Nourishment for
The Hearts (Qutul Qulub)
Specialized Fasting of the Muqinin ( The People of Certainty- those
with no doubt) [1]
Discussion Join
May Allah The Sublime grant you success—Know that regular fasting
amongst the fasters is that of their corporeal form (i.e. abstaining
from
eating and
drinking) while the specialized fasting of the Muqinin (The People
of Certainty) is the fasting of:
1. The Qalb (Heart) in abstaining from the
preoccupations & musings of the world
2. The ears, the eyes and the tongue in abstaining from
transgression of the Hadd (Divine Limits)
3. The hands and feet in abstaining from exerting force
upon,
and striving towards the causes and instruments of the Nahy (Divine
Prohibitions)
He who fasts in such a manner has fully grasped and comprehended the
passage of his time each day and the occurrence of each
hour—living his entire day in full Dhikr (Remembering the Divine). It
is of such that it has been said: "The sleep of the faster is Ibādah
(Serfdom & Worship) and his breath is Tasbih (Praise &
Adoration)". (This specialized form of fasting in which the heart
empowers the Murid (Seeker) to savour each moment of his life
regardless of the external conditions. Today we hear millions saying:
“Life is passing me by” or “The week just went by so fast” or “My life
is all wasted”. This peculiar form of fasting is the definite cure for
the wasting away of human life. It can be practiced by anyone
anywhere anytime and at any age!)
The Exalted, the Mighty—Allah, has coupled the notion of hearing Bātil
(Falsehood,
Vanity) or speaking offensively with that of eating Harām (Unlawful
Provision)! Were it not for the Harām (Unlawful) within
what is heard and spoken for the listener as well as for the speaker,
Allah would not have
conjoined them with the notion of eating Harām (Unlawful), which is one
of
the Great Sins.
Allah The Sublime has said: “(They
are fond of) listening to falsehood, of devouring anything forbidden”
(Qur'an [5:42]) and again: “Why do
not
the rabbis and the religious learned men forbid them from their (habit
of) uttering sinful words and eating things forbidden?” (Qur'an
[5:63]).
Indeed a slave preserving & observing the Hadd (Divine Limits) set
by Allah remains as though fasting in presence of Allah even after he
breaks the fast, by eating or by sexual intercourse, due to the virtue
of continuous compliance (with the limits). Whoever fasts by
abstaining from food and sex but continually transgresses the Hadd
(Divine Limits) is not considered a faster in presence of Allah— for
his Nafs (Psyche,
Self) is not fasting, for what he has missed of the fast is dearer
to Allah than what he has complied with. (There is nothing dearer to
Allah than preserving & observing the Hadd (Divine Limits). (Hadd
is a limit
set for human behavior e.g. do not steal. In Islamic tradition fasting
requires the faster to abstain from both food & sex during the
fasting hours of the sunrise to sunset.)
The example of someone who fasts by merely abstaining from food yet
leaves the rest of his limbs ungoverned is the example
of a person making ablution by merely ‘wiping’ over the limbs ‘thrice’
then praying, his prayer is void because all he succeeded in doing was
to maintain the number (three) of wipes while he abandoned
the obligation of ‘washing’—Failure of functionality. The
example of someone who breaks the fast by eating but remains fasting
with his
limbs by preventing the Nahy (Divine Preventions) is the example of a
person making ablution by washing his limbs only twice, abandoning the
number of rinses, so he has perfectly performed his prayers by acting
upon the knowledge (of how to perform ablution and prayer). The example
of
someone who fasted by abstaining from food and sex and preserved his
limbs from all sins is the example of a person making ablution by
washing his limbs thrice meeting the necessary requirements thus
performing the prayers in the most perfect status as stated by Allah: "Fulfillment
of the best for him who does good"( Qur'an [6:154]). And as was
said by the Prophet—peace be upon
him—"This is my ablution and that of the prophets before me,
the ablution of my forefather Abraham and indeed Allah said: “The nation of your father Abraham”
(Qur'an [22:78]), in other words it is upon you to fulfill and follow
him (Abraham). (In Islamic tradition the worshiper makes ablution prior
to prayers by rinsing the limbs thrice each. Makki is
setting an example of an invalid behavior as opposed to the perfection
of an action or a
ritual.)
“The grateful person eating has the same status as a patient faster”
Narrated by the Prophet peace be upon him.
During the time of the Prophet, two women fasted struggling with thirst
and hunger till they were at the
point of death at the end of the day. They sent a dispatch to the
Prophet
seeking permission to break their fast. In response the Prophet sent
them back a bowl saying:" Tell the women to vomit what they have eaten
into this bowl". One of them vomited blood and much meat and the other
woman did the same, until the bowl was filled up. This bewildered the
people (since the stomachs of the women were supposed to be empty), the
Prophet then explained: "These two women were fasting in abstaining
from what is allowed by Allah for them (food & drink) while they
broke their fast by not abstaining from what was forbidden by Allah for
them: They sat one next to one another backbiting people and this (the
content of the bowl) is the meat of the people (they were backbiting).
(In Qur'an backbiting is equaled to the eating of the flesh of the
people: “O ye who believe! Avoid
suspicion as much
(as possible): for suspicion in some cases is a sin: And spy not on
each other behind their backs. Would any of you like to eat the flesh
of his dead brother?” (Qur'an [49:12]))
Abu Dardā’ said: "How wonderful! The sleep and the breaking of the fast
of the clever people dishonors the moron’s fasting and a single
particle endowed with Yaqin (Divine Certainty) and righteousness is
preferred over the mountains of worship performed by the ignorant who
is deceived by this evanescing world". (Clever people are those
worshipers who understand the spiritual meaning beyond the physical
actions and the ignorant worshiper is lost within the surface-manifest
of the physical actions, even though his actions (worships) are
numerous.)
All that is forbidden for you to utter is forbidden for you to listen
to, and all that is forbidden for you to do is forbidden for you to
look at or think about : “you would
be like them”
(Qur'an [4:140],( this verse is about blasphemy, ‘them’ refers to
those who ridicule the Divine Words, the one who listens to "them"
speaking is equal to them).
Fasting is similar to repenting since both require patience. Repentance
covers up the loathsome actions committed in the past; it requires
patience for that which has passed of foul habits
and the parting with bad habits requires safeguarding the limbs
that
were the conduits for loathsome deeds. In the same way, fasting is
protection against the fire (of Hell) and a virtue of those who rank
amongst
the righteous! When the faster applies patience, he safeguards his
limbs against the sins, but when he commands his limbs towards sinful
actions his situation is similar to a repenter who is on the verge of
breaking
his promise (not to do the sinful actions); his
repentance is insincere and his fast less than virtuous as you can see
in the words of the Prophet peace be upon
him: “Fasting is the protection against the Fire (of Hell) do not
impair it (the protection) with lying or backbiting”. And again in his
words: “During the day when one of you is fasting do not be obscene or
foolish, and if it (devil, Nafs
(Psyche)) abuses him (by commanding him to evil), the faster should
say, “I am fasting””. In other words, the day of fast and the day of
non-fasting should not be the same i.e. preserve the sanctuary
of the fast.
And in other Prophetic words: “Fasting is a ‘trust’ so each one of you
must preserve what is entrusted upon him”, the preserving of this trust
is that of safeguarding the limbs (against committing evil).
Similarly, as the Prophet was teaching the verse: “Allah doth command you to render back your
Trusts to those to whom they are due” (Qur'an [4:58]): he
placed his hands over his ear and over his eye and said: “The ear is a
trust and the eye is a trust” and this is the figure of speech when the
faster says: “I am fasting”. Namely he (the faster) remembers the trust
that is being carried and the fact that he is to return it to its
rightful owners. He
who preserves a trust hides it (e.g. covering the eyes not to see
evil); if he shows it, in the absence of a valid reason, he indeed has
betrayed
the trust since the consignor did not allow for it to be
revealed. The reality of preserving a secret is forgetting all about
it; for a secret to be lost, its vault
should be fortified. Therefore the reality of fasting is to forget all
about the fast itself and not to wait for the time to break the fast
i.e. busying the fasting with transience (Feel the fasting to be a
continuum of staying away from evil, thus forget about the very act of
fasting and completely ignore the transition of breaking the fast).
End.
[1] Muqin is a person who has reached the high rank
of doubtlessness with regards to the Divine Beingness. This person is
above and beyond the confinements of human logic and reasoning that
allow for doubting and probabilities.
قوت
القلوب أبو طالب المكي
ذكر صوم الخصوص من الموقنين
اعلم وفقك اللَّه تعالى أن الصوم عند
الصائمين هو صوم القالب فأما صوم
الخصوص من الموقنين فإن الصوم عندهم هو صوم القلب عن الهمم الدنية
والأفكار الدنيوية ثم صوم السمع والبصر واللسان عن تعدي الحدود وصوم اليد
والرجل عن البطش والسعي في أسباب النهي، فمن صام بهذا الوصف فقد أدرك وقته
في جملة يومه وصار له في كل ساعة من نهاره وقت وقد عمر يومه كله بالذكر،
ولمثل هذا قيل: نوم الصائم عبادة ونفسه تسبيح وقد قرن اللَّه عزَّ وجلّ
الاستماع إلى الباطل والقول بالإثم إلى أكل الحرام ولولا أن في المسموعات
والمقولات حراماً على المستمع والإصغاء إليه وحراماً على القائل النطق به
ما قرنهما إملي أكل الحرام وهو من الكبائر، فقال تعالى: سماعون للكذب
أكّالون للسحت، وقال سبحانه وتعالى: )لَوْلاَ يَنْهَاهُمُ الرَّبَّانُّيون
وَالأَحْبَارُ عَنْ قَولِهِمُ الإثَمْ وَأَكلِهِمُ السُّحْتَ( المائدة:36،
فالعبد الحافظ لحدود اللَّه عزّ وجلّ إن أفطر بالأكل والجماع فهو صائم عند
اللَّه في الفضل للأتباع ومن صام عن الأكل والجماع وتعدى الحدود وأضاع فهو
مفطر عند اللَّه عزّ وجلّ صائم عند نفسه، لأن ما أضاع أحب إلى اللَّه عزّ
وجلّ وأكثر ممَّا حفظ، ومثل من صام من الأكل وأفطر بمخالفة الأمر بسائر
الجوارح مثل من مسح كل عضو من أعضائه في وضوئه ثلاثاً ثلاثاً ثم صلَّى فقد
وافق الفضل في العدد إلا أنه تارك للفرض من الغسل فصلاته مردودة عليه
لجهله وهو مغتر بفعله ومثل من أفطر بالأكل وصام بجوارحه عن النهي مثل من
غسل كل عضو من أعضائه في وضوئه مرة مرة فهو تارك للفضل في العدد إلا أنه
مكمل للفرض محسن في العمل فصلاته متقبلة لأحكامه للأصل ولعمله بالعلم،
ومثل من صام من الأكل والجماع وحفظ جوارحه عن الآثام كمثل من غسل كل عضو
ثلاثاً ثلاثاً فقد تمم الفرض وأحسن بتكملة الفضل فهذا كما قال تعالى
تماماً على الذي أحسن، وكما قال رسول اللّه صلى الله عليه وسلم في
الوضوء،كذلك هذا وضوئي ووضوء الأنبياء من قبلي ووضوء أبي إبراهيم عليه
السلام وقد قال اللَّه تعالى:) مِلَّةَ أَبيكُمْ إبْراهيمَ( الحج:87 أي
عليكم بها فائتموا واقتدوا به فيها، وقد روينا عن النبي صلى الله عليه
وسلم: الطاعم الشاكر بمنزلة الصائم الصابر، وجاء في الخبر أن امرأتين
صامتا على عهد رسول اللّه صلى الله عليه وسلم فأجهدهما الجوع والعطش في
آخر النهار حتى كادتا أن تتلفا فبعثتا إلى رسول اللّه صلى الله عليه وسلم
يستأذناه في الإفطار فأرسل إليهما قدحاً وقال: قل لهما قيئا فيه ما أكلتما
قال:
فقاءت إحداهما نصفه دماً عبيطاً ولحماً
عريضاً وقاءت الأخرى مثل ذلك حتى
ملأتاه،فعجب الناس من ذلك فَقال رسول اللّه صلى الله عليه وسلم: هاتان
صامتا عما أحل اللَّه عزَّ وجلَّ لهما وأفطرتا على ما حرم اللَّه عزّ
وجلَّ عليهما قعدت إحداهما الى الأخرى فجعلا يغتابان الناس فهذا ما أكلا
من لحومهم، وكان أبو الدرداء يقول: يا حبذا نوم الأكياس وفطرهم يعيبون صوم
الحمقى وسهرهم ولذرة من ذي يقين وتقوى أفضل وأرجح من أمثال الجبال من
عبادة المغترين وكل محظور عليك أن تتفوّه به فمحظور عليك أن تستمع إليه
وكل حرام عليك أن تفعله فمكروه أن تنظر إليه أو يخطر ببالك، وقد سوّى
اللَّه عزّ وجلّ بين المستمع والقائل في قوله تعالى: ) إنَّكُمْ إذاًِ
مِثْلُهُمْ ( النساء:041 ومثل الصائم مثل التوبة لأن الصبر من أوصافها
وإنما كانت التوبة مكفرة لما سلف من السيئات لأجل أنه صبر عما سلف من سئ
العادات ثم اعتقد ترك العود إلى مثل ما سلف بصيانة جوراحه التي كانت طرائق
المكروهات، كذلك كان الصيام جنة من النار وفضيلة من درجات الأبرار، إذا
صبر عليه الصائم فحفظ جوارحه فيه من المآثم فإذا أمرحها في الآثام كان
كالتائب المتردد الناقض للميثاق لم تكن توبته نصوحاً ولا كان صوم هذا
صالحاً وصحيحاً ألا ترى إلى قول رسول اللّه صلى الله عليه وسلم: الصوم جنة
من النار ما لم يخرقها بكذب أو غيبة وأمره في قوله عليه السلام: إذا كان
يوم صوم أحدكم فلا يرفث ولايجهل وان امرؤ شاتمه فليقل: إني صائم، وفي لفظ
آخر لايجعل يوم صومه ويوم فطره سواء أي يتحفّظ في صومه لحرمته، وفي خبر:
آخر الصوم أمانة فليحفظ أحدكم أمانته، فحفظ الأمانة من صيانة الجوارح لقول
النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم لماتلا هذه الآية: )إنَّ اللَّهَ يَأمُرُُكُمْ
أنْ تؤَدُّوا الأمانَاتِ إلى أهْلِهَا( النساء:58 وضع يده على سمعه وبصره
قال السمع أمانة والبصر أمانة فذلك مجاز قوله فليقل: إني صائم، أي يذكر
الأمانة التي حمل فيؤديها إلى أهلها ومن حفظ الأمانة أن يكتمها فإن أفشاها
من غير حاجة فهي خيانة لأن مودعها قد لا يجب أن يظهرها وحقيقة حفظ السرّ
نسيانه وضياع السرّ أن يكثر خزانه فحقيقة الصائم أن يكون ناسياًً لصومه لا
ينتظر الوقت شغلاً عنه بالمؤقت.
© 2004, Dara O. Shayda
and Dr. Hind Rifai