As-Salaam alaikum,
Fasting and sleeplessness are 2 ways known to be good means of taming and training the nafs. The first generation ascetics have often been described as qa'im al-lail, wa sa'im ad-dahr, 'spending their nights upright in prayer and maintaining a perpetual fast by day.' The old saying that the 3 elements of Sufi conduct are "little food, little sleep, little talk (to which often loneliness, keeping away from men, was added) is still as valid as it was a thousand years ago..
The ascetic who spends his nights at prayers, as recommended in the Qur'an, will have the time to enjoy blessed conversation with his Lord through prayers. And eating little is even more important than to avoid sleep... the Sufis would fast frequently if not constantly. Early Sufis praise hunger, which they see as something "stored up in the treasure-houses with Allah Ta'ala, and He gives it to none but whom He particularly loves", as observed by Abu Nasr as-Sarraj. And as Jalaluddin Rumi says, just as the host "brings better food when the guest eats little, Allah brings better, ie spiritual, food to those who fast." Just as recollection or Zikr is food of the gnostics, so is hunger food of the ascetics.
Sleep in the day, never meet anyone, then what is the benefit of living in the world, and what benefits do we have for the world to offer.
It is like some one stays in HR training center forever. He likes the environment.
HR training program is to train the person to improve efficiency in life.
This cannot be undone and I am sure it will be greatly appreciated.
We apologise but you have been denied access to report posts in this thread. This could be due to excessively reporting posts and not understanding our forum rules. For assistance or information, please use the forum help thread to request more information. Jazakallah
