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Shiavault - a Vault of Shia Islamic Books A Short Treatise on The Divine Invitation Spiritual Food These examples inform us that Allāh’s (SwT) special invitation does not always concern material satisfaction. The food that Allāh (SwT) serves in the aforementioned specific invitations are spiritual. In fact in some traditions the word ‘ ta’ām ’[^1] is translated as spiritual food.

Consider the following: In chapter ‘Abasa [80:24], Almighty Allāh says: فَلْيَنْظُرِ الإِنْسَانُ إِلـى طَعَامِهِ “ Then let man look at his food. ”[^2] Under this holy verse, the Shi’ite exegete Sayyid Hāshim Bahrānī, in his Tafsīr al-Burhān quotes a tradition narrated by Thiqat al-Islam al-Kulaynī in al-Kāfi [v.1, p.39, tr.8] from Imām al-Sādiq (‘a) as follows: Zayd al-Shahhām asks Imām (‘a) what “man’s food” stands for in the verse above.

The Imām (‘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 ‘Alī Khān al-Madanī in his magnum opus, Riyād al-Sālikīn 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’ām (food) of knowledge and the sharāb (drink) of gnosis (ma’rifah).[^3]” ‘Allāmah Majlisī 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…[^4]” 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”[^5] be that by drinking[^6] or otherwise.

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