Will you give information about riyazah?

Dear Brother / Sister,

RIYAZAH means to abstain from worldly pleasures and to try to overcome the desires of the soul with the intention of zuhd (ascetism) and taqwa (piety).

Continuous and regular efforts made in order to attain sufistic states and ranks are called mujahadah and riyazah. Riyazah generally means to oppose the desires of the soul; mujahadah means to enable the ethics to change.

The way of riyazah and mujahadah is the way of purification. Those who are in this way are loyal in their relationships with both God and people. For, this way is the way of the pious people. The aim of riyazah, which means man's being stripped off all of his worldly inclinations and devoting himself to Allah, is to train human soul and to eliminate all of the desires except love of Allah. It means not to think of anything except Allah and to be engaged with dhikr and worshipping all the time.   

In conclusion, riyazah is generally made in order to have taqwa, piety, honesty, discovery and inspiration. [al-Qushayri, Risalah, (Trnsl) Süleyman Uludağ, 21-22; Cavit Sunar, Tasavvuf Tarihi, 185; H. Kamil Yılmaz, Aziz Mahmud Hüdai, 213]. Riyazah must be within the framework of the Quran and Sunnah.  It is never permissible to perform riyazah with bid'ah worshipping or with worshipping that is not proposed by Islam. Including bid'ah into Islam with the excuse of performing riyazah means deviating from Islam.  

Conditions of Riyazah

Sufis believe that a soul that is used to eating little, speaking little, sleeping little, being alone and making dhikr and meditation all the time will be saved. According to Hujwuri, “Soul is a dog but it is elevated to such a rank with mujahadah that the animal hunted by it becomes halal.”

1. To Eat Little

One of the leading things that seduce human soul is not limiting eating and drinking. Qushayri reports the following from Ibn Salim:

“It is good manners of hunger for a person to decrease what he usually eats as much as a cat's ear every day.”

The Messenger of Allah said (pbuh):

“Man has not filled a container worse than his stomach. A few morsels that will enable him to stand upright are enough for him.”

Abu Sulayman Darani says, “The key to the world is fullness; the key to the hereafter is hunger.”

2. To Sleep Little

A person who eats little sleeps little. To sleep little is an expression of returning to Allah and it polishes the heart. The night has a special place in Islam. It is hard for the soul to get up at night to worship. Therefore, the following people are praised in the Quran:"those who get up from their hot beds and pray their Lord with hope and fear at dawn and sleep little at night by asking for forgiveness in the early hours of the morning." Glorification at long nights and tahajjud prayers are ordered.

Little sleep is not a target but a means of knowledge, deeds and dhikr. “The Messenger of Allah did not approve of sleeping before the night (isha) prayer and talking after it.”

3. To Speak Little

Another important aspect of riyazah is to speak little. A person who controls his tongue becomes free of evil. Najmuddin Kubra says,

“When the tongue speaks, the heart keeps silent. When the tongue keeps silent, the heart speaks.”

It is stated in hadith that the one who keeps silent is saved. A person who controls his tongue and makes his heart speak commits few sins. Paradise is promised to a person who promises to control between his two lips and two legs. 

Man has been given two ears and one mouth. The first order of the Quran is 'read'. Then, it is necessary to learn. Man needs listening more than speaking. Hatam al-Asam says,

“There are three kinds of desires. Eating, speaking and looking. Control eating by relying on Allah, speaking by speaking honestly and looking by worshipping.”

Being alone (living in seclusion) has an important place in riyazah. Although the soul does not like loneliness, a person who disturbs his soul by separating it from the place it is accustomed to and by being alone and imprisons his soul to obey Allah starts to take pleasure from it through his heart after these pains. For, the soul and the nature of the soul do not like being alone; they want to be among people.   

Dhun-Nun al-Misri says, “I have never seen anything leading man to sincerity more than seclusion." Ibn Mubarak was asked, "What is the remedy for the heart?" He said, “To talk to people less.”

In conclusion, a person attains peace and approaches Allah based on the success of his mujahadah and riyazah. Our bodily and spiritual beings are in continuous struggle against all kinds of evil that face us until we die in life. Thanks to this, man is always in the way of perfection throughout his life.

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