Saturday, August 22, 2026

The Virtue of Hunger: Lessons from Abu Hurayrah رضي الله عنه, the Pious Saints and the Madanī Qāfilaĥ

Unconsciousness due to hunger

Sayyidunā Abū Ĥurayraĥ has narrated, 'I used to become unconscious and fall between the pulpit of the Beloved and Blessed Prophet and the blessed house of Sayyidatunā 'Āishaĥ due to severe hunger. Someone used to come and place his foot on my neck. He would regard me insane but I was completely sane; extreme hunger caused this state.'

(Ṣaḥīḥ Bukhārī, vol. 8, pp. 193, Ḥadīš 7324)

Dear Islamic brothers! Sayyidunā Abū Ĥurayraĥ had such an immense passion to acquire Islamic knowledge that he left everything and remained at the blessed feet of the Holy Prophet . He used to live in the state of hunger and seek Islamic knowledge. He also had the honour of narrating the most number of Ḥadīš from the Holy Prophet . On the other hand, the condition of today's students of Islamic knowledge seems to be quite different. It is quite unlikely that the seeker of Islamic knowledge would be able to attain spiritual blessings while continuing to gluttonize, desiring for fame and self-respect, having greed etc. While seeking Islamic knowledge, you must be sincere so that you can attain the mercy of Almighty Allah . By the grace of Allah , an excellent way of gaining religious knowledge with spiritual blessings is to travel with the Madanī Qāfilaĥs of Dawat-e-Islami, a global & non-political movement of the Quran and Sunnaĥ. Here is a blessing of a Madanī Qāfilaĥ.

Mysterious pain

An Islamic brother from Punjab has stated, 'I came to Faizān-e-Madīnaĥ, Karachi, the global Markaz of Dawat-e-Islami to participate in the 'Tarbiyyatī course.' During the course, on a Thursday at about 4 a.m., I felt pain at my left side. The pain was so severe that seven painkillers were injected into me, after which I felt a little relief. As usual, I attended the weekly Sunnaĥ-Inspiring Ijtimā' on Thursday. On the same night, at about 10 p.m., I felt the pain again but it subsided due to the blessing of Du'ā made in the Ijtimā'. After about an hour, the pain recurred. The doctors injected me with three painkillers, I felt some relief.

My condition was such that as soon as I would consume anything, I would feel the same severe spasm of pain. Three or four injections with drips would be administered every day. I also had an ultrasound done, but the doctors could not diagnose the cause of the pain. While I was in the hospital, I heard that other Islamic brothers of the Tarbiyyatī course were preparing for a twelve day Sunnaĥ-Inspiring Madanī Qāfilaĥ. The doctors advised me not to travel but I could not help joining the Madanī Qāfilaĥ. During the journey, I experienced a little pain while we were on our way to Dera Bugti, Baluchistan. During the Madanī Qāfilaĥ, we also attended the weekly Sunnaĥ-Inspiring Ijtimā' held at Sui on Thursday, and then returned to Dera Bugti.

اَلْحَمْدُ لِلّٰه, by the blessing of joining the Madanī Qāfilaĥ, the pain disappeared as if there was no pain at all! اَلْحَمْدُ لِلّٰه, the pain has not recurred ever since. The greatest blessing I attained during the Madanī Qāfilaĥ was that I was blessed with the vision of the Beloved and Blessed Prophetin my dream.'

Lūīnay raḥmatayn Qāfilay mayn chalo
Sīkĥnay Sunnatayn Qāfilay mayn chalo
Dard-e-sar ĥo agar dukĥ raĥī ĥo kamar
Pāo gey ṣiḥḥatayn Qāfilay mayn chalo
Ĥay ṭalab dīd kī, dīd kī Eid kī
Kyā 'ajab woĥ dikĥayn Qāfilay mayn chalo

To gain mercy, travel with Madanī Qāfilaĥ
To learn Sunnaĥ, travel with Madanī Qāfilaĥ
If you have headache or backache
You will recover, travel with Madanī Qāfilaĥ
If you have the desire of seeing the Prophet
Your desire could be fulfilled, travel with Madanī Qāfilaĥ

صَلُّوْا عَلَى الْحَبِيْبِ ۞ صَلَّى اللّٰهُ تَعَالٰى عَلٰى مُحَمَّد

If only hunger could be purchased

Sayyidunā Yaḥyā Bin Mu'āż has stated, 'If hunger were sold in the marketplace, the seeker of the Hereafter would certainly purchase it.'

(Risāla-tul-Qushayriyyaĥ, pp. 141)

Food is being purchased everywhere

Glory be to Allah ! What can we say about the Madanī mindset of our great saints? Sayyidunā Yaḥyā Bin Mu'āż is talking about purchasing hunger, whereas the unwise are engaged in competing for food, as to who can eat the most! These days, the one who eats the most food is considered as the most courageous! Regretfully, today the marketplaces are full of consumers who purchase various kinds of food, which also happen to come along with various diseases.

This is the age of 'food culture.' There is a multitude of restaurants and hotels in every area. Pizzas, fries and burgers are being sold at virtually every corner. Dessert and ice cream shops are occupying virtually every shopping center and mall. Apart from the consumers who purchase food to fulfill their needs, there are many who buy food just to satisfy their Nafs (desire) – hoarding and devouring everything they get. They are not concerned about worldly perils of such unchecked activity nor do they care about the severity of accountability in the Hereafter. Everyone is intent only on eating, eating and more eating.

If only we would remember the hunger of our Beloved and Blessed Prophet , the companions , the martyrs of Karbalā and the saints ! How unfortunate indeed! We are screaming out 'eat, eat and eat' and these blessed souls are persuading us to adopt 'hunger.' Although we do not miss any opportunity to eat, there must be something beneficial in eating less, due to which the Prophets عَلَيْہِمُ الصَّلٰوة, the companions and the saints are giving us the lesson of eating less.

To eat in excess is attribute of unbelievers

Dear Islamic brothers! Eating just to satisfy the desire of Nafs is not a dignified practice. Ṣadr-ush-Sharī'aĥ, Badr-uṭ-Ṭarīqaĥ, Shaykh Muftī Muhammad Amjad 'Alī A'ẓamī has stated, 'In the Holy Quran, eating just for pleasure and joy has been described as the attribute of the unbelievers. Similarly, excessive eating has been mentioned as an attribute of the unbelievers in a Ḥadīš as well.'

(Baĥār-e-Sharī'at, part 16, pp. 30)

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