Four Enemies

Shaykh Ahmad Ibn Amīr—may Allāh bless his soul—said:

You have four enemies:

1. Shaytan: and his weapons are a full belly, and his prison is hunger.
2. Desire: and its weapon is speech, and it is imprisoned by silence.
3. This world: whose weapon is to meet people, and it is imprisoned by retreat.
4. The self: whose weapon is sleep and it is imprisoned by sleeplessness.

Shaykh Ahmad Ibn ‘Isā az-Zarrūq—may Allāh bless his soul—commented:

“One is required to take the middle path in these four matters, and to begin with the most important. Whoever finds that hunger is more important to him, he should not eat more than he needs, and to whomever silence is more important, he should not speak except about what concerns him. Whoever finds that retreat is more important to him should not meet people, but should keep away from them. Whoever finds that sleeplessness is more valuable to him, should sleep only the amount he needs. Excess is harmful in everything. Too much hunger can spoil reflection. Too much silence can spoil wisdom. Too much sleeplessness leads to insanity, and too much retreat leads to boredom.”