On Hunger

Aug 1, 2011 by Admin

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

Hunger is the third pillar of this Divine Way. It includes the fourth pillar, which is vigilance, in the same way that seclusion includes silence. There are two kinds of hunger: voluntary hunger, which is that of the seekers, and obligatory (involuntary) hunger, which is that of the verifiers. The verifier does not impose hunger on himself: rather, his physical nourishment decreases when he is in the station of intimacy (uns), and increases when he is the station of awe (hayba). When the verifiers eat a large quantity of food, it is a sure sign of the force with which the lights of Reality rush upon their hearts in their contemplation of Majestic Grandeur (‘azama). Eating a small amount of food, on the other hand, is a sure sign of the converse they enjoy in their contemplation of Intimacy. For the seekers, an increase in food indicates their distance from God, exalted is He, their banishment from His Door, and their enslavement to the covetous animal self through its domination of them. For them a decrease in food indicates that scents of Divine Generosity are passing over their hearts, causing them to be oblivious to their bodily needs.

Hunger is, in every state and every respect, a means whereby the seeker and the verifier can attain to a more exalted degree, for the seeker in terms of spiritual states, for the verifier in terms of mysteries. One who practises hunger should not overdo the period of being in a state of alertness, since an excess in this respect leads to delusion and loss of reason, as well as a weakening of physical health. There is no way that a seeker should practise hunger in order to attain spiritual states except under the direction of a spiritual master; if he has none, it is still not possible, although in this case he may reduce the quantity of food he eats and observe ordinary fasting and eating only one meal a day. Should he want to eat a fatty stew with meat, let him not do so more than twice a week if he wants to have benefit, until he finds a master. When he has found one, he should place himself in his hands, and the master will look after him and his affairs, since he knows better than he does what is most beneficial for him.

Hunger has a spiritual state and a station. It is characterized by humility, submission, servility, lack of self-importance, indigence, discretion, tranquil emotions and an absence of base thoughts – this is the state the seeker has. For the verifiers its state consists of delicacy of feeling, serenity, intimacy [with God], disappearance of worldliness and transcendence of ordinary human characteristics through the Divine Might and Lordly Dominion. As a station, it is the station of Eternal Self-Subsistence (al-maqām al-samadānī), a most elevated station characterized by mysteries, revelations and states. We have already mentioned this in our book Mawāqi’ an-Nujūm, in the section on the organ of the Heart. However, it is only in certain copies of the book, as I finished writing this point in the town of Bijāya in the year 597, after several copies that did not contain details of this spiritual abode (manzil) had already come out.

This, then, is the benefit of hunger for the one who possesses spiritual intention (himma), not ordinary hunger. For ordinary [physical] hunger restores good temperament and brings bodily health, nothing more.

Hunger bequeaths knowledge of Satan, may God preserve us and you from him.

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الجوع هو الركن الثالث من اركان هذا الطريق الإلاهي. وهو يتضمّن الركن الرابع الذي هو السَهَر كالعزلة تتضمن الصمت. والجوع جوعا: جوع اختيارٍ وهو جوع السالكين، وجوع اضطرارٍ وهو جوع المحقّقين. فان المحقّق لا يجوّع نفسه ولكن قد يَقلل اكْله ان كان في مقام الانْس. فان كان في مقام الهيبة كثر اكله فكثرة الاكل للمحقّقين دليل على صحّة سطوات انوار الحقيقة على قلوبهم بحال العَظمة من مشهودهم. وقلّة الاكل دليل على صحّة المحادثة بحال المؤانسة من مشهودهم. وكثرة الاكل للسالكين دليل على بعدهم من الله تعالى وطرْدهم عن بابه واستيلاء النفس الشهوانية البهيمية بسلطانها عليهم. وقلّة الاكل لهم دليل على نفحات الجود الإلاهي على قلوبهم فيشغلهم ذلك عن تدبير جسومهم.

والجوع بكل حال ووَجْهٍ سببٌ دَاع للسالك والمحقّق الى نيل عظيم الاحْوال للسالكين والاسْرار للمحقّقين. ما لم يفرط بضجرٍ من الجائع فانّه اذا افرط ادّى الى الهوَس وذهاب العقل وفساد المزاج فلا سبيل للسالك ان يجوع الجوع المطلوب لنيْل الاحْوال الا عن امر شيخ. وامّا وَحْده فلا سبيل لكن يتعيّن على السالك اذا كان وَحْده التقليل من الطعام واستدامة الصيام ولزوم اكلةٍ واحدة بين الليل والنهار وان يغبّ بالإدام الدسم فلا يأتدم في الجمعة سوَى مرّتين ان اراد ان ينتفع حتى يجدَ شيخاً فاذا وَجَده سلّم امره اليه وشيخه يدبّر حاله وامره اذ الشيخ اعْرف بمصالحه منه.

وللجوع حالٌ ومقامٌ، فحاله الخشوع والخضوع والمسْكنة والذلّة والافتقار وعدم الفضول و سكون الجوارح وعدم الخواطر الردية، هذا حال الجوع للسالكين. وامّا حاله في المحقّقين فالرقّة و الصفاء والمؤانسة وذهاب الكون والتنزّه عن اوْصاف البشرية بالعزّة الإلاهية والسلطان الربّاني. ومقامه المقام الصمداني وهو مقامٌ عالٍ له اسرارٌ وتجلّيات واحوال، ذكرناها في كتاب مواقع النجوم في عُضْو القلب منه ولكن في بعض النسخ فاني استدركته فيه بمدينة بجاية سنة سبع وتسعين وخمس مائة، وكان قد خرجتْ منه نسخٌ كثيرة في البلاد لم يثبت فيها هذا المنزل. فهذا فائدة الجوع المصاحب للهمّة لا جوع العامّة، فان جوع العامّة جوع صلاح المزاج وتنْعيم البدن بالصحّة لا غير. والجوع يورث معرفة الشيطان عصمنا الله واياكم منه.

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Shaykh Al-Akbar Ibn ‘Arabī (may God be satisfied with him)
from his Hilyat al-Abdāl wa Mā Yazharu ‘Anhā min al-Ma’ārif wa al-Ahwāl
(The Adornment of the Spiritually Transformed)
Translated by: Stephen Hirtenstein