The Devils Deception by Imam Ibn AL-Jawzi

T H E D E V I L ' S
D E C E P T I O N S
senger () took sustenance. It is impossible for a human not to
need anything for these long months. If he becomes ill due to lack
of provisions then he falls into sin. And if he begs people, then he
does fulfill his claim of having proper reliance. And if he claims that
he gains sustenance while not working for it, then just the fact that
he believes he deserves such a thing is problematic.
If he followed the orders of Islam and took provisions it would
have been better for him.
A group of Sufis came to Makkah and visited Muryammad Ibn
Tahir, he asked with whom they had travelled. They replied: With
the Yemen pilgrims. He said, that Sufism (al-ltJ!awwujj should have
come to this! Has reliance (al-tawakku then quite disappeared? You
have not come in accordance with the path (al-!ariqa) and with Sufsm
(al-ltJ!awwujj; you have merely come from the table of Yemen to the
table of the al-Haram. Then he said: I swear by friends and brave
men that four of us in company made the journey to the Prophet's
() grave, detached from world! y things, binding ourselves by a contract
not to turn to any creature or rely on any known support. We
came to the Prophet () and remained three days without anything
being granted us. So we departed till we reached al-Julfah, where we
alighted. In front of us was a group of Arabs, who sent us some
porridge. We looked at each other saying: Had we truly, belonged to
this system, nothing would have been granted us till we entered the
sanctuary. So we consumed it with water, and this was all our food
till we entered Makkah.
Look at how much reliance these people had. They did not carry
provisions, but were fine with taking people's charity. Then their
ignorance led them to think that they have attained a high status!
Abu 1Abdu'l-Ralman al-SulamI, who said: I have been told that
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