Aslam

Sahal Tastari was once asked: What have done in the beginning of your religious life? He informed him about his divine services. He used to take little food. Sometimes he used to take olive fruits. He ate food for three years worth three dirhams.
Being asked about the time of meal, he said: I eat without fixing any time or quantity of food. The sage Ma'ruf Karkhi used to eat whatever food, ordinary or delicious, was presented to him. He was asked: Your brother Bashar Hafi does not eat such delicious food. He replied: My brother is in chain of Godifear and 1 opened the door of Ma'arfat. I am a guests of my Lord. I eat whatever He gives me. I have got no power to take or to reject. Hazrat Omar saw his son Abdullah enjoying clarified butter, meat and bread together. He whipped him and said; Eat meat and bread one day and clarified butter another day, and bread and curry another day, and salt another day and bare bread another day. This is the middle path for you. Constant use of meal and greasy things cause extravagance. To give up meat for all times grows the evil of miserliness. The middle course lies between the two extremes.

SECTION 6

SEXUAL PASSION: There are two benefits of sexual passion, (i) satisfaction of intercourse and (2) preservation of mankind. The pleasure that is felt in sexual intercourse between a man and his wife is a little sign of his next worldly pleasure. If it were lasting, pleasure would have been strong as physical pain inflicted by force is great. The fear of Hell fire and the greed for pleasure and happens of paradise lead a man towards guidance. If a man would not have the taste of pleasure or pain, it would not have been possible. (2)
The second benefit is preservation of mankind. But there is this danger in it that if it is not kept under control and exceeds limit his next world and this world are both destroyed. God taught us to say in this verse: O our Lord, don't inflict on us such duty as is outside our power. This power has been said to be sexual desire. God taught us to invoke: I seek refuge from the evils of night when it spreads darkness. This evil is explained by Ibn Abbas as the erection of male organ. The wise said: When the sexual organ of any man stands erect, two-third of his intellect goes away. This Prophet used to pray: I seek refute to Thee from the evils of my ears, eyes, heart, enjoyment and semen.

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y0I-III Greed and suxual passion 87