However when a person's stomach is full...

However when a person's stomach is full, his mind does not work properly and thus, one even becomes spiritually far away from Allah (SwT). Maybe you yourselves have noticed that during the Month of Ramadhan, the people's hearts are more willing and ready to hear advice and exhortation since through staying hungry and fasting in the day time, the hearts have developed a sense of purity in them. Looking at Others: What is the meaning of the word نظر” “ in this tradition?

One is that of looking at a non-Mahram which can lead a person to take his lower desires as his Lord. However this word has a much wider and deeper meaning than just this. By this we mean that any sort of look with the eyes which can lead a person's lower desires to get excited, may be included in the meaning of this word in the tradition under review.

For example: a person passes by a store and while staring with astonishment at the things he sees in the window, he wishes for them and says to himself, “Oh! If only I had those things!” Or a person sees the newest model of car that has come out and has the desire that he had that car. This sort of looking at something and having that longing and desire that he had such a thing can lead to negligence and forgetfulness (of Allah (SwT)).

It is these sorts of wishes that make a person attracted and attached to this temporal world. However the look which is done to take lessons and learn, and which is purely a “religious look” or that look which is for example done to help and reach out to a poor, destitute person or a person who is sick so as to help and cure him is a look that is very highly recommend and has been emphatically emphasized (in our religion).

“Everything that is in the world which is heard about (that people say) is greater than what can be seen of it (greater than it truly is).” [^2] As it is commonly stated, “The sound of the kettledrum is pleasing to hear from afar.” From a great distance, the sound of such a drum is nice and pleasing however as a person gets closer and closer to it, he will then realize that it is a flimsy, empty thing which actually hurts the ears!