Like a Good Meal

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ 

The religion is easy if taken like a good meal, in small bites that are savoured.  Should one attempt to devour the whole banquet, it would lead to indigestion.  Religion is about dzawq, taste, so we eat from that which is prepared for us.  And that is why it is important to find a good cook, who is able to prepare the dishes according to our taste.  And since different people have different palates, they have different preferences, so one cannot say to another, his dish is better. 

When it comes to the uswul, such as the ayat of the Qur’an, the ahadits, and the tools used to derive rulings; they are like raw ingredients.  Some ingredients may be eaten raw, such as the Qur’an, but the full flavour is only apparent when the dish is prepared; and that is where the tafsir comes in.  Some ingredients, such as the ahadits, may not necessarily look appealing since they belong in a dish, and need to be prepared.  And that is why people who are ignorant of this reject a most important ingredient for the dishes of the banquet since they have issues with the origin, being unequipped to verify such.  And that is why not everybody belongs in the kitchen. 

The greatest loss of those who partake in the banquet are those who taste of the dishes and drink the wines of love; and then forget the Host and their place in His Palace.  He who has no manners might find himself Uninvited.