The Spiritual Kitchen: Food and Religious Teachings in a Damascene Sufi Order (Tariqa)

This article examines how a Naqshbandi Damascene Sufi Shaykh employed discourses and practices related to food and eating manners as a method for the spiritual training for his disciples. The Shaykh’s reputation was based on his Quranic as well as his phytotherapeutic knowledge, which mix combinations of medicinal herbs, teas or certain types of food for those who seek him to heal some physical/spiritual evil. The Shaykh authored a book, Human health in the light of divine nature, dealing specifically with the subject, claiming that it was written following Prophet Muhammad’s recommendations on healthy food and drink. Beyond general halal and haram classifications of food in Islam, this article shows how the connections between food, human health and God’s commands work in the construction of a specific Sufi identity.