6. THE TRUE ASCETICISM
I was informed that someone presented to one of the ascetics (zuhhad) of our times some food, but he refused and said, ‘I do not eat.’ He was asked, ‘Why not?’ He said, ‘Because myself desires this food and I have not allowed myself to receive anything it desires for years.’
I commented there are two aspects to this issue where this person failed to conform to the right wav and the reason for what he did is due to his lack of knowledge (‘adm al-ilm).
The first aspect why this understanding is fallacious (mistaken) is because neither the Prophet nor his Companions (radhy Allahu anhum) ever practised this way On the contrary, the Prophet used to eat chicken and love honey and sweets.
Farqad al-Sabkhl once entered upon al-Hasan [al-Basrl] and found him eating al-Faloudhaj. Al-Hasan asked him, ‘O Farqad what do you say about this meal?’ he said, ‘I do not eat it and do not like who eats it.’ Al-Hasan said, ‘This meal is made of the honey of bees, seeds of wheat and the ghee of cows! How come a Muslim does not like it?’ A man once came to al-Hasan and said to him, ‘1 have a neighbour who does not eat al-Faloudhaj.’ He said, ‘Why not?’ He replied, ‘He says that if he eats it he will not be able to thank Allah enough for it.’ He said, ‘Your neighbour is an ignorant! Does he think he can even thank Allah enough for drinking cool water?’
Sufyan al-Thawri used to carry with him, during his travelling, Faloudhaj and grilled lamb and would say, ‘When the ride is looked after it will function right |i.e. if the body is looked after it will operate well].’
As for the practices that have been introduced by some ascetics afterwards, are practices taken from (Christian) monasticism (rababaniyya). I thus fear the verse,
“O you who have believed, do not prohibit the good things which Allah has made lawful to you and do not transgress.” |al-Ma’idah (5):87|
There is also nothing preserved from any of the first generation (i.e. from the companions) having such acts, unless done for a reason [and not regularly].
As for what has been reported from ‘Abdullah Ibn ‘Umar (radiyAllahu ‘anhuma) that he once desired something to eat and so he decided to give it to a needy person instead, and that he freed his female-slave, known as Rumaythah, even though he said, ‘She is the most beloved woman to my heart.’ This kind of actions and similar examples are good because these actions are about being selfless and preferring the interest of others over one’s own interest by giving away the best things that a person may have.
Besides, should this happen sometimes, then it’s a good thing because it disciplines the self by not allowing it to receive everything it desires. As for whoever constantly opposes the [lawful] desires of his self, he actually blinds his heart, halts his thoughts, and distracts his endeavours, thus causing more harm than benefit.
Ibrahim Ibn Adham said, ‘When the heart is forced, it becomes blind.’
This concise statement indicates a depth of meaning, which is: Allah, Most High, created the innate nature of humans to select from desires what suits it and so the ‘self chooses what rectifies its affairs.
Scholars of medicine said, ‘The ‘self should be allowed to eat what it desires [from lawful food], even if such food may have some harm in it, because it selects what suits it.’ But, when an ascetic restrains his ‘self from [the lawful food] it wants [all the time] it will damage and harm his body.
If humans lacked the quality’ of natural desires, the body would not have survived [as then it will never desire food though it needs it to maintain its survival]. This is because the desire of food ravages but then is tamed as soon as it consumes what suffices it. That is why the desire is made of the wanted object, for the one who wants it and indeed it is the best motive that looks after the interests of the body.
However, if this desire is left uncontrolled the body will be harmed, and should this desire be restrained all the time— especially in cases when there is no harm going to happen when fulfilling its need, it will bring forth nothing but corruption and weaken the body causing various types of sicknesses. The example of this is like when a person forbids himself from drinking when he is very thirsty, or does not eat when he is very hungry; or does not have sexual intercourse when his lust (shahwa) is very active, or not sleeping when he is very tired, to the extent that a distressed person will be killed by his distress if he does not speak out about it to someone else.
If ascetics understood this principle (asl) they would understand that they have opposed the way of the Prophet and his Companions (radhy Allahu ‘anhum); they opposed what have been narrated from them and opposed the wisdom of creation. This, however, is inapplicable to cases when the source of income is doubtful because in such a case leaving it is a form of piety.
Having said that, what 1 discussed in this section is related to abandoning what comes from lawful sources and through lawful means which does not affect the piety of a person. This is why all my previous explanations were in response to the statement of ‘1 never allow myself to fulfil its desire!’
The second aspect, due to which this understanding is fallacious, is that 1 fear that such ascetics’ demanding desires transformed from the desire to have into the desire to abandon, thus he started to desire not to eat.
This side is very tricky and entails a hidden pretentiousness (riya). Since if one does not become pretentious with people, the defect of such a trait will be related to his attachment to his action, and its effect on his heart. This is why it is not only risky but also wrong.
Some ignorant people may argue that what 1 have said is keeping people away from the good and from asceticism, which is not the case, because it has been proven authentic that the Prophet said, “Every deed that does not conform to our way is rejected.”
Thus, no one should be fooled with the worship of Jurayj4 and the piety’ of DhuI-Khuwaisirah
There are plenty’ of ascetics who adopted ways that neither the Messenger of Allah nor his Companions [radiyAllahu ‘anhum) ever followed such as: exaggerating the extent of humility’ in worship, and wearing rough clothes excessively, and other similar acts that common people started to view as praised acts. Which ascetics started to use them as means to achieve worldly benefits such as having people kissing their hands, or receiving glorification, or even providing guarding and security for them. While, in fact, most of them, in public they act all pious and in their privacy their status and behaviour is totally different.
On the other hand, you find pious people like Ibn Sirin who used to laugh loud in the presence of people and when he was alone at night he would weep so much so that a person may think he weeps that much because he killed the people of a village.
We really ask Allah to grant us beneficial knowledge for it is the foundation. Whenever a person acquires such knowledge he will recognize (mari’fa) the worshipped Lord and be encouraged to serve Him as He commands and loves. It will lead him to the road of sincerity (tariq al-ikhlas)
The basis of all fundamentals (aslal-usul) and principles is knowledge (ilm), and the best kind of knowledge is looking at the stories of the Messenger and his Companions (radiyAllahu ‘anhum) for
“Those are the ones whom Allah has guided, so from their guidance take an example.” [aI-An’dm] (6):90]
(source: al-Hafiz Abu’l-Faraj ibn al-jawzl [d. 597AH] “CAPTURED THOUGHTS being” a translation of his masterpiece ‘Sayd al-K hatir)
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