A'ẓam, at times used to remain hungry for an entire year and his sustenance used to come directly from Almighty Allah. In relation to this, A'lā Ḥaḍrat has written the following couplet.

Qasmayn day day kay khilātā ĥay pilātā ĥay tujĥay
Piyārā Allah tayrā chāĥnay wālā tayrā

(Ḥadāiq-e-Bakhshish)

صَلُّوْا عَلَى الْحَبِيْبِ ۞ صَلَّى اللّٰهُ تَعَالٰى عَلٰى مُحَمَّد

How long can a person live without eating and drinking?

Maintaining the daily routines of life normally despite remaining hungry and thirsty for a long time, is a special quality of the extraordinary servants of Almighty Allah. These special servants of Allah receive spiritual nourishment. Common people cannot withstand such a prolonged period of hunger and thirst. Even if someone starts remaining hungry and thirsty like the saints, he will give up hope after a few days and will not have the courage to do so again.

According to medical research, a person can remain hungry for 18 days or if he is very strong, he can remain hungry for 25 days at the most. Likewise, a person can survive for 3 days without water, and 1 to 5 minutes without oxygen.

How much should common person eat?

If a common person who is accustomed to excessive eating succeeds in gradually applying the Madanī guard to the stomach, reducing his food intake to the extent of filling only one third of his stomach, it will be very appropriate and beneficial to him. اِنْ شَآءَاللّٰه, By doing so, he will gain the blessings of hunger and will not become weak as well. His health will surprisingly improve and he will almost get rid of the expenses of doctors' fee and medicines. If one is not certain about this, then he is advised to experience this and see the results for himself.

Cure for sick heart

Sayyidunā 'Abdullāĥ Anṭākī has stated that there are five remedies for a sick heart:

1.     To remain in the company of the pious.

2.     To recite the Holy Quran.

3.     To eat less.

4.     To perform Taĥajjud regularly.

5.     To beseech Allah during the last part of the night.

(Al-Munabbihāt, pp. 60)

The bird that lives thousand years

Dear Islamic brothers! Unfortunately, some people eat so much that even their stomach asks for a break. Laziness overpowers them. They can barely stand let alone walk. Such people can be compared to vultures. When a vulture descends to eat the carrion (i.e. the flesh of a dead animal), all other birds stay away because of fear. The vulture eats so excessively that it cannot even fly. In this state even a child can capture it. Therefore, (it can thus be inferred that) not applying the Madanī guard to the stomach is the habit of the carrion-eater; the vulture. It is said that a vulture normally remains alive for a thousand years and likes disgusting odour. It dislikes fragrance and if it ever smells fragrance, it dies. Sayyidunā Imām Ḥasan has stated that when the vulture speaks, it says, 'O man! Live as long as you wish, one day death will seize you.'

(Ḥayāt-ul-Ḥaywān-ul-Kubrā, vol. 2, pp. 474)

Mosquito can kill camel

Dear Islamic brothers! The greed for relishing taste is severely detrimental. A mosquito yearns for human blood. It sits on the soft skin just above a blood vessel. With its proboscis, it pierces the skin and the blood vessel and thus sucks the blood. Sometimes, it drinks so much blood that it is unable to fly and sometimes its stomach even explodes, causing its death. Almighty Allah has given such power to the mosquito that it can kill even a camel. It can kill every quadruped. The beast or bird that eats the animal killed by a mosquito's sting also dies instantly. In ancient times, the kings of Iraq had developed a very excruciating and agonizing method of executing the death sentence. They used to bind the criminal naked and throw him by the drains, infested with mosquitoes, where he would die writhing in pain due to stings. (Namrūd was also killed by a mosquito).

(Ḥayāt-ul-Ḥaywān-ul-Kubrā, vol. 1, pp. 184)