A Spiritual Journey Through Fasting and Awareness

The journey toward the realization of the divine nature is a path of introspection and purification. Through fasting, emulating divine attributes, and reflecting on Sufi teachings, we can draw closer to the Truth and understand our connection with Allah. Discover how Ramadan becomes the perfect time to embark on this spiritual journey.

The search for the hidden treasure.

Once upon a time, there was a lazy man who spent all day praying to God to show him a treasure buried in the ground. He hoped that finding this treasure would allow him to live happily ever after. One day, he prayed aloud:
"Oh God, so many rich people come into this world, then go and leave their wealth in the bowels of the earth. The treasure is stored in vain. Oh God, show me just one of the treasures!".

This is what the lazy man did all day long. The hope of finding the treasure never faded from his mind. Every day, he became more and more enthusiastic in begging and crying to God to reveal the location of the treasure. He spent his days and nights in prayer. One night, after praying, he fell asleep and had a vivid dream in which he met Hatif, a guardian angel who often comes to guide people.

Hatif asked him, "Hey friend, what do you ask God for?"

He replied, "I am asking for some treasure.”

"Allah has commanded me to show you the location of the treasure," said Hatif. "I will give you signs. Listen carefully!" The angel explained that he should go to a hill with a bow and arrow and added, "Position yourself in the place I will indicate, shoot an arrow, and where it falls, there you will find the treasure."

Upon waking, the man felt filled with joy. Finally, he thought, he would find the long-desired treasure. He was already imagining his life as a wealthy man, respected and free from worries. Without wasting any time, he headed to the hill indicated by the angel, bringing with him everything he needed. Once there, he searched for the signs pointed out by Hatif, positioned the arrow on the bow, and drew it. But just as he was about to shoot, he hesitated: in which direction should he launch it?

"Doesn't matter,,” " he thought. . “"I will dig wherever it falls."”

He decided to shoot the arrow toward the Qibla, the sacred direction. The arrow flew far, and the man dug at the spot where it had fallen. He dug with great effort, sweating profusely, but found nothing. He did not give up: he returned to the starting point, shot another arrow in a different direction, and dug again. He continued like this for days and nights, creating a trench that surrounded the entire hill.

Hatif replied calmly, "What have you done?"

The man explained: "I shot arrows in all directions and dug where they fell, but I found nothing."

Hatif replied: “You misunderstood my instructions. I told you to shoot an arrow and dig where it would fall, but you complicated everything. The treasure had always been at your feet.”

The next day, the man returned to the hill and followed the instructions to the letter. He shot an arrow and, to his surprise, it fell right at his feet. He dug at the indicated spot and finally found the treasure.

Jalaluddin Rumi concluded his story by reciting a poetic verse:

Indeed, your God is closer than your jugular vein,
but you have shot the arrow of your mind too far.
O you who carry a bow and arrows,
the treasure you desire is near you,
why do you seek it so far?

The Message: A Spiritual Guide

This story represents the journey of humanity in search of al-Haqq (the Truth). Rumi invites us to reflect on two important teachings:

1. The divine potential within us
   Every human being possesses a spark of the Supreme Spirit, breathed by Allah Himself. This means that we have the potential to realize a divine morality and achieve the perfection of the self. However, to do this, we must free ourselves from impurities and actualize this divine spark.
2. Allah is closer than we think
   Allah is not far from us. As the Quran states: “And within yourselves, do you not see?” (Quran 51:21).
   He resides in the hearts of His faithful servants.

وَفِىۡۤ اَنۡفُسِكُمۡ​ؕ اَفَلَا تُبۡصِرُوۡنَ‏

Realizing the Divine Morality: the teachings of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ

The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ said: "Act with the morals of Allah" (Takhallaqú bi-akhlaq Allâh). This means that we must awaken and reflect the divine qualities within us. We will never be like Allah, but we can emulate His qualities to improve our conduct. Fasting, praying, and living soberly are means to draw closer to Him. However, living an experience of life similar to that of Allah will undoubtedly awaken the potential for divine morality within us, thus improving our conduct and behavior.

A spirit adorned with commendable morals will shine brightly, for there will be no veil separating it from its Origin. As we stated in the previous discussion, morality is identical to personality. Therefore, realizing divine morality within ourselves means transforming our personality into a holy and divine nature. The life of Allah is characterized, among other things, by the denial of eating, drinking, and sexual relationships.

Emulating the life of Allah means trying to actualize His morality. The emulation of Allah does not imply trying to be like Him, but rather to emulate and actualize the potential of divine morals within us. For this reason, we have not been commanded to fast all the time, but only from dawn until sunset. We have also not been commanded to fast the whole year, but only on designated days, namely during the month of Ramadan. In this way, we seek to actualize His qualities that He has entrusted to us, so that they are not obscured by other qualities that exist within us, such as those syaithaniyah (satanic), bahimiyah (animalistic), and sab'iyah (wild).

Fasting: a journey towards spiritual perfection.

Fasting: a journey towards spiritual perfection.

In relation to the actualization of divine qualities in human beings, Ibn Arabi divides fasting into two levels.
1. Fasting as Protection (wiqâyah)

At this level, fasting is a tool to suppress the mental and physical habits that characterize human life. These habits often manifest as animalistic desires. When the craving intensifies and demands to be satisfied, fasting teaches us to master it through hunger, thirst, and abstaining from sexual relations. This type of fasting acts as a shield (wiqayah), protecting us from negative impulses and helping us control our desires.

This level is based on the famous hadith of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ:
“Fasting is like a shield. If any one of you fasts, let him not utter any indecent or foolish talk. If someone insults him or attacks him, let him say: ‘Indeed, I am fasting.’”

This hadith implicitly invites us to maintain the purity of the soul and the obedience of the body in fulfilling the divine commandments.

2. Fasting as Imitation of Divine Attributes (takhalluq)

At a higher level, fasting is no longer just a tool for controlling impulses, but becomes an expression of love and fascination for the greatness (jalal) and beauty (jamal) of Allah. Here, fasting represents an attempt to emulate the divine attributes and names. The servant who reaches this level makes Allah the center of their attention and seeks to reflect His image. Ultimately, the servant who fasts in this way appears as a reflection of the divine light on earth.

The proximity of Allah.

As implicitly stated in the above Sufi story, Allah is not distant from us. He is closer than our own jugular vein. However, due to our erroneous perceptions, we see Him as too far away, making it difficult to know Him. Jalaluddin Rumi advises us not to shoot the arrows of our mind too far, but invites us to enter the deepest depths of our heart to purify and illuminate it, so that Allah may reign in it. Immersing oneself in the life of Allah has a metaphysical-transcendent meaning: we wish to directly feel the life of Allah. We will never have a metaphysical experience with God before we live a life similar to His.

So far we have discussed the social meaning of fasting, which is to share the suffering experienced by the poor.
However, the meaning of fasting is not limited to this. If the meaning of fasting were limited to this, what would be the meaning of fasting for the poor, who are used to suffering from hunger? Besides the social meaning, fasting also has a metaphysical meaning, which is to reach a unique spiritual experience, different from any other form of worship. According to Ibn Arabi, fasting is a unique form of worship.

All other forms of worship are performed in the form of amal (actions), while fasting is realized in the form of tark (abstinence) and salabi (negation), as fasting consists of restraining oneself and abstaining from everything that would break it. For this reason, fasting cannot be perceived by anyone, except by Allah.

The salabi nature of fasting is equated by Ibn Arabi to the tanzih (incomparability) nature of Allah. Since He possesses the tanzih nature, Allah is different from everything that is not Him. Similarly, the salabi nature of fasting makes it different from all other forms of worship. Since fasting is not an action, but rather a withholding and abstaining, we cannot perceive its magnitude. Therefore, Allah is the One who directly rewards fasting according to His will, without any limitation. This is different from other actions that have a set reward, which varies from one to seven hundred times.

Si narra che Abu Umamah si recò dal Profeta (pace su di lui) e chiese:
“Ordinami una delle cose più importanti che ho ricevuto da te!”
Il Messaggero di Allah rispose: “Digiuna, perché il digiuno è incomparabile.”

Takhalli, Tahalli and Tajalli: the phases of the spiritual journey

The three Sufi terms takhalli, tahalli, and tajalli represent the stages of the spiritual journey towards Allah:

1. Takhalli (Emptying):
   This phase involves freeing oneself from sins, bad behaviors, and negative desires. It is a process of inner purification that requires effort and determination. During Ramadan, fasting becomes a means to burn away sins and purify the heart, as suggested by the etymological meaning of the word "Ramadan" (ramdha, burning heat).
2. Tahalli (Adornment):
   Once the heart is emptied of impurities, it must be filled with virtues, good deeds, and commendable moral qualities (mahmudah). This process of spiritual adornment brings us closer to Allah. This is the culminating phase, in which the human being perceives the manifestation of Allah in their life. After purifying and adorning the heart, the salik (spiritual seeker) is able to experience the divine presence as a unique and subjective inner experience.

Image of an open Quran with a light shining on it.

The word 'Ramadan' comes from the term 'ramdha', which means 'burning heat', as the month of Ramadan is the time when sins are burned away. This term is also considered one of the names of Allah, as He continues to burn the sins of His servants who, after committing immoral acts, ask Him for forgiveness. In a hadith, the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ said: 'Do not say 'Ramadhân', because Ramadhân is one of the names of Allah, but say 'shahr ramadan' (the month of Ramadan).'
Therefore, the month of Ramadan is a special month, as it is the only month that bears the name of Allah. It is the most important period of 'takhalli' of the year, as during this month Muslims fast, and the fast becomes a means to empty oneself of sins and purify the heart from bad behavior. In a hadith, it is stated: 'Whoever fasts with faith and sincerity, their past sins will be forgiven.'
Through fasting, all heavy burdens in the form of sins are eliminated.

However, emptying the heart of sins and bad behaviors should not be considered a simple process, like emptying a bin full of garbage. When a bin is emptied, its contents disappear immediately. It is not so for the heart: we cannot eliminate sins and bad characteristics immediately.

Whenever we remove sins and bad behaviors, others emerge, coming from ourselves, from our desires and from Satan. Therefore, we must not only empty the heart of sins, but also free the desire from its ammarah nature (which incites to evil), for it is the source of sins and bad behaviors. When the self is emptied of sins and bad behaviors, we must simultaneously fill it with good actions and commendable qualities. takhalli must be accompanied by tahalli, for an empty heart will inevitably be filled by other sins and bad behaviors.

Therefore, takhalli and tahalli must be performed simultaneously.
Literally, the word tahalli means "to decorate", "to embellish", or "to put in order". The soul, which has been emptied of sins, despicable traits, and greedy desires, must be filled and adorned with sincere actions and praiseworthy moral qualities (mahmudah).

Emptying and filling the heart with the aim of reaching al-Haqq (the Truth) is not an easy task. Both require sincerity (mujahadah) and a strong will (irâdah), as during takhalli and tahalli a salik (سالك, spiritual seeker) faces many difficulties and obstacles that could break his spirit and divert his intentions. However, at the same time, Allah grants various unique inner experiences. These spiritual experiences emerge with the collapse of the old personality and the incomplete formation of the new personality. In psychoanalytical studies, this process is seen as a path of individuation that progressively strengthens a person's personality. This process culminates in the integration of all parts of the soul, both conscious and unconscious, leading to the climax that reflects divinity in human beings.

The culmination of a salik's aspiration, after going through takhalli and tahalli, is tajalli, which means 'manifestation' or 'revelation'.
The manifestation of Allah to His creatures is called tajalli Ilahi or tanazzul Ilahi, that is, when Allah reveals Himself through the universe as His âyât (signs). On the other hand, human beings can perceive the presence of God in their lives after going through the stages of takhalli and tahalli. In the takhalli stage, one purifies oneself to draw closer to Allah, for according to a hadith, He cannot be approached except by a pure person. In the tahalli stage, one adorns oneself with praiseworthy qualities, that is, divine qualities. The metaphysical experience of transforming the attributes and names of Allah enables one to live a life similar to that of God. Then, in the tajalli stage, one perceives the reality of Allah's presence in one's inner experience as an individual and subjective experience.

In a hadith qudsi narrated by Bukhari, it is stated that a servant who loves Allah and continues to perform obligatory and sunnah actions will be loved by Allah.
Allah's love for him leads to an incomparable closeness, so that he hears with the hearing of Allah, sees with the sight of Allah, and so on. This is a metaphysical experience that represents the peak of the realizations of the Sufis. This experience is also called "tajalli.

The fast is for Me.

In a hadith qudsi it is stated: “Every action of the descendants of Adam is for them, except for fasting. Indeed, fasting is for Me and I will reward it.”“
When someone prays, others can judge whether their prayer is perfect, partially perfect, or far from perfection. Similarly, when giving charity, others can assess how good the charity is. The same applies to other actions. All the actions we perform can be judged by others according to their viewpoints. However, fasting is different. I cannot judge your fasting, whether it is good or not. I cannot even be certain if you are truly fasting, pretending to fast, or not fasting at all. Since fasting cannot be observed or assessed, it is an act that only Allah can judge and reward.

If Allah – through the words of His Prophet – says: “The fast is for Me and I will reward it,” it means that fasting is an exclusive right of Allah. Only He can judge it and give the corresponding reward. For this reason, fasting is considered the most special act, directly illuminated by the grace of Allah, and He Himself will reward it with unlimited rewards.

For the wise, fasting is one of the main means to draw closer to Allah, or to be 'immortal' in Him.
They fast only for Allah, emulating His attributes, never aspiring to become Him, but rather to reflect His divine qualities. The reward for fasting done exclusively for Allah is no longer Paradise, but Allah the Almighty Himself, who is the reward, as there is no better reward than this.
Therefore, the wise interpret the fragment of the hadith 'I am He who rewards it' as 'I am He who is its reward'. Indeed, the group of common fasters (khawwâsh) and the faithful expect rewards from Allah in the form of heavenly pleasures, while the khawwash al-khawwâsh expect only Allah, and not Paradise, as for them there is no pleasure that surpasses being together with the Source and the Guardian of all pleasures.

For the wise, fasting is one of the main means to draw closer to Allah, or to be 'immortal' in Him. For them, fasting is like coal close to a flame. The nature of fire is to illuminate, warm, burn, and blaze, while the nature of coal is dark, dirty, not warm, and non-burning. If coal is brought close to fire, its properties will gradually change until they resemble those of fire and it will be able to produce what fire produces. In fact, we will no longer be able to distinguish between coal and fire, because coal will have been influenced by the properties of fire.

The person who fasts, drawing closer to Allah by imitating His attributes, will at some point sink and become mortal in His attributes (fana fi al-shifat). He fasts only for Allah, because He is the true Owner, and Allah has fasted from eternity. We, as servants and creatures of Allah, imitate His attributes and fast as creatures, only from dawn to dusk. We fast to draw closer to Him, immersing ourselves in His embrace, but not to become Him. Charcoal is not fire and fire is not charcoal, but the properties of fire have influenced the charcoal to the point that the image of fire covers the charcoal.

Every page of the Quran is a step towards wisdom and spirituality.

Human beings, the Divine Image in creation.

Human beings are the most unique creatures. So unique that, even today, man has not been able to fully define himself. A description of the uniqueness of human beings is explained in a hadith qudsi: "Al-Insân sirri wa ana sirruh" (Man is My secret and I am his secret). This hadith implicitly explains the uniqueness of human beings to the extent that we cannot fully define it. When human beings become the container of the secret of Allah, it is certainly unimaginable how vast this secret is, so vast that we cannot limit it with our limited knowledge.

Empirical evidence supports this hadith. Today, with the rapid development of science and the emergence of new disciplines that analyze and study human beings, the definition and knowledge that people have of themselves is never complete. With the progress of knowledge, the definition of humanity becomes increasingly vague and fragmented. The definition of humans according to anthropologists is different from that of sociologists, as well as from that of psychologists, and so on. Who are humans really, and what is the true nature of humanity? So far, science has never been able to provide a definitive and final framework. Perhaps philosophy can offer a broader explanation, but it is itself not immune to criticism, as within philosophy there exist different schools with differing foundations and perspectives. Consequently, questions about humanity never find a complete answer.

In this section, we will not discuss the definitions of human beings expressed by various scientists, as that would require a separate study. Instead, we will talk about the spiritual relationship between the human being and their Allah. In theological studies, it is believed that the human being is the pinnacle of divine creation, because in them Allah sees His complete image. In a hadith qudsi, it is stated that Allah is like a hidden treasure. He wants to be known, so He created the universe as His majla "مجل" (container of manifestation). However, He cannot see His complete image in nature, because parts of nature only show a small part of His image. Then He created man, and in man, He can see His image in the form of names and attributes in a complete and balanced way.

However, not all human beings can reflect His image; His names and attributes can only be reflected in a perfect human being (insan kamil). In Sufi studies, this is defined as tajalli or tanazzul.

The insan kamil is one who has succeeded in purifying their heart and soul, removing the veils that obscure the divine light. They become like a pure mirror, capable of clearly and completely reflecting the names and attributes of Allah. In this sense, the perfect human being is not only a manifestation of divine creation, but also a means through which Allah knows and manifests Himself.

This concept is closely related to the idea that the human being was created fi ahsani taqwim (in the most beautiful and perfect form, as mentioned in the Quran, Surah At-Tin, 95:4). However, this perfection is not automatic: it is a potential that must be realized through spiritual effort and connection with the Divine.

In conclusion, human beings are unique not only for their physical, mental, and spiritual complexity, but especially because they carry within themselves the secret of Allah. They are the place where Allah manifests in a complete manner, but only those who reach the state of insan kamil can fully reflect this divine image. Being aware of this reality means embarking on a spiritual journey to draw closer to Allah, purifying the heart, and becoming a reflection of His light and attributes.

Fasting as a means to achieve human perfection.