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A Short Treatise onThe Divine Invitation

This book discusses why the Holy Month of Ramadān described by the Holy Prophet (s) as ‘The Banquet of Allāh’ and what it means to be his special Guest.

Author(s): Muhammad M. Khalfan

Publisher(s): The Islamic Education Board of the World Federation of Khoja Shia Ithna-Asheri Muslim Communities

Table of Contents

Dedication. 3

Preface 4

The Holy Month of Ramadān: A Month When Allāh’s Servants are Invited to be His Special Guests 5

Notes 7

Lexical Origins 8

Notes 10

The General Banquet 11

Notes 12

The Special Banquet 13

Notes 15

Spiritual Food. 16

Notes 18

Mystics are Guests of Allāh. 19

Note 20

A Closer Look at the Meaning of Diyāfat Allāh  21

Notes 25

The General Fast 26

Notes 28

The Specific Fast 29

Notes 31

The Most Specific Fast 32

Notes 35

Have You Considered the Lovers in the Cave?  36

Notes 38

Bibliography. 39

Arabic References 39

Persian References 39

English References 39

Digital References 40

Dedication

I humbly present this short treatise to the Doyen of Saints, Imām ‘Alī (‘a) who left this mortal world toMeet the Only Beloved.

Holy Month of Ramadān 1425 ah

Holy Proximity of Bibi Ma’sumah (‘a)

Qum al-Muqaddasah

Preface

Each year, as we approach the Graceful Month of Ramadān, we are considered as the ‘Special Guests’ of Allah (SwT). What does it mean to be a special guest? What is the difference between an ‘ordinary’ invitation and a ‘special’ invitation? Why is the Holy Month of Ramadān described by the Holy Prophet (s) as ‘The Banquet of Allāh’?

This book goes beyond providing logical analysis to these questions. It is typical of the style the author adopts in his other profound titles for a spiritual wayfarer ‘Soaring to the Only Beloved’ (a brief treatise on the presence of the heart in prayer) and ‘Manifestations of the All-Merciful’ (a commentary on a daily supplication of the Holy Month of Ramadan), published by the Islamic Education Board of the World Federation.

Such an  approach is ideal for Mubalighīn, proactive ‘Urafā’ and the youth,  for it combines beautifully the theme with lexical origins, Āyāt from the Holy Qur’ān , ahādīth of the A’immah (‘a), mystical narrations, poetry, fadāil of the Ahlu’l Bayt (‘a) as well as touch of historical accounts relevant to the subject.

We live in a time when people feel an urgent need to examine the spiritual dimensions of their lives. The materialistic tendencies which have dominated so much of the modern age are beginning to lose their lustre. People are beginning to realize that their deepest needs cannot be satisfied by consumer products. This book together with a series of related books can go a long way to quench the thirst of spiritual wayfarers and be a catalyst in guiding the traveler towards ‘The Host’.

IEB is indebted to Sheikh Muhammad Khalfan who is also an active member of the Editorial Advisory Committee (EAC) that was recently established by the World Federation to ensure high quality, sustainable and effective publications.

Sheikh Muhammad Khalfan studies at the Seminary in Qum specialising in philosophy and theoretical gnosis. Besides the three books mentioned above, he has also translated various articles on philosophical issues for the Transcendent Philosophy Journal (published by the Islamic Centre London) as well as the introduction of the Tafsīr al-Qur’ān al-Karīm of Mullā Sadra (written by the esteemed research scholar Aghā Bidār Far) for the same institution.

Safder Jaffer

Chairman

Islamic Education Board

The World Federation of KSIMC

London

Ramadān 1426 ah

The Holy Month of Ramadān:A Month When Allāh’s Servants are Invited to be His Special Guests

The Holy Prophet (s) is reported to have said:

   ...وَهُوَ شَهْرٌ دُعِيــتُمْ فِيهِ إِلـى ضِيَافَةِ اللٌّهِ...

“…It is a month in which you have been called to the banquet of Allāh…1 ”

Whenever we speak ofdiyāfah , we refer to the invitation commonly known and highly encouraged in Islam.  Our traditions are replete with emphasis on inviting the believers and feeding them in the way of Allāh (SwT).  In fact a guest is also commonly known as ‘the beloved of God’.  So much emphasis has Islam laid upon such invitation, that there is a prophetic tradition that says:

    أَلضَّيْفُ دَلِيلُ الْجَنَّةِ.

“A guest is a guide to Paradise.2 ”

In other words, serving a guest is so rewarding that it leads one to Paradise.  This dictum also informs us that our hospitality should be such that it should qualify for such a reward.  In other words, our invitation should not involve things that instead of making us closer to Allāh (SwT), separate us from His neighborhood.

In another tradition narrated from the Holy Prophet (s), ‘disliking a guest’ is equated to disliking Allāh (SwT):

   ...إِنَّ مَنْ أَبْغَضَ الضَّيْفَ فَقَدْ أَبْغَضَ اللٌّهَ، وَمَنْ أَبْغَضَ اللٌّهَ أَبْغَضَهُ اللٌّهُ...

“…surely whosoever hates a guest, hates Allāh, and whosoever hates Allāh, Allāh [likewise] Hates him…”3

Those who assume a Divine spirit always love guests.  One of the most outstanding prophets of Allāh well-known for his great fondness of serving guests is Prophet Ibrāhīm (‘a).  History tells us that he would not eat any of his meals until he found a guest to eat with.  At times he would have to travel one or two miles away just for this purpose.  Due to his great fondness for guests, he was called Abū Adyāf.  Imām al-Sādiq (‘a) is reported to have said: ‘Indeed Ibrāhīm was Abā Adyāf (lit. father of guests); and whenever he had no guest, he would go out searching for them4 .

He is also known to be the first Prophet of Allāh5 to have served a guest.  Imām ‘Alī (‘a) is reported to have said:

    كَانَ إِبْرَاهِيمُ أَوَّلَ مَنْ أَضَافَ الضَّيْفَ...

“Prophet Ibrāhīm (‘a) was the first to host a guest…”6

Perhaps the reason why the Holy Prophet (s) and the infallible Imāms of the Ahl al-Bayt (‘a) highly encouraged the believers to invite each other for iftār in the Holy month of Ramadān was to adopt a Divine Attitude in themselves: In the same way as He has invited His believers to His Banquet and venerated them as well, His followers should adopt the same attitude.  A very important point to bear in mind is that every invitation should accompany veneration (ikrām).  In several traditions the phrase ‘ikrām al-dayf’ has often been mentioned.  This means that no ordinary entertainment

is encouraged.  One must struggle to observe ‘ikrām’ (lit. veneration ).  The Holy Qur’ān alluding to this trait of Prophet Ibrāhīm (‘a) says:

    هَلْ أَتَاكَ حَدِيثُ ضَيْفِ إِبْرَاهِيمَ الْمُكْرَمِينَ

“Did you receive the story of Abraham’s honored guests?” 7

Some exegetes of Qur’ān allude to the fact that the adjective ‘al-mukramīn’ in the above verse possibly signifies that the guests of Ibrāhīm were honored by him and hence are qualified as ‘honored’8 .

Veneration should be manifested in all the levels of the invitation.  We should therefore identify ‘the etiquette of the intention of our invitation’, ‘the method of invitation’, ‘the banquet served in the invitation’, ‘the method of serving the banquet’, ‘where should the meal be served’, etc.  Islam has the answers to all these queries.

Veneration in the phases of every invitation, however, does not mean that one should overspend to ensure that the best meal is served.  It rather means to serve within the bounds of the sharī’ah according to one’s capacity.  It is noteworthy that when some of the poor companions of the Holy Prophet (s) asked him whether they would be deprived of the reward of invitation if they cannot bear the expenses of hosting a mu’min brother in this holy month, the Holy Prophet (s) said: ‘Protect yourself from Hell Fire even with a piece of date or a glass of water’,

thus indicating that it is not necessary for one to serve what is beyond one’s capacity.

This however should not lead one who can afford to serve a decent meal to decide that he can be the host of so many believers by distributing dates in the mosque, and thereby earn much more reward than if he were to call one mu’min brother and serve a decent meal at home.  In short, one should serve according to his financial capacity.

One of the most significant attitudes we must adopt is to create a meaningful environment in our invitations.  Not only should physical food be served, intellectual and spiritual food should also be served.  Able speakers on significant issues that deal with self-reform or reforming the society can be invited to serve such spiritual meals.  It is then that we may be able to claim to have adopted a Divine attitude in this holy month.  In fact, the great scholars of gnosis have clearly stated that ‘the Divine Banquet’ to which the believers have been called in the Holy month of Ramadān is ‘a spiritual’ repast.

In order to capture an accurate concept of the relation between the host and the guest, it would be useful for us to have a cursory glance over how lexicographers define this relation:

Notes

1. al-Iqbāl, vol. 1, pg. 26

2. Bihā r al-Anwār, vol.  75, pp. 460-461.

3. al-Mahajjat al-Baydā’, vol. 3, pg. 32.

4. Tafsīr Nūr al-Thaqalayn, vol. 1, pg. 555.

5. It should be noted that ‘first’ here is in terms of time.  Otherwise, it is the Muhammadan light in terms of the existential hierarchy, who by Divinepermission, is the first host.  This again is in terms of the world of ‘contingent existence’.  Otherwise there is none save Allāh Who is and was and will be the Host, and ‘a second’ to such a Host cannot be comprehended at all.

6. Bihā r al-Anwār, vol. 12, pg. 4.

7. Holy Qur’ān, 15:24

8. See TafsīrMajma‘ al -Bayān, vol. 9, pg. 23 and Tafsīr al-Kashshāf, vol. 4, pg. 401.

Lexical Origins

Dayf (lit. inclination ) is an infinitive noun of the intransitive verbs dāfa, yadīfū (lit. he inclined, he is inclining)1 ; and a guest is known as dayf because he inclines to the host as he alights to be his guest2 .

The word dīyāfah likewise is an infinitive noun, and it signifies ‘the entertainment of a guest or guests’.  And the word ‘al-idāfah’ is conventionally employed in grammar when a noun is adjoined to another.  Some authoritative lexicographers such as Jār Allāh al-Zamakhsharī say that ‘a guest is known to be dayf because he is adjoined to the family and fed with them’3 .

Such linkage however is voluntary and attributive (i’tibārī) and not haqīqī (real).  In sharp contrast to this, the relation of a guest of Allāh is such that he not only is existentially linked to the Him but is ‘the link’ (‘ayn al-rabt) itself.  This is because he has no independent existence, or accurately speaking, no existence of his own.  Whatever he is, together with his belongings, all exist and subsist by the volition of Allāh (SwT).  The following verse of the Qur’ān alludes to this reality:

    يَا أَيُّهَا النَّاسُ أَنْـتُمُ الْفُقَرَاءُ إِلـى اللٌّهِ وَاللٌّهُ هُوَ الْغَنِيُّ الْحَمِيدُ

“O mankind! You are the ones who stand in need of Allāh, and Allāh, He is the All-Sufficient, the All-Laudable.” 4

Philosophers describe the link between the guests and the Host as idāfah ishrāqiyyah (emanational link), thus differentiating it from idāfah ma’qūliyyah (categorical link), which is between two independent entities.

In his glosses over his philosophical poetry al-Manzūmah, Mullā Hādī Sabzawārī says:

   ...الا ترى أنّ كلّ وجود عين التعلق بالمبدء وليس إضافة مقولية، وللمبدء أضافة إشراقية على جميع ما سواه…

“…Don’t you see that every entity is ‘sheer linkage to the Origin’ (‘ayn al-ta’alluq bi al-Mabda’) and not categorically linked, and everything other than the Origin is His emanational link….”5

In simpler terms, unlike the human beings, where the host, the guest, as well as the banquet served to the host are apparently6 independent, there is no ‘independent existence’ for other than Allāh (SwT).

Therefore, He is the Host of the guest, who is served hospitably with contingent existence and subsistence7 .

The relation is rather subtler than that, for there can be no two independent existents ever conceived.  The guest together with what he or she is provided with is nothing but Divine action.  The Holy Qur’ān says:

    وَاللٌّهُ خَلَقَكُمْ وَمَا تَعْمَلُونَ

“And God has created you and whatever you do. 8 ”

Another highly significant point to bear in mind is that this kind of hospitality is essentially continual.  Because of the utter existential poverty of the human being, he always needs to be provided with his contingent existence9 and its perfections, and thus is always a guest of the Necessary

Being.   Both the philosophers as well as the mystics (‘urafā’) establish that every entity requires Divine Grace every moment.

Perhaps the following supplications allude to this subtlety:

1.  On Thursday nights we are taught to recite the following ten times:

    يَا دَائِمَ الْفَضْلِ عَلـى الْبَرِيَّةِ…

“O One who continually confers abundance on the creation…10 ”

2.  In the supplication of Jawshan al-Kabīr we address Almighty Allāh as:

   ...يَا دَائِمَ اللُّطْفِ...

“…O Ever Benevolent…11 ”

3.  On Eid day, in one of the supplications we are taught to say:

    يَا دَائِمَ الْمَعْرُوفِ…

“O One who always does good…12 ”

4.  And in one of the recommended supplications on the 18th Day of every month we are taught to address Almighty Allāh as:

    يَا دَائِمَ الْجُوْدِ وَالْكَرَمِ…

“O Ever Bountiful & Generous…13 ”

Some Jews, as narrated in the Holy Qur’ān, in their utter ignorance and disrespect would say ‘God’s Hands are tied’, thus implying the independence of the creation from the Creator14 , an idea later adopted by a group of ignorant Mu’tazilites who relinquishing the teachings of the Ahl al-Bayt (‘a) deviated from the right path.  The reality, however, as has been established in the relevant texts, is that the relation between the cause and effect is not like the relation of a builder and a building, both of which can exist independently.  Rather, the effect always needs the cause to exist.

Having considered the aforesaid introduction, we can classify ‘Divine Invitation’ (diyāfah ilāhiyyah ) into two kinds:

1.  al-Diyāfah al-‘Āmmah (The General Banquet)

2.  al-Diyāfah al-Khāsah (The Specific Banquet)

Notes

1. It is also employed to mean, ‘he alighted to be a guest’.  For example, when it is said‘adīfuhu’  it means ‘I alighted at his abode as a guest.’

2. Mufradātu Alfāz al-Qur’ān, pg. 513.

3. Lane, EW Lane’s Arabic-English Lexicon.

4. Holy Qur’ān, 35:15.

5. al-Manzūmah, vol. 2, pg. 468.

6. We say ‘apparently’ because ‘the humanly host, guest, as well as the banquet’ all come under contingent existence, which has no dependence whatsoever.  Hence in reality there isn’t and can never be any host in the independent sense of the word other than Allāh (SwT).

7. This can be understood by trying to appreciate the relation between the Primary Cause and every dependent being in the universe.  The relation is not like the human builder and his building, who after having built a beautiful edifice, is able to live independent of the edifice and has no existential control over the same, nor does the building need him to exist.  If he were to die, the building would still remain erect.

8. Holy Qur’ān, 37:96.  This is one of the most explicit verses thatendorses the belief accepted by the Imāmites who neither believe that they are coercively driven by Allāh (SwT) in every action they do, nor believe that they have complete independence in their action.  They rather believe that whatever they do is volitional, but entirely by Allāh’s (SwT) power.  Note the subtlety that while the action is attributed to the doer (ta‘malūn), Allāh (SwT) says that He is the One who Creates the action chosen by His servant.

9. Contingent beings are those that do not exist essentially nor are they impossible to exist.   Therefore in order for them to exist, they always need a cause.  All the created beings are such.

10. Mafātīh al-Jinān, vol. 1, pg. 33.

11. Al-Balad al-Amīn, vol. 1, pg. 405.

12. al-Iqbāl, vol. 2, pg. 212.

13. Al-‘Adad al-Qawiyyah, vol. 1, pg. 163.

14. This refers to verse 5:63 of the Holy Qur’ān.  Imām Khumaynī has a beautiful note on this issue in his commentary on tradition no. 31 [On the Indescribability of God] of his Forty Traditions.

The General Banquet

This refers to the Divine banquet that every human being enjoys.  Rather every created entity seeks advantage from its provisions.  Every entity, both in its existence, as well as subsistence needs the All-Sufficient.  Therefore, he always enjoys from the provisions of the All-Merciful.

The Holy Prophet (s) is reported to have said:

   ...إِنَّ مَنْ فِي الدُّنْـيَا ضَيْفٌ، وَمَا فِي أَيْدِيهِمْ عَارِيَةٌ...

“…Surely the inhabitants of the earth are guests and whatever they have at their disposal are loans…1 ”

Similarly, Imām ‘Alī (‘a) says in one of his sermons:

    عِبَادَ اللٌّهِ إِنَّكُمْ وَمَا تَأْمُلُونَ- مِنْ هٌذِهِ الدُّنْـيَا أَثْوِيَاءُ مُؤَجَّلُونَ.

“O servants of Allāh, surely your beings and what you aspire from this world are guests (athwiyā’)2 for whom a time for departure has been specified…3 ”

Therefore the humanbeings, rather every dependent entity, is a guest of Allāh (SwT).  Appreciating this, al-Bayātī in his Adab al-Diyāfah says:

    ألضيافة في الدين خُلق من أخلاق الله سبحانه وتعالى الذي استضاف مخلوقاته في عالم الوجود بالمعنى الواسع للكلمة.  وهو يستضيف عباده كل يوم في مملكته.  ويدعوهم إلى طيب أرزاقه...

“Inviting a guest in religion is a trait among the traits of Allāh, the Immaculate and Exalted, Who entertains His creatures in the world of existence in the broad sense of the word.  He caters for His servants every day in His Dominion, and invites them to His pleasant sustenance…4 ”

This kind of invitation is in reality a manifestation of Allāh’s All-comprehensive Mercy (al-Rahmah al-Rahmāniyyah), about which the Holy Qur’ān says:

    وَرَحْمَتِي وَسِعَتْ كُلَّ شَيْءٍ

“…butMy mercy embraces all things…”5

Notes

1. Bihā r al-Anwār, vol. 77, pg. 187.

2. Athwiyā’ is the plural of thawī which in the Arabic is ‘a guest’ (Ibn Maytham al-Bahrānī, Ikhtiyāru Misbāh al-Sālikīn, pg. 287.

3. Nahj al-Balāghah, sermon 129.

4. Adab al-Siyāfah, pg. 13.

5. Holy Qur’ān, 7:156.

The Special Banquet

This kind of invitation takes place on specific occasions.  It manifests Allāh’s (SwT) special Mercy which despite given to all, is accepted and benefited from, only by the believers.  This kind of Mercy is also known as al-rahmah al-rahīmiyyah, which comes in the first verse of Sūrat al-Hamd: Bismillāh al-Rahmān al-Rahīm.  Following are some noteworthy extensions (masādīq) of the special Divine banquet:

1. Special invitation in the Holy month of Ramadān

The Holy Prophet (s) is reported to have said:

   ...وَهُوَ شَهْرٌ دُعِيـتُمْ فِيهِ إِلـى ضِيَافَةِ اللٌّهِ...

“…It is a month in which you have been called to the Banquet of Allāh…”1

Imām Muhammad al-Bāqir (‘a) is reported to have said:

   ...شَهْرُ رَمَضَانِ شَهْرُ رَمَضَانِ وَالصَّائِمُوْنَ فِيـهِ أَضْـيَافُ اللٌّهِ...

“…The month of Ramadān is the month of Ramadān, and those who are fasting therein are the guests of Allāh…2 ”

2.  Special invitation during Hajj and ‘Umrah

Imām al-Sādiq (‘a) is reported to have said:

    إِنَّ ضَيْفَ اللٌّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ رَجُلٌ حَجَّ وَاعْتَمَرَ، فَهُوَ ضَيْفُ اللٌّهِ حَتّى يَرْجِعَ إِلـى مَنْزِلِهِ...

“Surely the guest of Allāh is the one who performs hajj and ‘umrah until he returns back to his house…3 ”

3.  Special Invitation during Prayer (salāh)

The above tradition of Imām al-Sādiq (‘a) mentions the second kind of guest as:

   ...وَرَجُلٌ كَانَ فِي صَلاَتِهِ، فَهُوَ فِي كَـنْفِ اللٌّهِ حَتَّى يَنْصَرِفَ...

“…and one who is in his prayers, and thus under Divine protection, until he leaves his prayer…4 ”

Imām al-Sādiq (‘a) is also reported to have said:

    مَنْ صَلَّى صَلاَةً فَرِيضَةً وَعَقَّبَ إِلـى أُخْرَى فَهُوَ ضَيْفُ اللٌّهِ، وَحَقٌّ عَلَى اللٌّهِ أَنْ يُكْرِمَ ضَيْفَهُ...

“Whosoever prays an obligatory prayer and follows it with another, then he is a guest of Allāh, and it is upon Allāh to venerate His guest…5 ”

Imām Hasan al-Mujtabā (‘a) was known to say the following whenever he would reach the door of the mosque:

    إِلٌـهِي ضَيْفُكَ بِـبَابِكَ، يَا مُحْسِنُ قَدْ أَتَاكَ الْمُسِيءُ، فَتَجَاوَزْ عَنْ قَبِيحِ مَا عِنْدِي بِجَمِيلِ مَا عِنْدَك يَا كَرِيـمُ.

“O God, Your guest is atYour door; O Virtuous One, certainly the bad doer has come to you; so overlook the ugliness that I possess with the beauty that is with You, O Noble One.6 ”

This perhaps reveals that whenever one is in the mosque, one is in reality the special guest of Allāh.

4.  Special Invitation for those Obedient to Allāh

Ibn Fahd al-Hillī in his ‘Uddat al-Dā’īnarrates a sacred tradition (al-hadīth al-qudsī) in which Almighty Allāh tells Prophet Dāwūd (‘a) the following:

    أَهْلُ طَاعَـتِي فِي ضِيَافَـتِي.

“The obedient people areMy guests…7 ”

5.  Special Invitation to the Rememberers of Allāh

The Holy Prophet (s) in a sacred tradition is reported to have said:

    وَإِنَّ اللٌّهَ سُبْحَانَهُ يَقُولُ أَهْلُ ذِكْرِي فِي ضِيَافَتِي...

“And surely Allāh, free is He from imperfections, Says: Those who rememberMe are My guests….8 ”

6.  Special Invitation to those who Study the Holy Qur’ān in the Mosque

The Holy Prophet (s) is reported to have said:

    ...مَا جَلَسَ قَوْمٌ فِي بَيْتٍ مِنْ بُـيُوتِ اللٌّهِ، يَدْرُسُونَ كِتَابَ اللٌّهِ، وَيَتَعَاطَوْنَهُ بَيْـنَهُمْ إِلاَّ كَانُوا أَضْـيَافَ اللٌّهِ تَعَالـى، وَأَظَلَّتْ عَلَيْهِمُ الْمَلاَئِكَةُ بِأَجْنِحَتِهَا مَا دَامُوا فِيهِ، حَتَّى يَخُوضُوا فِي حَدِيثٍ غَيْرِهِ...

“No people sit in a house from among the houses of Allāh studying the Book of Allāh and exchanging information between themselves, save that the Angels place a shade over them by their wings until they engage in talking about something else…9 ”

7.  Special Invitation for one who Visits His Mu’min brother in the way of Allāh

It is reported in a tradition that the Holy Prophet (s) said:

    مَنْ زَارَ أَخَاهُ فِي بَيْتِهِ قَالَ اللٌّهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ لَهُ: أَنْتَ ضَيْفِي وَزَائِرِي، عَلَيَّ قِرَاكَ، وَقَدْ أَوْجَبْتُ لَكَ الْجَنَّةَ بِحُبِّكَ إِيَّاهُ...

“Whosoever visits his brother at his home, (in the way of Allāh), Allāh, the Invincible and Majestic, Says: ‘You areMy guest and My visitor, and I am bound to entertain you; and surely I have made Paradise obligatory on you through your love for him…10 ”

8.  Special Invitation for the zā’ir (visitor) of Imām al-Husayn (‘a)

In one of the ziyārāt of Imām al-Husayn (‘a), we are taught to address him saying:

    يَا أَبَا عَبْدِ اللٌّهِ: أَنَا ضَيْفُ اللٌّهِ وَضَيْفُكَ، وَجَارُ اللٌّهِ وَجَارُكَ، وَلِكُلِّ ضَيْفٍ وَجَارٍ قِرًى، وَقِرَايَ فِي هٌذَا الْوَقْتِ أَنْ تَسْأَلَ اللٌّهَ سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالـى أَنْ يَرْزُقَنِي فَكَاكَ رَقَـبَتِي مِنَ النَّارِ، إِنَّهُ سَمِيعُ الدُّعَاءِ ...

“O Abā ‘Abdillāh, I am the guest of Allāh and your guest as well, and Allāh is my refuge; and you too are my refuge; and for every guest and seeker of refuge there is a banquet; please therefore make my banquet be at this moment that you ask Allāh to provide me with freedom from Hell Fire; surely He is All-Hearing of Prayer…11 ”

Notes

1. al-Iqbāl, vol. 1, pg. 26.

2.Fadā’il al-Ashhur al-Thalāthah, pg. 123.

3. al-KhiSāl, vol. 1, pg. 127.

4. al-KhiSāl, vol. 1, pg. 127.

5. al-Kāfī, vol. 2, pg. 241.

6. al-Anwār al-Bahiyyah, pg. 87.

7. ‘Uddat al-Dā‘ī, pg. 252.

8. Irshād al-Qulūb, pg. 58.

9. Mustadrak al-Wasā’il , vol. 3, pg. 313.

10. al-Kāfī, vol. 2, pg. 176.

11. Mafātīh al-Jinān, pg. 292.

Spiritual Food

These examples inform us that Allāh’s (SwT) special invitation does not always concern material satisfaction.  Thefood that Allāh (SwT) serves in the aforementioned specific invitations are spiritual. In fact in some traditions the word ‘ta’ām’1 is translated as spiritual food.   Consider the following:

In chapter ‘Abasa [80:24], Almighty Allāh says:

    فَلْيَنْظُرِ الإِنْسَانُ إِلـى طَعَامِهِ

“Then let man look at his food.” 2

Under this holy verse, the Shi’ite exegete Sayyid Hāshim Bahrānī, in his Tafsīr al-Burhān quotes a tradition narrated by Thiqat al-Islam al-Kulaynī in al-Kāfi [v.1, p.39, tr.8] from Imām al-Sādiq (‘a) as follows:

Zayd al-Shahhām asks Imām (‘a) what “man’s food” stands for in the verse above.  The Imām (‘a) responds saying:

     عِلْمُهُ الَّذِي يأْخُذُهُ عَمَّنْ يَأْخُذُهُ.

“It refers to the knowledge that he acquires, and its source.”

The Holy Prophet (s) is reported to have said:      

    أَبِيتُ عِنْدَ رَبِّي، يُطْعِمُنِي وَيَسْـقِيـنِي.

“I spend the night near my Lord, and He feeds me and quenches my thirst.”

Commenting on this prophetic tradition, Sayyid ‘Alī Khān al-Madanī in his magnum opus, Riyād al-Sālikīn says:

    ومعلوم أنّ طعامه (صلّى اللّه عليه وآله) عند ربّه ليس من جنس أطعمة الحيوانات اللحميّة، ولا شرابه من جنس هذه الأشربة، وإنّما المراد طعام العلم وشراب المعرفة.

“And it is known that the Prophet’s food near his Lord is not of the kind of animal food, nor is his drink like the drinks that we see before us.  Indeed what is meant here is only the ta’ām (food) of knowledge and the sharāb (drink) of gnosis (ma’rifah).3 ”

‘Allāmah Majlisī also, commenting on this tradition says in his Oceans of Lights:

   ...ولا شك أن ذلك الشراب ليس إلا عبارة عن المعرفة و المحبة والإستنارة بأنوار عالم الغيب...

“…and undoubtedly that drink is nothing but Divine gnosis, love, and seeking illumination through the lights of the hidden realm…4 ”

The infinitive noun ‘shurb’ also, which is commonly translated as ‘drinking’ does not literally mean ‘to drink’.  Drinking is only a material extension of ‘shurb’- which literally denotes “to convey to one’s inside”5 be that by drinking6 or otherwise.

The Holy Qur’ān for example, uses shurb for the polytheists who inclined to the worship of a cow after Prophet Mūsā (‘a) went to be the special guest of Allāh (SwT), in the following way:

     وَأُشْرِبُوا فِي قُلُوبِهِمُ الْعِجْلَ بِكُفْرِهِمْ (

“…and their hearts had been imbued with [the love of] the Calf, due to their faithlessness.” 7

Observe that the word ‘ushribū’ is employed which does not connote any kind of material intake of drink.

Imām al-Sajjād (‘a) in his supplication against Satan says:

    أَللٌّهُمَّ وَ أَشْرِبْ قُلُوبَنَا إِنْكَارَ عَمَلِهِ وَالْطُفْ لَنَا فِي نَقْضِ حِيَلِهِ.

“O Allāh, saturate our hearts with the rejection of his works and be gentle to us by destroying his stratagems!8 ”

And in his supplication of ‘Arafah he (‘a) says:

    وَأَشْرِبْ قَلْبِي عِنْدَ ذُهُولِ الْعُقُولِ طَاعَتَكَ.

“Drench my heart withYour obedience when intellects are distracted…9 ”

And Imām ‘Alī (‘a) is reported to have said:

    إِنَّ لِلٌّهِ تَعَالـى شَرَابًا لأَوْلِيَائِهِ إِذَا شَرِبُوا (مِنْهُ) سَكِرُوا، وَإِذَا سَكِرُوا طَرِبُوا، وَإِذَا طَرِبُوا طَابُوا، وَإِذَا طَابُوا ذَابُوا، وَإِذَا ذَابُوا خَلَصُوا، وَإِذَا خَلَصُوا طَلَبُوا، وَإِذَا طَلَبُوا وَجَدُوا، وَإِذَا وَجَدُوا وَصَلُوا، وَإِذَا وَصَلُوا اتَّصَلُوا، وَإِذَا اتَّصَلُوا لاَ فَرْقَ بَيْنَهُمْ وَبَيْنَ حَبِيـبِهِمْ.

“Indeed Allāh has a wine for His friends, which if they drink, they get intoxicated, and when they get intoxicated, they get overjoyed, and when they get overjoyed they get pleasant, and when they get pleasant, they melt down, and when they melt down, they get pure, and when they get pure, they seek, and when they seek, they find, and when they find they reach, and when they reach, they unite, and when they unite there is no difference between them and their lover.10 ”

Notes

1. The verb ta‘ima literally stands for ‘he tasted’.

2. Holy Qur’ān, 80:124.

3. Riyād al-Sālikīn, vol. 1, pg. 280.

4. Bihā r al-Anwār, vol. 6, pg. 208.

5. al-Tahqīq fī Kalimāt al-Qur’ān al-Karīm, vol. 6, pg. 30.

6. EW Lane, EW Lane Arabic-English Lexicon, see under the root word shīn rā bā.

7. Holy Qur’ān, 2:93.

8. Imām al-Sajjād (‘a), Sahīfat al-Sajjādiyyah (Eng. Edition), sup. 17, pg. 63.

9. Imām al-Sajjād (‘a), Sahīfat al-Sajjādiyyah (Eng. Edition), sup. 47, pg. 185.

10. This tradition has been narrated by many authorities in mysticism such as Mullā Hādī Sabzawārī in his Sharh al-Asmā’ (pg. 534), Ayatullāh Hasan Zadeh Amulī in his Nūr ‘alā Nūr (pg. 89), Mawlā Narāqī in hisJāmi‘ al -Sa‘ādāt (vol. 3, pg. 152).

Mystics are Guests of Allāh

Some mystics like Ibn al-’Arabī consider the sūfīs (those who possess the purity of heart and have attained proximity to God) to be the guests of Allāh (SwT).  In his Futūhāt al-Makkiyyah he says:

    ألصوفية أضياف الله، فإِنهم سافروا من حظوظ أنفسهم وجميع الاكـوان إيثاراً للجناب الإلهي، فنـزلوا به، فلا يعملون عملاً إلا بإذن من نزلوا عليه، وهو الله، فلا يتصرفون ولا يسكنون ولا يتحركون إلا عن أمر إلهي، ومن ليست هذه صفته فهو في الطريق يمشي يقطع مناهل نفسه حتى يصل إلى ربه، فحينئذ يـكون ضيفاً...

“‘The mystics (al-sūfiyyah) are guests of Allāh, for they journeyed from the pleasures of their lower self and everything in sacrifice for the neighborhood of God; so they alighted in His neighborhood, and hence do not perform any action save by the permission of He, Whose neighborhood they alighted as guests, and that is Allāh; therefore they do not do anything, nor settle down, nor move save by the Divine Command; and one who does not have such a character, he is [still] walking on the way, crossing the springs of his self until he reaches his Lord, and then it is when he is a guest…’”1

Note

1. al-Futūhāt al-Makkiyyah, vol. 9, pg. 416.