-Serving Love:

The truly virtuous are they who… give food — however great be their want of it — unto the needy, the orphan, and the captive, saying, in their hearts, “We feed you for the sake of God alone: we desire no recompense from you, nor thanks: behold, we stand in awe of our Sustainer…”

One of the traditional roles of the dervish lodge was as community kitchen and hostel, providing food and shelter for the poor and for travelers. Many early Sufis were “sons of the road,” wandering during the warm season, and relying on the grace of God and the spontaneous generosity of fellow Sufis for shelter and sustenance. Followers of other faiths also could count on such generosity, with no questions asked about their religion.

A steaming bowl of Turkish soup, or çorba (chor-ba’), accompanied by fresh, crusty bread is like a warm hug from mom. In Turkey,during the holy month of Ramadan, the daily fast is always broken with dades , soup, and  fresh bread, – light fare that is easy on the stomach after a day of fasting.

“What we will take from  this world is just a piece of bread, a loaf. With that Man is sated. Gets satisfied. If the whole world  was his, with one bowl of soup, my effendi, he would be full.”

Shaykh Muhammad Nazim Al-Haqqani An-Naqshibandi,  Sohba of the 31st of August, 2013.  Lefke – Cyprus