Hidden sweetness in the stomach’s emptiness

We are in the midst of the holy month of Ramadan – a time of introspection and rejuvenation. These are days for abstinence from food and water from dawn to dusk, and the God-given opportunity for profound spiritual ascension. It is the month when seekers pray for their hearts to be cleansed, for their souls to be revitalized, and for their spirits to soar to new heights of enlightenment.

There is an old Sufi story about a man and his lamp that emphasizes the spiritual significance of fasting. Sufi masters often explained new and complex concepts to their disciples by way of stories.

A venerated Sufi master gathered his disciples during the holy month of Ramadan and told them, “There was once a man who owned a beautiful lamp. Every night, he would light it, and its glow would fill his home with warmth. One day, a wise traveller visited him and said, ‘Your lamp is radiant, but have you ever experienced the beauty of darkness?’”

The man who owned the lamp was puzzled. He asked the traveller, “Why would I extinguish my lamp? Darkness offers nothing but emptiness.”

The traveller smiled because the man’s response revealed his ignorance. He said, “True emptiness is not nothingness; it is the space where the soul awakens. Extinguish your lamp for one night, and you will see.”

The man was reluctant to agree to what the traveller said, but the next night he extinguished his lamp. At first, he felt lost in the darkness. He thought that he would fall and hurt himself. But as time passed, he was amazed to discover the beauty of the night around him. He observed himself becoming conscious of the brilliance of the stars above, the quiet hum of the night hours, the stillness of his mind, and of his own heartbeat. In that stillness, he felt closer to the Divine than ever before.

The next morning, he thanked the traveller and said, “I understand now why you told me to extinguish the lamp sometimes. By emptying myself of light, I found a greater illumination within.”

Then the Sufi saint used the metaphor of the lamp to explain to his disciples the significance of fasting for the body, the mind and the soul. He said, “When we fast, we extinguish the constantly burning light of food within. By abstaining from food, drink, and other desires during daylight hours, we shall create space for our inner light to shine. It is not about deprivation from food but about discovering a deeper connection with the Almighty,” he explained.

Through their personal example, Sufi masters proved to their followers that fasting during Ramadan is not merely a physical act. It is a profound spiritual practice aimed at self-purification and at achieving closeness to God.

Persian Sufi saint Hazrat Abu Hamid al-Ghazali (1058-1111), a highly prominent and influential jurisconsult, philosopher and mystic in Islamic history, laid great emphasis not just on fasting for the body, but also “fasting of the mind.”

Hazrat al-Ghazali called it the “fast of the elect,” which necessitated a close analysis of one’s thoughts and patterns of behaviour. Sufi masters spoke of fasting with the eyes, ears, tongue, and hands. It was not just abstinence from food during the prescribed hours of the day. The “fast of the elect” included turning their eyes and ears away from anything that had the ability to weaken their remembrance of God; to abstain from gossip or negative words; to avoid harsh words or quarrels; and to use their hands to serve their fellow human beings.

There is a story from the time when Hazrat Jalāl al-Dīn Muḥammad Rūmī (1207-1273) was still a young scholar and had not yet evolved into a Sufi mystic transcending national borders and ethnic divisions. During those years, Hazrat Rumi was sent into retreat for a week by his mentor, Hazrat Borhanuddin Tirmidhi.

It is said that instead of one week, Hazrat Rumi spent forty days fasting in prayer and meditation. This long period prepared him for the mystical path which he later traversed.

Hazrat Rumi later wrote a poem that emphasized how fasting purifies the body and soul, clears the mind, and brings spiritual clarity and renewal. Through his immortal pen, Hazrat Rumi portrayed fasting as a path to inner strength and divine connection. He wrote:

There’s hidden sweetness in the stomach’s emptiness.

We are lutes, no more, no less. If the soundbox

is stuffed full of anything, no music.

If the brain and belly are burning clean

with fasting, every moment a new song comes out of the fire.

The fog clears, and new energy makes you

run up the steps in front of you.

When you fast, good habits gather like friends who want to help.

Fasting is Solomon’s ring. Don’t give it

to some illusion and lose your power,

but even if you have, if you’ve lost all will and control,

they come back when you fast, like soldiers appearing

out of the ground, pennants flying above them.

A table descends to your tents, spread with other food,

better than the broth of cabbages.

What accrues from conscious and mindful fasting? Hazrat Junayd al-Baghdadi (830-910), one of the most famous of the early Islamic saints and a central figure in the spiritual lineage of many Sufi orders, explained: “Whatever I gained spiritually was through three practices, viz, renouncing the world, fasting and waking up the whole nights.”

Fasting removes the sloth of the body and the sluggishness of the mind. It weakens the nafs (ego) by enabling seekers to overcome their base instincts and focus on spiritual elevation. Hazrat Haris Muhasbi (781-857), a philosopher and ascetic who taught Sufi master Hazrat Junayd al-Baghdadi, said, “Silence, fasting, avoidance of company of the people of the world are essentials of the path.” Sufi saints have regarded fasting as an act of personal abstinence, and a ‘hidden action’ that no one but God can see, unlike the prayer, the zakah (that which purifies or cleanses), and other acts of worship.