HARAAM FOOD AND SHAITAAN
People were highly praising a young aabid (worshipper) who was engrossed in rigorous spiritual exercises and experiences. Hadhrat Ibraahim Bin Adham (rahmatullah alayh) asked to be taken to the aabid. On arrival at the home of the aabid he invited Ibraahim Bin Adham to be his guest for three days. Initially,
Hadhrat Ibraahim was highly impressed by the young aabid’s apparent lofty spiritual stage. He was constantly experiencing some spiritual state of ecstasy.
However, something about the aabid was disconcerting to Hadhrat Ibraahim Bin Adham. He closely watched the aabid and discovered that the food he was consuming was not halaal. He then exclaimed: "Allaahu Akbar! This is the influence and manip ulation of shaitaan." He invited the aabid to be his guest for three days.
At the home of Hadhrat Ibraahim, the young man partook of the food. Immediately thereafter he experienced that he was undergoing a transformation. His earlier state of spiritual ecstasy had disappeared. In consternation, he cried: "What have you done to me?" Ibraahim said: "Relax! Your food was not halaal. Along with the ingestion of haraam food, Shaitaan would enter your body. He freely entered and left your body as he chose. Now that halaal food has entered your body, Shaitaan has been thwarted. He cannot gain entry into your body. The basis of taqwa is halaal food."
When haraam and mushtabah food is consumed, Shaitaan manipulates the thinking, actions and the body of man. It is therefore of utmost importance to ensure that what goes into the body is halaal and tayyib.
