BENEFITS OF HUNGER
The first benefit of hunger is the purification of the heart. The Holy Prophet ﷺ said “when a man causes his belly to hunger, he causes his mind to think powerfully and his heart to grow in wisdom.”
The second benefit is hunger softens the heart. Shaykh Said Abu Sulayman (QSA) said “when the heart is hungry and thirsty, it becomes clear and soft, whereas when it is full, it becomes blind and rough.”
The third benefit is that the soul realizes its helplessness, which causes it to have complete trust in its Lord. For this reason, when the world and all its treasures were offered to our Holy Prophet ﷺ, he said “No! Instead, I shall be hungry on alternate days, so that when I am hungry, I have patient endurance, and I when I eat my fill, I have gratitude.”
The fourth benefit is that one never forgets those who are afflicted by trials. To remember those who are hungry and needy will create kindness, and cause the heart to move towards feeding the hungry, and charity towards God’s creatures.
The fifth and greatest benefit is the breaking of all of one’s desires for sin and in achieving mastery over the soul, which commands evil. Just as you cannot master a stubborn riding beast without weakening it through hunger, for when it eats its fill, it becomes strong, stubborn and rebellious, so it is the same with the soul.
Ya Mere Allah Jumla Ambiya ke wasthey,
Hajathe Barla Meri Kul Awliya ke wasthey
O my Lord, for the sake of all your beloved prophets and saints,
please fulfill all my needs and remove my pains
Silsila Aaliya e Khushhaliya !!
(Imam Al-Ghazali on Disciplining the Soul and Breaking the Two Desires, translated by Shaykh Abdul Hakim Murad, pages 118-119)