Word 49: He who refrains for a few days from aggressive eating, doing worthless deeds, excessive and pointless talking, or, in other words, from animalistic desires and attachments, will realize that finding relief and purity from austerity is essential to the soul’s development and that His deeds will also have light and significance.

Word 49: He who refrains for a few days from aggressive eating, doing worthless deeds, excessive and pointless talking, or, in other words, from animalistic desires and attachments, will realize that finding relief and purity from austerity is essential to the soul’s development and that His deeds will also have light and significance. The soul will, therefore, achieve its ultimate perfection if the austerity is in accordance with the man-maker’s instructions or the logic of the revelation since “This Quran guides to what is most upright” (Al-Isra’: 9).

Gluttony means that people eat whatever they get. They eat from anywhere with greed. The lawful and unlawful do not matter to them. Does it belong to someone else? Are we allowed to eat this? Allameh, in Word 24, said: “The one who does not understand the effect of food on human behavior will eat the harmful food, and those who eat harmful foods will do bad deeds”.

Our action is the result of the power that exists in us. This means that the force and power inside us manifest as acts. Where did this strength originate from? From what we ate. So, if the food is impure, this force is impure; Therefore, a person cannot pray at night with impure power. Everything goes in its path. A person who acquired impure power by eating impure food cannot participate in mystical meetings, cannot study, and cannot worship. We cannot do good deeds with impure power.

Imam Hussain (A) advised Umar Saad’s army a lot in Karbala. He introduced himself many times. Do you guys know who I am? I am the son of Fatima Zahra, the son of Amir Al-Mu’mineen. You all know me. For those who don’t, let me introduce myself. Everyone said: We know you. Imam Hussain (A) gave a long speech before the war and advised them a lot. Didn’t you hear from the Messenger of Allah that he said about me: “Verily, Hasan, and Hossein are the master of the youth of heaven.” Is there a grandson of a prophet other than me on earth? He put on the clothes of the Prophet and said: This is the turban of the Messenger of God that is on my head; this is his clothes. Finally, he said: Do you know why my advice does not work for you? He said: Because your stomach is full of haram. A bite of haram deafens the ear and does not allow a person to listen to a good word.

Everything in this world has its path that must be followed. That’s why it is said that when you want to repent, you should practice austerity in such a way that those meats that grow from unlawful and impurity melt from your body. Because the force is impure, and you cannot behave well with that forbidden power.

As a result, we must exercise extreme caution when it comes to our food. When a cautious person eats illegal food without realizing it, he becomes unhappy. That is, even with a doubtful mouthful, he develops a grudge and discomfort from which he has no idea where it came from. The haram food is incompatible with him and disturbs his spirit. But careless individuals enjoy after consuming the same meal. When we are forced to consume halal food and become accustomed to it, our temperament will no longer accept haram food. For example, if they put food in front of us and we are hungry, we will state that we don’t have the appetite for this food, and the scent of the food disgusts us. Alternatively, should he inadvertently consume it, he becomes ill or throws up, expelling the food from his body.

Allow me to emphasize how crucial it is to constantly keep this in mind as it is a valuable lesson and an important key. “If a person does God’s commands as far as he can and avoids things that God does not like, God will protect the servant from what is beyond his control”. That is, avoid eating any prohibited food to the best of your knowledge and ability. As a result, God Almighty protects you from eating haram food in situations where you are ignorant.

Among the mystics of the seventh and eighth centuries of the Hijri calendar is Shah Nematullah Wali. He claimed that “I had never eaten a meal that was haram”. After learning about this, the king remarked, “Let us invite this person and test him to prove that he is wrong”. The monarch gave his attendants orders to go and forcibly take a sheep from someone unlawfully and by force. We like to make a meal to be provided by haram sheep. Don’t give the proprietor any money, the king said. He extended an invitation to Shah Nematullah to have lunch at his castle. When the king’s servants went looking, they found an elderly woman with just a sheep. They grabbed it with force. She groans, swears, and curses them. The sheep was brought, slaughtered, and then grilled before Shah Nematullah Wali. Shah Nematullah Vali consumed the meal. The monarch pivoted and stated, “Are you still of the opinion that you have not consumed any prohibited food”? Yes, I’m not allowed to consume haram foods, he said. “Go get that old woman,” said the king. They brought the old woman. The king said: “Tell your story, old woman”. The woman said that I had decided to donate my only sheep to Shah Nematullah, but these merciless soldiers came and took it from me by force! One of the mystics later said that since Shah Nematullah did not eat haram until that time, God did not allow haram food to go down his throat.

I was informed by someone that they used to accompany their father to their tiny store early each morning. Most days, they find money left on the street as they make their way to their business. He stated: “My father used to be very honest and say that I don’t touch money because it doesn’t belong to us”. “We don’t know who owns this money, so why is it wrong to take it”? he said to his father. I was able to persuade my father to accept that money in the future at last. “It’s been a while since we persuaded my father that I was going to collect the money, but I was not able to find any money on the streets,” he stated. When a person is aware of a sin and has the ability to stop it, he should do so; if not, God will assist him. Dears, This is an important spiritual key. It has been said, “Don’t commit a knowing sin. God forgives an unknowing sin”. Many things that individuals do are sinful, yet they are unaware of this. This law states that you should not say anything that might be seen as backbiting. Don’t say anything if you are aware that it is a falsehood. God will then offer you insight as a consequence of which you will become aware of sins that you were previously unaware of.

One of the major sins is insisting on sin. Insistence on a sin means that someone knows it is a sin but commits it again. The Holy Quran says: “And those who, when they commit an indecency or wrong themselves, remember God and ask forgiveness for their sins—and who forgives sins except God? And they do not persist in their wrongdoing while they know” (A’al-i-Imran:135).

Let’s return to our conversation on the impact of food on the soul. According to Imam Sadiq (A), eating haram food has an impact on children. It is crucial for someone only to consume lawful food. We have seen it many times, and you may have seen animals smelling their food before eating. He said: Do you also smell the food, smell your signatures, and see if it does not smell of guilt or betrayal? Amir al-Mu’minin heard a knock on the door at night, and a person arrived with a halwa and said, “Sir, I have brought this for you”. The Imam asked, “Why did you bring it”? He answered, “This is only a gift”. The Imam said, “No, this halva smells.” Take your halwa; we are not among those people.

I’m adding this: How come you didn’t provide halva for me when I wasn’t Caliph? Now that I am president, you come, and you want to offer me a car as a gift. This is not a favor; it is a trap.

Whenever Amir al-Mu’minin wanted to go shopping in the bazaar, he used to ask, do you know me? If the seller said: Yes, sir, you are Amir Al-Mu’minin. Imam replied, Thank you, and he would not buy from that shop. Imam would go to another shop and ask if they knew him after greeting him. If the seller answered, I don’t know you; he would buy from the seller because he was careful that no one would give him a discount because of his position.

That is, if you one day become mayor, governor, business president, or judge, don’t take a discount. Be cautious not to accept their gift. Try to bring lawful food to the table for yourself and your family.

First, do your Wajib (must-do) tasks. What is our Wajibat? One is prayer, one is fasting, and if you can afford it, you should go for Hajj. This is entirely your must to do responsibility. Second, everybody who achieved any spiritual standing was a result of this deed. Avoiding sin. He remarked, “There are many people whose foreheads bear the sign of prayer, but when you sit with them, you will notice that there is no light for them because they have not abandoned their haram activities.” Third, respect your legitimate job. Take care of your job, why? Because your nutrition comes from there. If anything is unclean, it will disrupt your pure spirit. It will pollute your clear lake. Make sure that whatever enters your body or spirit is pure and clean.

Allameh Hassanzadeh told me many times: Don’t eat this packaged food, especially sausages and similar to it. These are all unnatural and will upset your mood. As long as you are youth doesn’t show its effect, but when you get older, you notice different diseases. Be careful to eat mostly natural and organic foods. Eat food prepared by Angel Gabriel (A). Then he continued: It means fruits and vegetables. Regarding meat, he said to eat only young lamb, not beef. He also stated that you should never eat fat. Avicenna said: In my opinion, all diseases are caused by the ice that is thrown into the water (drinking water with ice cubes).

Consuming veggies is both beneficial and essential. Allameh was once brought for his annual health examination. The physician said, “Sir, it’s strange at your age that you don’t have any illnesses, gout, sugar, or urea.” Allameh declared, “I’ve lived most of my lifetime eating bread, cheese, and vegetables. It is far from God’s justice if I get these illnesses. Consuming excessive amounts of animal flesh might lead to these illnesses.

The next point about eating is that we should not eat anything we like. We should eat to strengthen our body, not because it tastes good. I’m not saying I don’t eat; we should eat to keep our body strong, but we don’t eat to enjoy it.

A divine person is away from aggressive eating, doing worthless deeds, and excessive and pointless talking. A divine person does something that is either for this world or for the hereafter, and if this is the case, his deed in this world is also considered worship.

I’ve been thinking about a hadith ever since I saw it, and if we just had this one hadith, people would be able to remain silent due to its advantages. The Holy Prophet (S) said: “If someone holds his tongue and remains silent, it is as if he has followed the entire Qur’an”. Allamah said: People have not stayed silent to see the flames, seditions, hearts, confusion, and destruction that their words cause. As I previously stated, who would want God to forgive his prior sins and then provide him the ability not to sin again? Everyone likes it, right? It is one thing; if people do it, God will forgive their sins and correct all their affairs.

We have seen some people say: Did you see that I committed such a sin? I didn’t want to backbite or lie, but I did. I didn’t want to do that injustice, but I did it, and I regretted why I did it. It means that sometimes people don’t want to, but they commit the sin again. But what is the act that God forgives our past sins by doing, and man finds success in not sinning? It is a significant topic that the Quran brings forth. “O you who believe! Be conscious of God, and speak in a straightforward manner (Firm). (70) He will rectify your conduct for you, and will forgive you your sins. Whoever obeys God and His Messenger has won a great victory (71)” (Al-Ahzab:70-71).

A firm talk in the Holy Quran means that the words we say should not be excessive or useless. He looked at the structure and inquired, “How many years has it been here?” Suddenly, a little stone fell from the top of the structure and struck his lips. The mystic reasoned to himself, “Why should I ask how long it has been built?” Do you think this question and answer are useful? Why was I talking nonsense? Why did I even speak? Khawaja Rabi was writting down everything he had spoken over the day. At night, he would check the paper to see what he had said, then cry and exclaim, “Oh, those who remained silent were saved.” Consider how little he said while he was able to write. How many notebooks would be filled if you and I decide to write down everything we talked about during the day? What type of people were they, and what kind of people are we? We say anything that comes to our mind. The tongue is man’s biggest cause of sin. It has been narrated that in the morning, all the organs beg the tongue and say to it, “For God’s sake, don’t make us hell; Let us be safe.”

Allameh Hassanzadeh said, “O Lord, You made me to be able to speak with Your General Mercy; please made me to be silent with Your special Mercy.” Dears, Let’s try to be silent or at least avoid talking nonsense.

This word is about austerity. If you examine different religions, you will see that there is austerity in all religions. Fasting itself is a form of austerity. Silence is a type of austerity and it is in all heavenly religions. Judaism also fasts. Christians also fast. We don’t know if they follow it or not, but it is in their religion. We do not have silence fasting, but in Christianity, we do; that is, when they are fasting, they do not talk to anyone. All holy faiths thus practice austerity, albeit some practice it more than others.

Of course, Buddhism also practices austerity in addition to the Abrahamic faiths. We should talk about Buddhism’s divinity or non-divinity separately. Some regard Buddha as one of the sages or a celestial prophet. They think he was a devout individual. This religion differs from other religions in that its physical austerities are quite strict. Generally speaking, the goal of austerity is to achieve perfection. This raises the question, Why does austerity lead to the perfection of the human soul?

Mull Rumi compares a human person to a bird whose body is like a fork stuck in the ground. However, his spirit has extended its wings and wishes to fly to the sky.

The love story of Laili and Majnoon is very well known by almost all people in the Middle East. They were never able to marry in the end. According to Maulana Rumi, Majnoon wanted to meet Laili since he had heard she had set up a tent in the desert. Majnoon was riding a she-camel. Majnoon was drowned in memory of Laili, and the camel’s reins were loose, and the camel returned to the barn because she had a kid. Majnoon regained consciousness and noticed that he was with a camel standing in the stable. He grasped the camel’s reins again and advanced toward Lily, but he was distracted once again by Lily’s recollection and the camel’s reins were released, and the camel returned to its stable again. Majnoon stepped off the camel and stated, “You have a lover in this stable who is your child, and I have a lover who is in another place; we cannot travel together. You go your way, and I will go mine.” It is the story of body and soul. The soul wants one thing; the soul wants another. In order to achieve the desire of our soul, we must austerity this body. This is like the camel story; if we neglect it for a moment, we will see that we are back in our first place.

We must question ourselves whether it is halal or haram. Is it the people’s or mine? We humans have intellect. “Intellect” is higher than ego. Our intellect says, “Before you eat, make sure who this food belongs to. Is it forbidden food? Doesn’t it harm your soul?” There is always a war between intellect and ego.

We should help our souls by being austere. When the Nafs sees austerity and hardship, our soul grows in power and shines. It’s like a dazzling bulb with muck all over the glass, emitting no light. We need to clean the bulb so that the glass is clean and light may shine through it. The more you wash it, the cleaner and brighter it will get. This is austerity. Of course, it should be noted that the human Nafs dislike many and like numerous things. Austerity is to avoid giving our Nafs what it likes but give it what it doesn’t like.

Indian ascetics practice very difficult austerities. For example, they take a handful of soil from the ground and put a grain of wheat in it. Then they pour some water on the soil and hold it until the wheat comes, then he eats it. This is an act of austerity because the Nafs does not like it. The Nafs resist and says: I can’t keep it like this. But the ascetic says: No, you have to keep it until this seed sprouts. Therefore, when a person works against the desire of the Nafs, his soul becomes pure and strong. But the important question is, are we allowed to do all types of austerity?

During the time of the Holy Prophet (S), some women came to him with complaints about their husbands. One of them said, “O Messenger of Allah, my husband worships from night to morning,” while another added, “My husband fasts all day and has no time to eat.” Another said: my husband has separated from me, and he says that he no longer wants to hang out with ladies. The Prophet (S) ascended to the pulpit and declared, “I, your prophet, worship part of the night and sleep part of the night.” I am a prophet; you should follow me, not your thinking and austerities. Yes, every austerity has purity. But the believer’s faith is a different affair. Faith is the ability to see what your Prophet is doing and then follow him. I, your Prophet, sleep some part of the night and worship some. I, your Prophet, fast on certain days, eat on others, and I, your Prophet, spend time with my wife. What austerities have you imposed on yourself? The Companions apologized and repented.

Austerity should be according to religion and the Holy Quran. I was informed by a man that he wished to conduct a silent fast. I said, “We do not practice silent fasting in Islam, but we do practice silent manners.” A person should refrain from speaking needlessly. We should be silent most of the time unless it is necessary to talk. In Islam, we do not practice complete silence. We ought to read the Quran, pray, and converse with others as needed. I told him that we should practice austerity according to our religion. According to Allameh Tabatabai, there is no such thing in Islam as eating merely one date or one walnut per day since the body needs nourishment.

Allameh Hassanzadeh stated: “I went to someone’s house and saw that he was eating a very small amount of rice .” I told him that the body needs food. Although it will make your Nafs stronger, but you will become unwell. That guy did not listen and eventually became ill. I left work and headed to the Hospital, despite the fact that I was occupied with my job, studies, and writing”. Later, Allamah told us that the individual had not made any progress in either knowledge or practice.

Dears, The highest austerity is obedience to the Messenger of God. If we want to be believers, we must read Surah Mu’minun to understand what characteristics believers have. Do we have these traits? If not, let’s practice these traits in ourselves. “In the Name of God, The Merciful and The Most Merciful (1) Successful are the believers. (2) Those who are humble in their prayers. (3) Those who avoid nonsense. (4) Those who work for charity. (5) Those who safeguard their chastity. (6) Except from their spouses, or their dependents—for then they are free from blame. (7) But whoever seeks anything beyond that—these are the transgressors. (8) Those who are faithful to their trusts and pledges. (9) Those who safeguard their prayers. (10) These are the inheritors. (11) Who will inherit Paradise, wherein they will dwell forever” (Al-Mu’minun:1-12).

Another type of austerity is to avoid eating all the time. It is narrated that it is good to fast three days a month in addition to the full month of Ramadan. Amir Al-Mu’minin Ali (A) said, “Eating too much kills intelligence”. Overeating leads to the development of stupidity in humans. Fight against your ego’s desires. For example, you have chicken for dinner, and you like the food very much, but tell yourself that I won’t let you eat chicken tonight; instead, you have bread and cheese, and I will give you chicken to eat tomorrow. Don’t give your ego the moment it likes something. By practicing this, a person will experience a strange pleasure and expansion.

Dear friends, don’t eat for pleasure. For example, if you attend a party and there are different types of tasty meals available, do not eat them all; instead, have a salad with bread. You persuade yourself that eating bread and salad will fill you up, so you’ll only eat salad today. We should constantly behave like intelligent people because our ego would become uncontrollably predatory if we gave in to its demands. Anytime our ego and selfishness get too much, if all of God’s prophets say, “Sir, this is wrong,” we will say, “No, I have to do this.”

In summary, let’s attempt to practice some austerity. However, this should be done in accordance with our religion: refraining from speaking needlessly, refraining from useless activity, and abstaining from food; all of these purify the soul. Nafs hates studying but enjoys watching films, but tell him you have to study.

In addition to the fact that austerity must be in accordance with religion, there is one critical aspect of austerity that must be considered with full attention. The point is that when a person who practices austerity wants to fight against his Nafs still does what Nafs likes without knowing. For example, your Nafs says: I want to confront my desires. It means you think you are doing against your desires, but in fact, you are following the desire of your Nafs. The Nafs is a very complex and strange entity. Nafs persuade you to be austere, which means that if we become austere, we fulfill our Naf’s wish. So, what should we do because everything we do is motivated by the Nafs’ desires? At one point, Nafs enjoyed eating chicken. He eventually matures and enjoys austerity. In this situation, a guy practices austerity while also being a prisoner to his Nafs.

Prophet Muhammad (S) said, “An ignorant pious person is the devil’s sneer”. An ignorant ascetic is someone who practices austerity, practices asceticism, and worships, but his worship is also an act of his Nafs desires. “Have you seen him who chose his desire as his god?” (Al-Furqan:43).

What should we do? Mystics say, “We must find a divine master in austerity. If your master orders you to do this then your austerity is no longer following the desires of your ego; You are obeying your master. When your master tells you to do something, you may first dislike it and wonder, “Why is my master saying this? Why doesn’t he let me do things the way I believe is best?” The argument is that because the divine master has already passed this path, therefore he offers you a command you don’t want to follow. Nothing destroys our ego like a divine master. The master kills your Nafs. Since you like yourself, you don’t see your flaws, but he does. He doesn’t talk to you in one place, but he talks to you in another place. He gives everyone something thing, but he doesn’t give it to you because he wants to destroy your ego, your idol. Nothing can shatter our ego like a heavenly master. The master eliminates your Nafs. Because you enjoy yourself, you don’t see your defects, but he does. He does not talk or look at you in one place, but rather, he talks and looks at you with respect in another place. He gifts to everyone but you because he wants to undermine your ego, your idol.

At the beginning of getting to know Allameh Hassanzadeh, we used to knock on the door of his house many times. He used to say, “Why do you come here!? Come inside and have a cup of tea and leave soon. With this cold tone, I was irritated, and I was offended. I was saying to myself, “Why is he treating me like this?”. But another time, I went to his house, and he respected me a lot. Why does he do this? Later, I realized that the master was crushing my ego because all of us respect ourselves.

If a person does not humble and submit himself before God’s Awlyia (those who are near to God), he will not be honored. When he humbles himself in front of the heavenly master, God will adore him because he is humiliated, for God’s sake. God loves him because He was experiencing this humiliation.

A mystic said that if people see their inner self, they will see that, for example, it is a human being with a very big head and a very long neck; one hand is two meters long, and the other hand is 10 cm long, his tongue is on his chest, he has no ears, his legs are very short, or his stomach is too big. The divine master should correct these defects so that on the Day of Resurrection, you will be like a human being.

Allamah used to say, “Austerity must be according to the Holy Quran. Austerity outside of the Quran becomes the same as selfish affairs, and in fact, it will grow selfishness instead of self-cultivation”. Allamah used to state, “Austerity must be according to the Holy Quran. Outside of the Quran, austerity becomes selfishness, and in reality, it promotes selfishness rather than self-cultivation.”

Allameh said, “Ascetics who practice austerity against the Quran may see the same things that a believer sees. Both of them see. He sees in urinate or impure water, but a believer sees in pure water as a believer walking in the divine path.

For us, austerity is not to sin, to follow God’s commands, not to act against God’s command, to close our eyes to what is forbidden, to eat for the strength of the body, not for pleasure, to control animal desires as much as the religion says. Pray and fast, not to eat any food, not to eat too much, give to others, be kind to others, don’t raise your voice, don’t walk with pride and arrogance, don’t brag, be kind to your parents, and respect them. Let’s not sleep too much and always remember God. If we act like this, the soul will find purity and light. Our infallible Imams said, “Our Shiites sleep at night to wake up early morning before sunrise, which is the best time for remembrance and worship. No matter how difficult it is, a person must keep himself awake one hour before sunrise. Unfortunately, with the advent of light bulbs, televisions, and mobile phones, people are mostly awake until midnight and then wake up hours after sunrise.

Of course, the body needs sleep and nourishment. Moderation should be maintained. Young individuals, especially those who are still developing, require a lot of food. People should take care of their bodies so that they do not suffer injury when performing austerities and worship. So, I’m not saying we shouldn’t eat, but we should eat less, not for pleasure but to strengthen our bodies.

It should be highlighted that there are alternative approaches to attain the target that do not demand austerity. Imam Javad (A) said, “The one who goes to God with his heart will reach his destination sooner than the one who puts his body into rigorous worship”.

The final statement is that we should eat Halal cuisine. Be cautious about what we say. Take good care of what we see (Avoid looking at forbidden). We must manage our existential imports and exports. Then we see what benefits we’ll receive that we can’t believe, God willing.

Muhammad Mahdi Me’marian

All praise is to God to the extent that He deserves it.