Alhassanain(p) Network for Heritage and Islamic Thought

A Closer Look at the Meaning of Diyāfat Allāh

Almighty Allāh is referred to in the verses of the Holy Qur’ān with different names.  Sometimes He is introduced with ‘Huwa’ (He)1 , sometimes with ‘Allāh’2 , sometimes with ‘Rabb’3 and so on.  All these names manifest a certain meaning, which if overlooked may hamper one from understanding the verse perfectly.  Authoritative exegetes of Qur’ān have alluded to this fine reality in their works4 .

 Likewise the Ahl al-Bayt (‘a), who represent the guardians of Qur’ān, and appreciate its kernel, also employ every Divine Name for the purpose of referring to a certain Attribute of Allāh (SwT).  For example, in the aforementioned prophetic tradition the Holy Prophet (P) said: ‘I spend the night near my Lord (‘inda Rabbī)…’ Here the name ‘Lord’ (Rabb) is specifically employed and thus it refers to the aspect of God’s Lordship, an extension of which is to perfect and train the human beings.  In addition, it also alludes to ‘his state of perfection’ in particular.  The first person pronoun “yā” in Rabbī (رَبِّيْ)alludes to this subtlety.

Therefore, the food and drink in the tradition must be in harmony with what would confer excellence to the Prophet (s).  Obviously in his case we speak of higher excellence, for the path towards Absolute Excellence never ends.

With regard to Diyāfat Allāh, the name ‘Allāh’ is employed.  The name Allāh is an all-comprehensive Name of God which exemplifies all His Perfect Attributes.  That is why it is also known as al-ism al-a‘zam (the Greatest Name).  Its origin is commonly known to be the transitive verb ‘alaha’ (he worshipped).  Hence it signifies ‘The Worshipped One’ or ‘One Who is worthy of worship’.  Consequently, the spiritual food in the month of Ramadān is one that makes us true worshippers of Almighty Allāh, those who exemplify all His Sublime Names (al-Asmā’ al-Husnā) in themselves.  In one of his sermons, Imām al-Khumaynī alludes to this subtlety saying:

    چه بگوييم در مقابل اين نعمت بزرگ الهی که ملتها را دعوت کرده است به ضيافه الله ضيافه الله با همه اسماء...

“How can we express our gratitude in return for this great Divine Blessing, for the nations have been called to be the guests of Allāh with all His Names…5 ”

In other words, the Holy month of Ramadān is a month of becoming ‘Abdullāh (an obedient servant of Allāh (SwT)).  It is a month of adopting the etiquette of Allāh (SwT) in the language of tradition or adopting the Divine Color in the language of the Holy Qur’ān.  The Holy Qur’ān says:

    صِبْغَةَ اللٌّهِ وَمَنْ أَحْسَنُ مِنَ اللٌّهِ صِبْغَةً وَنَحْنُ لَهُ عَابِدُونَ

“Allāh’s Color; and whose color is more pleasant than Allāh’s; and He alone do we worship. 6 ”

And the Holy Prophet (s) is reported to have said:

    تَخَلَّقُوا بِأَخْلاَقِ اللٌّهِ.

“Adopt the etiquette of Allāh.7 ”

In fact one of the wonderful supplications taught to us by Imām Bāqir al-‘Ulūm (‘a) is Du’a al-Mubāhilah, in which what we seek are the Beautiful Attributes of Allāh.

‘Allāmah Tabā’tabā’ī, the mentor of leading contemporary authorities in ‘irfān, would highly emphasize on reading this du‘ā, ‘for,’ he would say, ‘there is no mention of Paradisal men or women in it.’ Observe the following verses of this radiant supplication:

    أَللٌّهُمَّ إِنِّي أَسْأَلُكَ مِنْ بَهَائِكَ بِأَبْهَاهُ وَكُلُّ بَهَائِكَ بَهِيٌّ… أَللٌّهُمَّ إِنِّي أَسْأَلُكَ مِنْ عَظَمَتِكَ بِأَعْظَمِهَا وَكُلُّ عَظَمَتِكَ عَظِيمَةٌ، أللٌّهُمَّ إِنِّي أَسْأَلُكَ بِعَظَمَتِكَ كُلِّهَا…

“O Allāh I seek from You the kind of Your Brilliance (bahā’ikā) which is the Most Brilliant, and every Brilliance of Yours is Very Brilliant; O Allāh I ask You by Your Brilliance in its entirety….O Allāh I seek from You the kind of Your Greatness which is the Greatest, and every Greatness of Yours is very Great; O Allāh I ask You by Your Greatness in its entirety…”8

The contemporary mystic-scholar Ayatullāh Hasan Zādeh Amuli in his treatise ‘Light upon Light’ while enumerating the requirements of observing good manners in front of Almighty Allāh, says:

    دگر ادب مع اللّه اقتضاء مي‏كند كه از او جز او را نخواهي كه اين عبادت احباب و احرار است.  اين امر از بلند همّتى عبد است.  كسانى كه دون همّت‏اند به وفق دنائت خود طلب دارند.  يكي از مشايخ ما - رضوان اللّه تعالى عليه - ما را ترغيب مي‏فرمود به مثل دعاي سحر حضرت امام محمّد باقر عليه السّلام (اللّهمّ انّى أسألك من بهائك بأبهاه وكلّ بهائك بهىّ...) كه در آن بهاء و جمال و جلال و عظمت و نور و رحمت و علم و شرف است و حرفى از حور و غلمان نيست، اگر بهشت شيرين است، بهشت آفرين شيرين ‏تر است. 

    چرا زاهد اندر هواي بهشت است          چرا بيخبر از بهشت آفرين است

“Observing etiquette before Allāh also requires that you do not seek other than Him, for that is the worship of the free men (ahrār) and lovers (ahbāb).  Such a supplication originates from the exalted aspiration of the servant of God.  Those who are lower than this station, ask for their needs according to their lower stages.  One of our mentors (may Allāh be pleased with him) would encourage us to read supplications like Du’ā al-Sahar [another name for du’ā al-mubāhilah] of Hadrat Imām al-Bāqir (‘a): (O Allāh I seek from You the kind of Your Brilliance which is the Most Brilliant…) wherein there is Divine Brilliance, Beauty, Majesty, Greatness, Light, Mercy, Knowledge, Nobility, but no mention about Paradisal damsels (hūr) or heavenly youthful male servants (ghilmān).  If Paradise is sweet, the Creator of Paradise is sweeter.”

Why is the abstinent after Paradise?

Why is he oblivious of the Creator of Paradise?9

Later in the same treatise this great mystic quotes Misbāh al-Sharī’ah, a masterpiece on the secrets of worship attributed to Imām al-Sādiq (‘a), saying:

    لَقَدْ دَعَوْتُ اللٌّهَ فَاسْتَجَابَ لِي، وَنَسِيْتُ الْحَاجَةَ، لأَنَّ اسْتِجَابَتَهُ بِإِقْبَالِهِ عَلى عَبْدِهِ عِنْدَ دَعْوَتِهِ أَعْظَمُ وَأَجَلُّ مِمَّا يُرِيدُ مِنْهُ الْعَبْدُ وَلَوْ كَانَتِ الْجَنَّةَ وَنَعِيْمَهَا الأَبَدَ، وَلٌكِنْ لاَ يَعْقَلُ ذٌلِكَ إِلاَّ الْعَالِمُونَ الْعَابِدُونَ الْمُحِبُّونَ الْعَارِفُونَ، صَفْوَةُ اللٌّهِ وَخَوَاصَّهُ. 

Imām al-Sādiq (‘a) said: “Indeed I called Allāh and He responded to me, and I forgot my wish, for His Response by giving attention to His servant when he calls upon Him is greater and more magnificent than what the servant wants from Him, even if that be Paradise and its eternal blessings, but none save the Knowledgeable Ones comprehend- those who are worshipful, the Divine lovers, Gnostics, Allāh’s choicest and special servants.10 ”

We can also say that since the Holy Prophet (s) was a perfect manifestation of an obedient slave of Allāh (SwT), this month is a month of getting closer to the Holy Prophet (s) too.  Leading mystics have clearly stated that the Holy Prophet (s) is a manifestation of the Greatest Name of God - Allāh (SwT), which means thathe manifests in himself all the Divine Attributes.  In other words he is ‘Abd of Allāh.  We also bear witness to this during every prayer:

    أَشْهَدُ أَنَّ مُحَمَّدًا عَبْدُهُ وَرَسُولُهُ.

“I bear witness that Muhammad is His Obedient Servant and Messenger.”

The Infallible Imāms of the Ahl al-Bayt (‘a) likewise personify the Divine Attributes.  Imām ‘Alī (‘a) is reported to have said:

   ...نَحْنُ الأَسْمَآءُ الْحُسْنـى الَّتِي إِذَا سُئِلَ اللٌّهُ تَعَالـى بِهَا أَجَابَ...

“We (the Ahl al-Bayt) are the Most Beautiful Names of Allāh by which when Almighty Allāh is asked, He Responds.11 ”

And it is also reported from Imām al-Bāqir (‘a) that:

    نَحْنُ الأَسْمَآءُ الْحُسْنـى الَّذِينَ لاَ يَقْبَلُ اللٌّهُ مِنَ الْعِبَادِ عَمَلاً إِلاَّ بِمَعْرِفَتِنَا.

“We are the Most Beautiful Names of Allāh, and without knowing us, Allāh does not accept any deed of His servants.12 ”

In a sermon which he delivered on the first day of the Holy month of Ramadān, Imām ‘Alī (‘a) while addressing the fasting ones said:

    أَيُّهَا الصَّائِمُ تَدَبَّرْ أَمْرَكَ، فَإِنَّكَ فِي شَهْرِكَ هٌذَا ضَيْفُ رَبِّكَ، أُنْظُرْ كَيْفَ تَكُونُ فِي لَيْلِكَ وَنَهَارِكَ، وَكَيْفَ تَحْفَظْ جَوَارِحَكَ عَنْ مَعَاصِي رَبِّكَ.  أُنْظُرْ أَنْ لاَ تَكُونَ بِاللَّيْلِ نَائِمًا وَبِالنَّهَارِ غَافِلاً، فَيَنْقَضِي شَهْرُكَ وَقَدْ بَقِيَ عَلَيْكَ وِزْرُكَ، فَتَكُونَ عِنْدَ إِسْتِيفَاءِ الصَّائِمِيْنَ أُجُورَهُمْ مِنَ الْخَاسِرِينَ، وَعِنْدَ فَوْزِهِمْ بِكَرَامَةٍ مِنَ الْمَحْرُومِينَ، وَعِنْدَ سَعَادَتِهِمْ بِمُجَاوَرَةِ رَبِّهِمْ مِنَ الْمَطْرُودِينَ...

“…O you who are fasting, reflect on your affair, for surely you are a guest of your Lord in this month; observe how your attitude is during the night and day, and how you protect the members of your body from disobeying your Lord; and make sure that you do not sleep through the night and be heedless during the day, so that your month ends while your burden still remains on your shoulders, such that when the fasting ones are paid their due, you are among the losers, and while they enjoy prosperity in the neighborhood of their Lord, you are from the expelled ones…”13

Here one can see that the name ‘Rabb’ is employed, signifying that this invitation deals with training the human being so that he may attain his perfection.

If one was to carefully ponder over what is obligatory and highly recommended in this holy month, he would realize that Allāh (SwT) out of His overflowing Mercy compelled the human beings to fast and encouraged them to pray so that they may overhaul themselves and start the journey to Allāh (SwT).  Fasting weakens the animal passions and thereby enables the spirit to focus its attention toward the spiritual realms.

In the aforesaid sermon, Imām ‘Alī (‘a) enlightens us with guidelines that would enable us to appreciate and benefit from the Divine invitation of the Holy month of Ramadān.  Briefly, he tells us to be careful and not to waste its days in negligence (ghaflah) and its nights in sleep (nawm), for they are opportunities for us to elevate our spirits.  If we are not able to appreciate the highest level of this invitation, which some mystics consider as ‘the banquet’, we should at least struggle to appreciate the lower levels, which in reality serve as introductory phases for the highest level.  And the path towards appreciating the different levels of the Divine Banquet is fasting.  The level of fasting, however, is what would determine the ‘level of Divine Reception’.  Muslim ethicians classify the levels of fasting into three14 :

1.  Sawm al-‘Umūm (the general fast);

2.  Sawm al-Khusūs (the specific fast);

3.  Sawmu Khusūs al-Khusus (the most specific fast).

Notes

1. Holy Qur’ān, 112:1.

2. Holy Qur’ān, 2:255.

3. Holy Qur’ān, 1:2.

4. This can be tangibly observed in the excellent exegesis of ‘Allāmah Tabā’tabā’i’s Tafsīr al-Mīzān.

5. Sahīfeye Imām, vol. 18, pg. 497.

6. Holy Qur’ān, 2:138.

7. Sharh Du‘ā’ al-Sabāh, pg. 87.

8. Mafātīh al-Jinān, pg. 184.

9. Nūrun ‘alā Nūr, pg. 80.

10. Nūrun ‘alā Nūr, pg. 81.

11. Madīnat al-Ma‘ājiz, vol. 1, pg.556 .

12. al-Mukhtasar, pg. 129.

13.Fadā’il al-Ashhur al-Thalāthah, pp. 107-108.

14. Many scholars of ethics have adopted this classification.  Those familiar with Arabic/Persian literature can refer to vol. 2 al-Mahajjah of al-Kāshānī and Asrār al-Hikam (vol. 2, pg. 568) of Mullā Hādī Sabzwārī.

The General Fast

The general fast is the fast that is obligatory on every one who meets the conditions of fasting.  Basically it is to refrain from eating, drinking, copulation, and all those things mentioned by the esteemed jurists in their books of Divine law.  To abstain from some of the basic necessities is really a challenge, but its result is so rewarding that it can determine the eternal salvation of the human being.  There is a universal law Almighty Allāh mentions in the Qur’ān which despite its brevity reveals a world of meaning.  After excusing the traveler and ailing one from fasting in this holy month and allowing them to fast after the holy month, He says:

    يُرِيدُ اللٌّهُ بِكُمُ الْيُسْرَ وَلاَ يُرِيدُ بِكُمُ الْعُسْرَ

“…God desires ease for you, and He does not desire hardship for you…”1

Although this clause is brought after a particular case, it should be known that it applies in every dimension of human life.  The ambiguity that remains however is that ‘what is the definition of ‘yusr’ (ease), and whether ‘one who is healthy’ does not feel the pangs of hunger and thirst.  To respond to this query, we should look at the following verse:

    فَإِنَّ مَعَ الْعُسْرِ يُسْرًا. إِنَّ مَعَ الْعُسْرِ يُسْرًا

“For indeed ease accompanies hardship; Indeed ease accompanies hardship.”2

Most commentators, appreciating the lexical intricacy involved in the verse say that ‘difficulty’ is interlinked with two kinds of ease- ease in this world and ease in the Hereafter.  Or, more accurately, ease in this world, and ease in the realm beyond; the latter, due to our limited comprehension cannot be fathomed, save by one who is endowed with the penetrating sight mentioned in the following verse of Sūrat Qāf:

    لَقَدْ كُنْتَ فِي غَفْلَةٍ مِنْ هٌذَا فَكَشَـفْنَا عَنْكَ غِطَاءَكَ فَبَصَرُكَ الْيَوْمَ حَدِيدٌ

“You were certainly oblivious of this.  We have removed your veil from you, and so your sight is acute today.”3

Some traditions clearly state that Paradise can be achieved (only) through the pains and difficulties of worship in this world.  The Holy Prophet (s) is reported to have said:

    حُفَّتِ الْجَنَّةُ بِالْمَكَارِهِ، وَحُفَّتِ النَّارُ بِالشَّهَوَات.

“Paradise is enveloped by difficulties and Hell Fire is enveloped by desires.”4

Imām ‘Alī (‘a) is reported to have said in a lengthy tradition:

   ...وَاللٌّهِ إِنَّ صَائِمَكُمْ لَيَرْتَعْ فِي رِيَاضِ الْجَنَّةِ، تَدْعُو لَهُ الْمَلاَئِكَةُ بِالْفَوْزِ حَتّى يُفْطِرَ.

“I swear by Allāh, surely the fasting one among you enjoys in the gardens of Paradise, and the Angels pray for his success until he breaks his fast.”5

Observe the tone of the tradition: Imām ‘Alī (‘a) swears when he informs his true followers about their state when they fast.  Many of those who sincerely fast do enjoy these stations in Paradise while they fast, but the

curtains that veil them from perceiving the higher realms of existence do not allow them to appreciate this reality.  If the curtains were lifted they would witness their exalted state while they still reside in this mortal world.

In the introduction to his anthology ‘Shahrullāh fī al-Kitāb wa al-Sunnah’, when explaining the kind of Divine Banquet that believers should anticipate in the holy month of Ramadān, Hujjat al-Islam Muhammadī Ray Shahrī quotes al-Risālah al-Majdiyyah of Shaykh Ridā al-Isfahānī, where the latter explains the kind of Divine Repast that the believers are invited to.  At one point he says:

Indeed I have heard several times and repeatedly from one who is closest to me in terms of relationship and kinship6 saying: ‘ I was busy reciting the well-known Ziyārat Amīn Allāh’ in the holy sanctuary in Najaf, and when I reached the verse ‘wa māwā’id al-mustat‘īmīna mu’addah” (and the banquets of those who seek sustenance are ready) and reflected over its meaning and thought about it, I was suddenly made to see a banquet on which lay different kinds of food and drinks, which I had never thought of, and I was eating from them, and in the course of that state I was contemplating about an Islamic ruling.  Surely it is an amazing state which renders one perplexed! The truth is that this is the reality of [Paradisal] food, which does not break the fast…’7

Al-Isfahāni later continues8 saying:

    ولا تظنن أنّ تعبيرات هذا العبد هي من قبيل خيالات الشعراء وأوهامهم، أو من شطحيات غلاة المتصوفة، فحاشى أن أتجاوز لسان الكتاب والسنة، أو اتخطى في معتقدي غير ما جاء به الله والنبي وأمر به، وإنما المقصود هو قول الله نفسه في سورة "هل أتى" حيث يقول سبحانه: وَسَقٌهُمْ رَبُّهُمْ شَرَابــاً طَهُوراً

 “Do not think that theexpressions of this servant resembles the imaginations of the poets and their vain ideas or the theopathetic utterances (shatahiyyāt) of the extremist so-called sūfīs (mutasawwifah).  I dare not transcend the bounds of the speech of the Book of God and the Sunnah, or adopt a course in my belief that is other than what Allāh and His Messenger brought and ordered [us to follow].  What I only mean here is the word of Allāh in chapter ‘Hal Atā’ where Allāh says:

    وَسَقَاهُمْ رَبُّهُمْ شَرَابًا طَهُورًا

“…and their Lord made them drink a pure drink.”9

Therefore despite the apparent hardship of fasting, ‘the ease that it accompanies’ is inexpressible.  Those endowed with deep insight also term hunger as the ‘the clouds from which rains of wisdom heavily fall’.  In his poetic masterpiece of Islamic laws & their secrets called Nibrās al-Hudā, Mullā Hādī Sabzawāri says:

    وَالْجُوْعُ لِلْحِكْمَةِ مُزْنٌ مَاطِرٌ.

“And hunger is a rainy cloud of wisdom.”10

Notes

1. Holy Qur’ān,2:185 .

2. Holy Qur’ān, 94:5-6.

3. Holy Qur’ān, 50:22.

4. Rawdat al-Wā‘izīn, vol. 2, pg. 421.

5. Mishkāt al-Anwār, pg. 170.

6. It is highly probable says Raysharī, that he is referring to his father who was a well known saint in his time.

7. Shahrullāh fī al-Kitābwa al-Sunnah, pg. 21.

8. Shahrullāh fī al-Kitābwa al-Sunnah, pg. 21.

9. Holy Qur’ān, 76:21.

10. Nibrās al-Hudā, pg. 236.

The Specific Fast

The specific fast is a more meaningful fast.  In this level, not only does the fasting one refrain from those things that he must avoid during the general fast, but he also ensures that every member of his body fasts.  In fact, some traditions consider this fast as the fast1 anticipated from the believers.  Observe the following narratives:

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

    رُبَّ صَائِمٍ حَظُّهُ مِنْ صِيَامِهِ الْجُوْعُ وَالْعَطَشُ، وَرُبَّ قَائِمٍ حَظُّهُ مِنْ قِيَامِهِ السَّهَرُ. 

“How often is the share of one who fasts, [nothing save] hunger and thirst, and how often is the share of one who stands in prayer [nothing but mere] vigil.2 ”

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

    أَلصِّيَامُ إِجْـتِنَابُ الْمَحَارِمِِ كَمَا يَمْـتَنِعُ الرَّجُلُ مِنَ الطَّعَامِ وَالشَّرَابِ.

“Fasting is to abstain from forbidden acts the way a man refrains from food and drink.3 ”

3.  Hadrat Fātimah Zahrā’ (‘a) is reported to have said:

    مَا يَصْنَعُ الصَّائِمُ بِصِيَامِهِ إِذَا لَمْ يَصُنْ لِسَانَهُ وَسَمْعَهُ وَبَصَرَهُ وَجَوَارِحَهُ؟

“What should the fasting one do with his fast if he did not protect his tongue, hearing, sight and members of his body?4 ”

4.  Muhammad bin ‘Ajlān reports from Imām al-Sādiq (‘a):

    لَيْسَ الصِّـيَامُ مِنَ الطَّعَامِ وَالشَّرَابِ أَنْ لاَ يَأْكُلَ الإِنْسَانُ وَلاَ يَشْرَبَ فَقَطْ، وَلٌكِن إِذَا صُمْتَ فَلْيَصُمْ سَمْعُكَ وَبَصَرُكَ وَلِسَانُكَ وَبَطْنُكَ وَفَرْجُكَ، وَاحْفَظْ يَدَكَ وَفَرْجَكَ وَأَكْثِرِ السُّكُوْتَ إِلاَّ مِنْ خَيْرٍ، وَارْفِقْ بِخَادِمِك.

“Fasting from food and drink does not merely mean that the human being should not eat or drink; rather when you fast, then your ears, eyes, tongue, stomach, and private parts must [also] fast; and safeguard your hand and private parts and observe silence most of the time save from what is good to say; and be kind to your servant.5 ”

5.  Imām Zayn al-’Abidīn (‘a) in his prayer on the arrival of the holy month of Ramadān humbly prays:

    أَللٌّهُمَّ صَلِّ عَلَى مُحَمَّدٍ وَ آلِهِ، وَأَلْهِمْنَا مَعْرِفَةَ فَضْلِهِ وَإِجْلاَلَ حُرْمَتِهِ، وَالتَّحَفُّظَ مِمَّا حَظَرْتَ فِيهِ، وَأَعِنَّا عَلـى صِيَامِهِ بِكَفِّ الْجَوَارِحِ عَنْ مَعَاصِيكَ، وَاسْتِعْمَالِهَا فِيهِ بِمَا يُرْضِيكَ، حَتّى لاَ نُصْغِيَ بِأَسْمَاعِنَا إِلـى لَغْوٍ، وَلاَ نُسْرِعَ بِأَبْصَارِنَا إِلـى لَهْوٍ، وَحَتَّى لاَ نَبْسُطَ أَيْدِيَنَا إِلـى مَحْظُورٍ، وَلاَ نَخْطُوَ بِأَقْدَامِنَا إِلـى مَحْجُورٍ، وَحَتَّى لاَ تَعِيَ بُطُونُـنَا إِلاَّ مَا أَحْلَلْتَ، وَلاَ تَنْطِقَ أَلْسِنَتُنَا إِلاَّ بِمَا مَثَّلْتَ، وَلاَ نَتَكَلَّفَ إِلاَّ مَا يُدْنِي مِنْ ثَوَابِكَ، وَلاَ نَتَعَاطَى إِلاَّ الَّذِي يَقِي مِنْ عِقَابِكَ، ثُمَّ خَلِّصْ ذٌلِكَ كُلَّهُ مِنْ رِئَاءِ الْمُرَائِينَ، وَسُمْعَةِ الْمُسْمِعِينَ، لاَ نُشْرِكُ فِيهِ أَحَداً دُونَكَ، وَلاَ نَبْـتَغِي فِيهِ مُرَاداً سِوَاكَ.

“O Allāh, bless Muhammad and his Household; inspire us with knowledge of its excellence, veneration of its inviolability, and caution against what You have forbidden within it, and help us to fast in it by our restraining our limbs from acts of disobedience toward You and our employing them in that which pleases You, so that we lend not our ears to idle talk and hurry not with our eyes to diversion, we stretch not our hands toward the forbidden and stride not with our feet toward the prohibited, our bellies hold only what You have made lawful and our tongues speak only what You have exemplified, we undertake nothing but what brings close to Your reward and pursue nothing but what protects from Your punishment! Then rid all of that from the false show of the false ostentatious and the fame seeking of the fame seekers, lest we associate therein anything with You or seek therein any object of desire but You!6 ”

Notes

1. In terms of obligation, however, the Islamic Jurists unanimously consider the first fast to be sufficient.  However, for those who worship Allāh (SwT) to attain His proximity such a fast would not avail them save being absolved from their obligation.

2. al-Amālī, pg. 166.

3. Ibid., vol. 39, pg. 294.

4. Mustadrak al-Wasā’il , vol. 7, pg. 366.

5. Wasā’il al-Shī‘ah, vol. 10, pg.165 .

6. Imām al-Sajjād (‘a), al-Sahīfah al-Sajjādiyyah,sup . 44, pp. 143-144.

The Most Specific Fast

The highest level of fasting is to disengage oneself from other than Allāh (SwT). Every thought, speech, action, etc.  is solely for Allāh (SwT).  The fasting one in this level ensures that not only does he observe the first two levels of fasting, but protects his heart from other than Allāh (SwT).  Perhaps this noble dictum of Imām al-Sādiq (‘a) refers to this very station:

    أَلْقَلْبُ حَرَمُ اللٌّهِ، فَلاَ تُسْكِنْ فِي حَرَمِ اللٌّهِ غَيْرَ اللٌّهِ.

“The heart is the sanctuary of Allāh; therefore do not make other than Allāh reside in the sanctuary of Allāh.1 ”

The result of such a fast is ‘the Paradise of Divine Encounter’2 (Jannat al-Liqā’).  If we ponder over the supplications of the Holy month of Ramadān and try to understand what kind of reception and banquet we can anticipate, we would realize that it is this level of fasting that we must struggle to attain.

Imām Khumaynī in one of his sermons to the seminarians in Najaf al-Ashraf says:

    وأَنِرْ أَبْصَارَ قُلُوْبِنَا بِضِيَاءِ نَظَرِهَا إِلَيْكَ، حَتّى تَخْرِقَ أَبْصَارُ الْقُلُوبِ حُجُبَ النُّورِ فَتَصِلَ إِلـى مَعْدَنِ الْعَظَمَة. ضيافة اللّه همان «معدن عظمت» است.  خداوند تبارك و تعالى براي ورود به معدن نور و عظمت از بندگانش دعوت فرموده است.‏

“And enlighten the eyes of our hearts with the light ofYour vision, until the vision of the hearts tears through the curtains of light and reaches the Source of Greatness (ma’din al-’azamah).’3

The banquet of Allāh (SwT) is that very “source of greatness.”  God, the Blessed and Exalted, has invited His servants to enter the source of light and greatness.”4

He also says:

    و جزاي چنين روزه‏اي خداست چنانكه فرموده است: أَلصَّوْمُ لِي وأَنَا أَجْزِي بِهِ.  چيز ديگر نمي ‏تواند پاداش چنين روزه‏اي باشد.  جنات نعيم در مقابل روزه او بى‏ارزش بوده نمي ‏تواند پاداش آن به حساب آيد.  ولى اگر بنا باشد كه انسان به اسم روزه دهان را از مطعومات ببندد و به غيبت مردم باز كند و شبهاي ماه مبارک رمضان، كه مجالس شب نشينى گرم و داير بوده وقت و فرصت بيشتری است، با غيبت، تهمت و اهانت به مسلمانان به سحر انجامد، چيزي عايد او نمي ‏شود و اثري بر آن مترتب نمی‏گردد. 

“The reward of such a fast is God, as He has stated: “The fast is forMe and I am its reward.”5 Nothing else could be the reward of such a fast.  The Gardens of Blessings would not count as a worthy reward for such a fast.  If a man takes fasting to mean closing his mouth to food but opening it for backbiting, and he engages in backbiting until sahar in the warm and friendly company in the nights when there is opportunity and time, such fasting will be of no benefit and have no effect…”6

Elsewhere he also says:

    در اين ماه شريف، كه به مهمانسراي الهي دعوت شده‏ايد، اگر به حق تعالى معرفت پيدا نكرديد يا معرفت شما زيادتر نشد، بدانيد در ضيافة اللّه درست وارد نشديد و حق ضيافت را به جا نياورديد...

“In this noble month, in which you have been invited to the divine banquet, if you do not gain insight (ma’rifah) about God the Almighty nor insight into yourself, it means that you have not properly participated in the feast of Allāh and failed to observe the etiquette of the feast...7 ”

Therefore our aspirations should be high, and we should struggle to attain the position which would enable us enter the Divine Feast.  In the supplication of Abū Hamzah al-Thumāli, which Imām al-Sajjād (‘a) taught to his noble companion, we are taught to pray in the following way:

   ...وَلَدَيْكَ أَرْجُوْ ضِيَافَتِي...

“…And I aspire to be a guest nearYou …”8

Notice ‘to be a guest near Allāh’ is quite different from being just an ordinary guest.  In the above verse we seek that kind of insight and knowledge that is obtained ladā Allāh - in the neighborhood of Allāh; In simpler terms, we are not just after any kind of knowledge, but that which is Divinely inspired, which is also known as al-‘ilm al-ladunnī and is, according to the Qur’ān, a product of piety; it is not a knowledge acquired from a human tutor.

It is, using the words of the Holy Prophet (s) ‘a light that Allāh infuses in the heart of whosoever He wishes to guide.’9 This is the kind of knowledge, say some exegetes of the Qur’ān, that the following verse speaks about:

    وَاتَّقُوا اللٌّهَ وَيُعَلِّمُكُمُ اللٌّهُ وَاللٌّهُ بِكُلِّ شَيْءٍ عَلِيمٌ

“Be God-wary and God shall teach you, and God has knowledge of all things.” 10

And the path towards achieving taqwā, as clearly specified in the Holy Qur’ān, is siyām (fasting).  The Holy Qur’ān says:

    يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا كُتِبَ عَلَيْكُمُ الصِّيَامُ كَمَا كُتِبَ عَلَى الَّذِينَ مِنْ قَبْلِكُمْ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَـتَّقُونَ

“O you who have faith! Prescribed for youis fasting as it was prescribed for those who were before you, so that you may attain taqwā.” 11

Hence, ‘fasting’ is a factor that can refine the spirit of the human being so much that he can qualify to be taught directly by Allāh (SwT).

Some supplications teach us to ask Almighty Allāh to be hosted in ‘paradise’ in this month.  In one of the supplications recommended during sahar time of the nights of the Holy month of Ramadān, we ask Almighty Allāh for Paradise:

    وَقَدْ أَوْجَبْتَ لِكُلِّ ضَيْفٍ قِرىً، وَأَنَا ضَيْفُكَ، فَاجْعَلْ قِرَايَ اللَّيْلَةَ الْجَنَّةَ، يَا وَهَّابَ الْجَنَّةِ، يَا وَهَّابَ الْمَغْفِرَةِ، وَ لاَ حَوْلَ وَلاَ قُوَّةَ إِلاَّ بِكَ...

“…And very you have made obligatory for every guest to be entertained; and I am Your guest; therefore make my banquet tonight to be ‘Paradise’, O the Bestower of Paradise, O Bestower of forgiveness, and there is no strength nor any power save by You…”12

It is possible that the reason why this supplication was followed by the two sublime names of Allāh - ‘Yā Wahhāb al-Jannah’ and ‘Yā Wahhāb al-maghfirah’ was to ask Allāh (SwT) for Paradise, and thus, necessarily also ask Him for relief from the Hell Fire, which enables one to enter Paradise.  In other words, we are trying to seek the same ‘qirā’ (meal served to the guest) that we seek in holy precincts of Ka’bah during the seventh round of our circumambulation around the Ka’bah.  We are taught to say:

    أَللٌّهُمَّ الْـبَيْتُ بَيْـتُكَ، وَالْعَبْدُ عَبْدُكَ، وَهٌذَا مَقَامُ الْعَائِذِ بِكَ مِنَ النَّارِ، أَللٌّهُمَّ اِنِّي حَلَلْتُ بِفِنَائِكَ، فَاجْعَلْ قِرَايَ مَغْفِرَتَكَ...

“O Allāh, the house is Your house; and this servant is You servant; and this is where one who seeks Your Refuge from Hellfire stands; O Allāh, surely I have stopped at Your courtyard; therefore make my banquet to be Your forgiveness.”13

In fact there is clear mention of seeking salvation from the Hell Fire in many supplications that we are taught to read in the Holy month of Ramadān.  In the famous du‘ā that most of us recite after every prayer, we say:

    يَا عَلِيُّ يَا عَظِيمُ يَا غَفُورُ يَا رَحِيمُ...مُنَّ عَليَّ بِفِكَاكِ رَقَبَتِي مِنَ النَّارِ...

“O Exalted One, O All-Great, O All Forgiving, O All-Merciful….bless me with freedom from the Hell Fire.” 14

And duringthe ā‘māl of laylat al-qadr we are taught to open the Holy Qur’ān and say:

   ...وَفِيهِ اسْمُكَ الأَكْبَرُ، وَأَسْمَآؤُكَ الْحُسْنَى، وَمَا يُخَافُ وَيُرْجَى، أَنْ تَجْعَلَنِي مِنْ عُتَقَائِكَ مِنَ النَّارِ...

“…and in it is Your Great Name and Your Most Beautiful Names and that which should be feared and hoped for, that you make me from those whom you have freed from Hell Fire…”15

Another very important point to bear in mind is that since these supplications were from infallible masters, the Paradise sought is not that which the laity like the author aspire, but levels beyond.

The mystics have classified Paradise into different levels, the highest of which is Jannat al-liqā’ (Paradise of meeting the Lord).  And this is what a true believer’s delight is in.  The following prophetic tradition alludes to this verity:

    لِلصَّائِمِ فَرْحَتَانِ؛ فَرْحَةٌ عِنْدَ إِفْطَارِهِ، وَ فَرْحَةٌ عِنْدَ لِقَاءِ رَبِّهِ‏.

“For the one fasting there are two joys: joy when breaking hisfast, and joy when he meets His Lord.”16

Notes

1. Bihā r al-Anwār, vol. 70, pg. 25.

2. Some scholastic theologians being ignorant of the truth of meeting Allāh have resorted to different fruitless interpretations.  Ayatullāh Maliki Tabrīzī in his treatise on Meeting Allāh (Risāleye Liqā’ullāh) criticizes them, saying: “One who tries to understand with a mind free from foreign ambiguities that penetrate the heart, and looks at these different expressions would be convinced that the meaning of meeting God is not encountering His reward, examples of which are ‘entering Paradise’, ‘eating apples’, ‘sharing the company of heavenly damsels’, etc.  How is this meaning related to such expressions? If one can attribute the word liqā’ to a meaning of remote relevance, what should he do with regard to the other words [used to indicate the encounter of God]? For example, how should he translate the phrase ‘looking at God’s countenance’? How should we interpret the statement ‘wa alhiqnī binūrika’l abhaj’ (and attach me to your most delightful light)? Can we say that the statement ‘And enlighten the eyes of our hearts with the light of their looking atYou ’ means ‘to eat pears?

3. This is a reference to a part of the well-known whispered supplication of Sha‘bān called Munājāt Sha‘bāniyyah.  See Mafātīh al-Jinān, pg. 158.

4. Jihād-e-Akbar, pg. 45.

5. It should be noted that this dictum is translated in two different ways.  From the context of Imām’s speech, it is apparent that he reads the dictum as ‘wa ana ujzā bihi’ (I am its reward) unlike when it is read as ‘wa anā ajzī bihi’ (and I grant its reward).  Other divine scholars such as Mullā Hādī Sabzawārī in his Asrār al-Hikam and Ustād Shujā’ī in his Maqālāt [vol. 3, pg. 127] have translated this dictum is a similar manner.  Nevertheless, both the meanings are correct.

6. Jihād-e-Akbar, pg. 44.

7. Jihād-e-Akbar, pg. 39.

8. Mafātīh al-Jinān, pg. 194.

9. al-Mahajjat al-Baydā’, vol. 5, pg. 45.

10. Holy Qur’ān, 2:282.

11. Holy Qur’ān, 2:283.

12. Mafātīh al-Jinān, pg. 201.

13. al-Mahajjat al-Baydā’, vol. 2, pg. 171.

14. Mafātīh al-Jinān, pg. 176.

15. Mafātīh al-Jinān, pg. 225.

16. al-Mahajjat al-Baydā’, vol. 2, pg. 122.