Mujaahadah

Once someone asked Hadhrat Bayazid Bustaami (Rahmatullah alaih) to describe the Mushaahadah of Allah which he experiences.

Hadhrat Bayazid let out a scream and said: “It is not befitting for you to know this (because of your inability to comprehend).”

He was then asked: “Describe the severest Mujaahadah (struggle against the Nafs) which you had engaged in against your Nafs.”

He replied: “It is not permissible to apprize you of it.”

The enquirer then said: “At least tell us of the Mujaahadah in the very initial stage when you entered this path (of Tasawwuf).”

Bayazid said: “Yes, this I shall tell you. I invited my Nafs towards Allah Ta’ala. It rebelled. I then imposed on it the punishment of abstaining from drinking water for one year and from refraining from sleep for one year.”

This was his Mujaahadah in the initial stage. From this, one can imagine the severity of the struggles of the Auliya against their Nafs in their desire to gain the Proximity of Allah Ta’ala.