These examples inform us that Allah’s (SwT) special invitation does not always concern material satisfaction. The food that Allah (SwT) serves in the aforementioned specific invitations are spiritual. In fact in some traditions the word ‘ta’am’1 is translated as spiritual food. Consider the following:

In chapter ‘Abasa, the Almighty Allah says:

فَلْيَنْظُرِ الإِنْسَانُ إِلـى طَعَامِهِ

“Then let man look at his food” (Holy Qur’an, 80:24).

Under this holy verse, the Shi’ite exegete Sayyid Hashim Bahrani, in his Tafsir al-Burhan quotes a tradition narrated by Thiqat al-Islam al-Kulayni in al-Kafi [v.1, p.39, tr.8] from Imam al-Sadiq (‘a) as follows:

Zayd al-Shahham asks Imam (‘a) what “man’s food” stands for in the verse above. The Imam (‘a) responds saying:

عِلْمُهُ الَّذِي يأْخُذُهُ عَمَّنْ يَأْخُذُهُ.

“It refers to the knowledge that he acquires, and its source.”

The Holy Prophet (S) is reported to have said:

أَبِيتُ عِنْدَ رَبِّي، يُطْعِمُنِي وَيَسْـقِيـنِي.

“I spend the night near my Lord, and He feeds me and quenches my thirst.”

Commenting on this prophetic tradition, Sayyid ‘Ali Khan al-Madani in his magnum opus, Riyad al-Salikin says:

ومعلوم أنّ طعامه (صلّى اللّه عليه وآله) عند ربّه ليس من جنس أطعمة الحيوانات اللحميّة، ولا شرابه من جنس هذه الأشربة، وإنّما المراد طعام العلم وشراب المعرفة.

“And it is known that the Prophet’s food near his Lord is not of the kind of animal food, nor is his drink like the drinks that we see before us. Indeed, what is meant here is only the ta’am (food) of knowledge and the sharab (drink) of gnosis (ma’rifah).2”

‘Allamah Majlisi also, commenting on this tradition says in his Oceans of Lights:

...ولا شك أن ذلك الشراب ليس إلا عبارة عن المعرفة و المحبة والإستنارة بأنوار عالم الغيب...

“…and undoubtedly that drink is nothing but Divine gnosis, love, and seeking illumination through the lights of the hidden realm…3”

The infinitive noun ‘shurb’ also, which is commonly translated as ‘drinking’ does not literally mean ‘to drink’. Drinking is only a material extension of ‘shurb’- which literally denotes “to convey to one’s inside”4 be that by drinking5 or otherwise.

The Holy Qur’an for example, uses shurb for the polytheists who inclined to the worship of a cow after Prophet Musa (‘a) went to be the special guest of Allah (SwT), in the following way:

وَأُشْرِبُوا فِي قُلُوبِهِمُ الْعِجْلَ بِكُفْرِهِمْ

“…and their hearts had been imbued with [the love of] the Calf, due to their faithlessness” (Holy Qur’an, 2:93).

Observe that the word ‘ushribu’ is employed which does not connote any kind of material intake of drink.

Imam al-Sajjad (‘a) in his supplication against Satan says:

أَللٌّهُمَّ وَ أَشْرِبْ قُلُوبَنَا إِنْكَارَ عَمَلِهِ وَالْطُفْ لَنَا فِي نَقْضِ حِيَلِهِ.

“O Allah, saturate our hearts with the rejection of his works and be gentle to us by destroying his stratagems!6”

And in his supplication of ‘Arafah he (‘a) says:

وَأَشْرِبْ قَلْبِي عِنْدَ ذُهُولِ الْعُقُولِ طَاعَتَكَ.

“Drench my heart with Your obedience when intellects are distracted…7”

And Imam ‘Ali (‘a) is reported to have said:

إِنَّ لِلٌّهِ تَعَالـى شَرَابًا لأَوْلِيَائِهِ إِذَا شَرِبُوا (مِنْهُ) سَكِرُوا، وَإِذَا سَكِرُوا طَرِبُوا، وَإِذَا طَرِبُوا طَابُوا، وَإِذَا طَابُوا ذَابُوا، وَإِذَا ذَابُوا خَلَصُوا، وَإِذَا خَلَصُوا طَلَبُوا، وَإِذَا طَلَبُوا وَجَدُوا، وَإِذَا وَجَدُوا وَصَلُوا، وَإِذَا وَصَلُوا اتَّصَلُوا، وَإِذَا اتَّصَلُوا لاَ فَرْقَ بَيْنَهُمْ وَبَيْنَ حَبِيـبِهِمْ.

“Indeed Allah has a wine for His friends, which if they drink, they get intoxicated, and when they get intoxicated, they get overjoyed, and when they get overjoyed they get pleasant, and when they get pleasant, they melt down, and when they melt down, they get pure, and when they get pure, they seek, and when they seek, they find, and when they find they reach, and when they reach, they unite, and when they unite there is no difference between them and their lover.8”

• 1. The verb ta‘ima literally stands for ‘he tasted’.
• 2. Riyad al-Salikin, vol. 1, pg. 280.
• 3. Bihar al-Anwar, vol. 6, pg. 208.
• 4. al-Tahqiq fi Kalimat al-Qur’an al-Karim, vol. 6, pg. 30.
• 5. EW Lane, EW Lane Arabic-English Lexicon, see under the root word shin ra ba.
• 6. Imam al-Sajjad (‘a), Sahifat al-Sajjadiyyah (Eng. Edition), sup. 17, pg. 63.
• 7. Imam al-Sajjad (‘a), Sahifat al-Sajjadiyyah (Eng. Edition), sup. 47, pg. 185.
• 8. This tradition has been narrated by many authorities in mysticism such as Mulla Hadi Sabzawari in his Sharh al-Asma’ (pg. 534), Ayatullah Hasan Zadeh Amuli in his Nur ‘ala Nur (pg. 89), Mawla Naraqi in his Jami‘ al-Sa‘adat (vol. 3, pg. 152).