necessities of special people are to separate from people, to get free for service, to attain the closeness to Allah عَزَّوَجَلَّ through Nawafil and to become humble.

Having heard it I said: I mean that the necessary things for eating. She asked: Which food—food for bodies or for the hearts? I then asked her to explain what she had said. She then said to me: The food for bodies is a famous meal and food whereas the food for the hearts is to stop committing sins, to overcome one’s own fault, to become blessed with the sight of the Beloved and to feel pleased with the accomplishment of the purpose, but for these things one should stop being arrogant, turn to Allah عَزَّوَجَلَّ and trust in Him completely. The maid then stood for Salah. She recited Surah Al-Baqarah in the first Rak’at, then started Surah Aal-e-‘Imran. She then kept on reciting Surahs one after another and reached the Ayah of Surah Ibraheem:

یَّتَجَرَّعُهٗ وَ لَا یَكَادُ یُسِیْغُهٗ وَ یَاْتِیْهِ الْمَوْتُ مِنْ كُلِّ مَكَانٍ وَّ مَا هُوَ بِمَیِّتٍؕ-وَ مِنْ وَّرَآىٕهٖ عَذَابٌ غَلِیْظٌ(۱۷)

Translation from Kanz-ul-Iman: He will sip it with much difficulty and there shall be no hope to swallow it, and death will approach him from every side and he will not die; and an intense punishment is after him.

(Part 13, Surah Ibraheem, Ayah 17)

Then she repeated the same Ayah tearfully until she became unconscious and fell over. When I moved her she had departed this life.

(Having narrated this parable Shaykh Shu’ayb Harifeesh رَحْمَةُ اللهِ تَعَالٰی عَلَيْه said)     سُـبْحٰـنَ الـلّٰــه عَزَّوَجَلَّ! These are the virtues of the people who wept tears of sorrow, did Zikr of Allah عَزَّوَجَلَّ and recited the Holy Quran in the night after waking up, worshipped Allah عَزَّوَجَلَّ and tried to carry out good deeds. Therefore every moment of these people is like the blessed moments of sacred Ramadan. (Hikayatayn aur Naseehatayn, pp. 90)