On the Secrets of Fasting
بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ Shaykh Sharaf ad-Din Ahmad ibn Yahya al-Maniri ( q.s. ) is known as Makhdum al-Mulk , “Spiritual Master of the Realm”. When we read his teachings, we immediately notice that he wrote with authority, based on his personal experience. This Sufi from India had written a letter to his disciple Qadhi Shams ad-Din ( q.s. ) about fasting, his “The Hundred Letters”: “In the Name of Allah, the Merciful, the Compassionate! Brother Shams ad-Din, masters of Truth and Sincerity have said, ‘Bodily strength depends on food and drink, whereas spiritual strength depends on going hungry and thirsty. In Allah’s ( s.w.t. ) Domain, hunger is a Divine Food’. It has been said that one of the qualities of the Almighty is this: سُوۡرَةُ الاٴنعَام … وَهُوَ يُطۡعِمُ وَلَا يُطۡعَمُۗ … ( ١٤ ) “… And He is that Feeds but is not fed.” … (Surah al-An’am:14) If a servant becomes distinguished in this ...