Essence of Abstinence
بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ Shaykh Shihab ad-Din Ahmad ibn Isma’il Sam’ani ( q.s. ) wrote, in Rawh al-Arwah : “You who are kept in pawn to food, You can be free if you suffer yourself to be weaned, Truly in hunger there is abundant nourishment: Search after it diligently and cherish the hope of finding it. Feed on the Light, be like the eye, Be in harmony with the angels, O best of humankind. Like the Angel, Make glorification of God your sustenance. See how the Hand is invisible while the Pen is writing; The horse careening, yet the rider is unseen; The arrow flying, but the bow out of sight; Individual souls existing, While is Soul of the souls is hidden. Do not strive so much to complete your worldly affairs; Do not strive in any affair that's not sacred. Otherwise, at the end, you will leave incomplete, Your spiritual affairs damaged and your bread unbaked. The beautifying of your grave is not done By means of wood...