Tradition

"عَجِبْتُ لِمَنْ يَتَفَكَّرُ فى مَأكُولِهِ كَيْفَ لا يَتَفَكَّرُ فى مَعْقُولِهِ، فَيُجَنِّبُ بَطْنَهُ ما يُؤذِيهِ و يُودِعُ صَدْرَهُ ما يُرْدِيهِ.”

Imam al-Hasan (‘a) is narrated to have said: “I am surprised at those who reflect on the food that they eat and yet do not think at all in regards to the food of their soul. They stay away from unhealthy foods, but they fill their heart with various destructive matters.”1

Brief Commentary

Just as the Imam (‘a) has mentioned, people are very careful in regards to what they eat. They will only eat foods which they trust and if there is even a ten percent chance of illness or food poisoning, they won’t even think of eating that food. Some people go beyond this and follow all sorts of nutritional rules which they believe will improve their health. In a nutshell, people care deeply about the foods that they eat.

Yet, when it comes to the food pertaining to their soul, they take in whatever they find, regardless of how it will affect them. Even if they are about to take in something which has a 95% chance of illness and spiritual poisoning, they do not pay any attention to the danger. If people slander and backbite others in their presence, they sit and listen without any fear. This is in reality the equivalent of eating a plate of completely rotten and spoiled food; it is going to make them extremely ill even though they may not realize it right away.

What we must understand is that various things which relate to the spirit naturally have an effect on the spirit, and the spirit grows or diminishes as a result of what we take in. This is exactly like when we eat food and our bodies either grow strong from it, or become ill as a result. It is truly amazing that people pay such detailed attention to the food related to their physical bodies, but are so utterly careless when it comes to the food of their soul.

• 1. Safinat al-Bihar, Section on Food, Bihar Al-Anwar, vol 1, page 218.