How the Torment of Hunger Opens Compassion From the Soul

March 7, 2025 March 7, 2025

From the Realities of Mawlana (Q) as taught by Shaykh Nurjan Mirahmadi

أَعُوذُ بِاللَّهِ مِنَ الشَّيطَانِ الرَّجِيمِ
بِسْمِ اللهِ الرَّحْمٰنِ الرَّحِيْمِ

A’uzu Billahi Minash Shaitanir Rajeem
Bismillahir Rahmanir Raheem

I seek refuge in Allah from the accursed Satan
In the Name of Allah, the Most Compassionate, the Most Merciful

Alhamdulillahi Rabbil ‘aalameen, was salaatu was salaamu ‘alaa Ashrafil Mursaleen, Sayyidina wa Mawlana Muhammadul Mustafa ﷺ. Madad ya Sayyidi ya Rasulul Kareem, Ya Habibul ‘Azeem, unzur halana wa ishfa’lana, ‘abidona bi madadikum wa nazarekum.

Atiullah wa atiur Rasul wa Ulil amre minkum. Always a reminder for myself, ana abdukal ‘ajeez, wa dayeef, wa miskin, wa zhalim, wa jahl, and but for the grace of Allah (AJ) that we’re still in existence.

Atiullah wa atiur Rasul wa Ulil amre minkum.

أَطِيعُوا اللَّهَ وَأَطِيعُوا الرَّسُولَ وَأُولِي الْأَمْرِ مِنكُم… ﴿٥٩﴾‏ …

4:59 – “…Atiullaha wa atiur Rasula wa Ulil amre minkum…” (Surat an-Nisa)

“…Obey Allah, obey the Messenger, and those in authority among you…” (The Women, 4:59)

Enter the Oceans of Forgiveness During Ramadan Through the Gate of Rahmah

Alhamdulillah, that Allah (AJ) gave us the life to enter into the holy month of Sha’ban and coming now into the holy month of Ramadan, inshaAllah. By Tuesday, Wednesday, they see the moon and will begin to give us direction on when to start the fast, inshaAllah. Always a reminder that Ramadan is an immense reset, an immense opening and spirituality that Allah (AJ) gives us an opportunity to be washed clean. The gates of rahmah (mercy) and the opening of mercy are the first ten days of Ramadan in which allows the servant to even enter into that blessing. For anyone who tries to fast voluntarily, they see how difficult fasting is and all of the energy against the nafs (ego) and nafs fighting back. It’s Allah’s (AJ) mercy that He opens the gate of rahmah in the first ten days so that people can enter into that reality and enter into these oceans of forgiveness and the oceans to clean away the fire of sins and bad character.

عَنْ سَلْمَانِ اَلْفَارِسِيْ رَضِيْ اللهُ عَنْهُ، أَنْ رَسُوْلُ اللَّهِ ﷺ قال: ” شَهْرُ رَمَضَانَ أَوَّلُهُ رَحْمَةٌ ، وَأَوْسَطُهُ مَغْفِرَةٌ ، وَآخِرُهُ عِتْقٌ مِنَ النَّارِ.” [المصدر: الإمَامْ اَلْألْبَانِي ( مِشْكَاةْ اَلْمَصَابِيحْ) ، كتاب ٧، حديث ٩]

‘An Salman al Farsi (ra), an Rasulullahiﷺ qala: “Shahru Ramadana awwalahu rahmatun, wa awsatuhu maghfiratun, wa akhiruhu ‘itqun minan naar.” [Al Imam al Albani, Meshkatal Misbah, Kitab 7, Hadith 9]

Narrated by Salman al Farsi (ra), that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, “The first (ten days) of the month of Ramadan is mercy, the middle (ten days) is forgiveness, and the last (ten days) is salvation/freedom from the fire.” [Source: Al Imam al Albani, Meshkat al Masabih – 1965, Book 7, Hadith 9]

Write Your Last Chapter of Life First to Determine Your Path

That is a Ramadan based on all our senses. The Ramadan of hearing in which we fast with our hearing and trying not to hear that which is of no value to the soul. Fasting with our eyes and keeping the nazar and the gaze upon our path. That the eyes to be continuously looking for what I’m doing is based on my path and to take me to the outcome that I’m trying to achieve. We said before that we write the last chapter first is that, ‘What I want to achieve in life, ya Rabbi, with my soul and with my spirituality’ and that should determine the entire path and direction and the course in which I take my life.

If we have a clear ending chapter, then everything and every choice that we make to fulfill that last chapter, we write the book based on its ending. So, then our book becomes much clearer. Every chapter of my life then should be towards that final chapter and the ending of that book. We fast with our ears on what we hear, fast with our eyes on what we see, fast with the breath and the power of the breath and the reality of Divine power and that our life is a breath away. All that we plan for our life and all that we plan for the years to come, all of it is based on one breath.

So, all the planning in the world can’t help you if Allah (AJ) only gives you one more breath. So, our life is between these two breaths – the one that you breathe in and the one that you breathe out. For if Allah (AJ) says, you know, ‘This is it’ and awliyaullah (saints) knows how many breaths He gave to a servant. They can make all the preparations they want but if they can’t [breathe], if Allah (AJ) wrote for them not a breath, there’s not a machine, there’s not a device, there’s not an entire nation can put you back to breathing if Allah (AJ) determined that you’re not going to breathe another breath.

Focus On Your Breath of Today to Fight Off Worry of the Depressive Past or Anxious Future

So, it means then fasting with our breath, being conscious of the power of the breath and that our life exists within that breath and to reach a state of consciousness. That’s why the power of breathing, the power of the tafakkur (contemplation) and the meditation. We said before and so many people have this issue of how to cut the past, how to cut the sadness of depression that’s causing the thought of all past issues in their lives and how to cut the anxiety of the future, that what does the future hold? What’s going to happen? How everything is going to come? The danger of that anxiety and that has to do with the power of the breath. For if we truly can fight the anxiety of the future and cut the depression from the past and the issues of the past, we live within that moment and that breath. That meditation that day releases its power and its bounty upon the soul.

So, Ramadan is a great reset because of the fasting because the fasting burns the nafs so bad, burns shaitan (satan) so bad. We have all the time to contemplate. So, it’s an immense opportunity to think of our lives and think of the moment and meditate for Divine power and Divine grace. That Allah (AJ) cleanse us of the wrongs and that purify us and perfect our faith and perfect the light. Fasting with our sense of touch and the realities of sensitivity to touch to make the heart more sensitive to its energies and to its realities. That when we take our life fast and eating and enjoying, the sense of touch becomes overlooked and you become more sensitive in your state of fasting whether your body is more sensitive to pain and to everything that it’s feeling.

Our Physical Hunger Opens a Strong State of Compassion for Those in Need

As a result of food not moving through, waters and drink not moving through the body, so the body becomes hyper alert at that time. So, all of the senses are being activated and the highest sense, the sense of taste. So, not only the taste from abstinence of food, but the importance of that reality of taste that to open the doors of compassion. That if I’m struggling for these 30 days and for this day and for this hour waiting for my iftar, time to eat, what about all the people whom Ramadan seems to be perpetual for them? It means they don’t have food. They struggle to find food to eat in the morning. They struggle to even eat at night with hunger within their stomach and to sleep in a state of hunger which they say the most difficult torment is the torment of hunger.

So, the ocean of hunger is a tremendous difficulty upon the soul and the souls and the reality upon people. So, it opens a tremendous state of compassion and that we hope and pray that Allah (AJ) make us to be very compassionate and come out more compassionate. As a result of Ramadan, to be sensitive to people’s needs, especially those of a lesser ability and need of hunger and provision. That we come out to be a nation that cares and takes care of our brothers and sisters and to relieve their state of hunger where we can, inshaAllah. We pray that Allah (AJ) open the gates of rahmah (mercy) and to allow us our entry into the holy month of Ramadan with all its immense blessings and all its love under the guidance and nazar of Sayyidina Muhammad ﷺ, and his holy Companions and holy family, all the awliyaullah (saints) fis samayi wa fil ard – from the heavens and to the Earth.

Subhana rabbika rabbal ‘izzati ‘amma yasifoon, wa salaamun ‘alal mursaleen, walhamdulillahi rabbil ‘aalameen. Bi hurmati Muhammad al-Mustafa ﷺ wa bi siri Surat al-Fatiha.

Special thanks to our transcribers for their help with transcribing this suhbah.

Original Date of Suhbah: March 16, 2023

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