Essence of Abstinence

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.

Don't strive so much to complete your worldly affairs;
don't strive in any affair that's not sacred.

Otherwise at the end. you'll leave incomplete,
your spiritual affairs damaged and your bread unbaked.

The beautifying of your grave isn't done
by means of wood and stone and plaster;

no, but by digging your grave in spiritual purity
and burying your own selfhood in His (mission),
and by becoming His dust, buried in love of Him,
so that from His breath, yours may be replenished.

The smell of pride and greed and lust
will betray you when you speak
as much as the onions you have eaten.

Many prayers are rejected because of their smell;
the corrupt heart reveals itself in the tongue.
But if your meaning is pure,
God (may) accept even your clumsy expression.

Ahmad Sam’ani [Rawh al-arwah, p.312]
source:
http://www.sunnah.org/tasawwuf/essence_of_abstinence.htm



{Invite (mankind, O Muhammad ) to the Way of your Lord (i.e. Islam) with wisdom (i.e. with the Divine Inspiration and the Qur'an) and fair preaching, and argue with them in a way that is better. Truly, your Lord knows best who has gone astray from His Path, and He is the Best Aware of those who are guided.}
(Holy Quran-16:125)

{And who is better in speech than he who [says: "My Lord is Allah (believes in His Oneness)," and then stands straight (acts upon His Order), and] invites (men) to Allah's (Islamic Monotheism), and does righteous deeds, and says: "I am one of the Muslims."} (Holy Quran-41:33)

The prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: "By Allah, if Allah guides one person by you, it is better for you than the best types of camels." [al-Bukhaaree, Muslim]

The prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) also said, "Whoever calls to guidance will have a reward similar to the reward of the one who follows him, without the reward of either of them being lessened at all."
[Muslim, Ahmad, Aboo Daawood, an-Nasaa'ee, at-Tirmidhee, Ibn Maajah]


Translation Surah Ash-Shu’ara:83 "O my Lord! bestow wisdom on me,and join me with the righteous;
Translation Surah Ash-Shu’ara 85 And place me among the inheritors of the Garden of Delight," Ameen