THIRD POINT

We said in the Second Point that the sense of taste is a doorkeeper, and indeed, for the heedless and those who have not progressed spiritually or advanced in the way of thanks, it is like a doorkeeper. Wastefulness should not be indulged in or the sense of taste’s price be raised from one to ten for the sake of giving it pleasure.

However, the sense of taste of those truly on the way of thanks, those seeking reality,  and those who  approach reality with their  hearts  is  like a supervisor and inspector  in the kitchens of divine mercy, as is explained in the comparison in the Sixth Word. Its duty is to recognize and weigh up the varieties of divine bounties on the tiny scales present in it to the number of foods, and to send the body and stomach news of the food in the form of thanks. In this respect the sense of taste does not only look to the physical stomach; since it looks also to the heart, spirit, and mind, it holds a position and  importance superior  to  the  stomach.  It  can follow  its pleasure on condition it is not wasteful or extravagant, and is purely to carry out its duty of thanks and recognize and perceive the varieties of divine bounty, and on condition it is licit and  does  not  lead  to  degradation  and  begging.  In  fact,  delicious  foods  may  be preferred in order to employ the tongue which bears the sense of  taste in giving thanks. The following is an instance of Shaykh  Geylani’s wonder-working  which alludes to this truth:

At one time, being instructed by Ghawth al-A‘zam, Shaykh Geylani (May his mystery  be  sanctified),  was  the  only  son  of  an  aged  and  anxious  woman.  This esteemed  lady had gone to her son’s cell and seen that he had nothing to eat but a piece of dry, black  bread. Her maternal compassion was aroused by his emaciated condition resulting from his  asceticism. She felt sorry for him. Later she went to Ghawth al-A‘zam in order to  complain,  and saw the Shaykh was tucking into roast chicken. Out of her concern, she  declared: “O Master! My son is dying of hunger while you are eating chicken!” Whereupon  Ghawth al-A‘zam said to the chicken: “Rise up, with God’s permission!” At this, the cooked chicken bones assembled and were  thrown  out  of  the  dish  as  an  entire  live  chicken.  This   has  been  related unanimously through many reliable and documented channels as a marvel of someone whose extraordinary wonder-working is world-famous. Ghawth al-A‘zam said to her:

“When your son reaches this level, then he too can eat chicken.”2  Thus, the meaning of Ghawth al-A‘zam’s words is this: whenever your son’s spirit rules his body, and his heart rules the desires of his soul, and his reason rules his stomach, and he wants pleasure for the sake of offering thanks, then he may eat delicious things.

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2   See, Gilani, Ghunya al-Talibin, 502; Nabhani, Jami‘ Karamat al-Awliya’, ii, 203.