قَالَ أَمِيرُ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ ع عَشَاءُ الْأَنْبِيَاءِ ع بَعْدَ الْعَتَمَةِ فَلَا تَدَعُوهُ فَإِنَّ تَرْكَ الْعَشَاءِ خَرَابُ الْبَدَنِ.
“Abu ‘ Abd Allah (a.s.), has said that ’Amir al-Mu’minin has said, ’Dinner of the Prophets is after al-’Atmah (the time of late evening Salat (prayer)); so you must not ignore dinner because ignoring it leads to neglecting the body.”’
أَصْلُ خَرَابِ الْبَدَنِ تَرْكُ الْعَشَاءِ.
’The origin of the ruination of body is in ignoring dinner.’”
تَرْكُ الْعَشَاءِ مَهْرَمَةٌ[2] وَ يَنْبَغِي لِلرَّجُلِ إِذَا أَسَنَّ أَلَّا يَبِيتَ إِلَّا وَ جَوْفُهُ مُمْتَلِئٌ مِنَ الطَّعَامِ.
3. Ali ibn Ibrahim has narrated from his father from Ibn Abi ‘Umayr from Jamil ibn Salih who has said the following: “Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), has said, ’Neglecting dinner is senility, thus it is necessary for an aged man to go to sleep when his stomach is full of food.’”
إِذَا اكْتَهَلَ الرَّجُلُ فَلَا يَدَعُ أَنْ يَأْكُلَ بِاللَّيْلِ شَيْئاً فَإِنَّهُ أَهْدَى لِلنَّوْمِ وَ أَطْيَبُ لِلنَّكْهَةِ.
“Abu al-Hassan, al-Rida’ (a.s.), has said, ‘When a man becomes old he must not neglect eating something during the night; it brings peaceful sleep and nicer breath.’”
كَانَ أَبُو الْحَسَنِ ع لَا يَدَعُ الْعَشَاءَ وَ لَوْ بِكَعْكَةٍ[3] وَ كَانَ يَقُولُ ع إِنَّهُ قُوَّةٌ لِلْجِسْمِ وَ قَالَ وَ لَا أَعْلَمُهُ إِلَّا قَالَ وَ صَالِحٌ لِلْجِمَاعِ.
“Abu al-Hassan (a.s.), would not neglect dinner even if it was one cookie; and he (the Imam) would say, ‘Neglecting dinner is ruination of the body.’ He (the narrator) has said, ‘I am not certain perhaps he (the Imam) said that it is helpful in going to bed with one’s wife.’”
سَمِعْتُ أَبَا عَبْدِ اللَّهِ ع يَقُولُ لَا خَيْرَ لِمَنْ دَخَلَ فِي السِّنِّ أَنْ يَبِيتَ خَفِيفاً بَلْ يَبِيتُ مُمْتَلِياً خَيْرٌ لَهُ.
‘It is not good for one of old age to spend the night very light, instead it is better for him to pass the night with full stomach.’”
تَعَشَّيْتُ مَعَ أَبِي عَبْدِ اللَّهِ ع فَقَالَ الْعَشَاءُ بَعْدَ الْعِشَاءِ الْآخِرَةِ عَشَاءُ النَّبِيِّينَ ع.
“I once took dinner with abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), and he said, ‘Dinner after ‘ Isha ’ al- Akhirah (time of late evening Salat (prayer)) is like the dinner of the prophets, ‘Alayhim al-Salam.”’
سَمِعْتُ أَبَا عَبْدِ اللَّهِ ع يَقُولُ مَنْ تَرَكَ الْعَشَاءَ لَيْلَةَ السَّبْتِ وَ لَيْلَةَ الْأَحَدِ مُتَوَالِيَتَيْنِ ذَهَبَتْ عَنْهُ قُوَّتُهُ فَلَمْ تَرْجِعْ إِلَيْهِ أَرْبَعِينَ يَوْماً.
“I once heard abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), saying, ‘If one does not take dinner one Saturday and Sunday nights consecutively, his strength will go away and will not come back until forty days later.’”
الشَّيْخُ لَا يَدَعُ الْعَشَاءَ وَ لَوْ بِلُقْمَةٍ.
“Abu ‘ Abd Allah (a.s.), has said, ‘An old man must not neglect dinner even if it is one morsel.”’
قَالَ: مَا تَقُولُ أَطِبَّاؤُكُمْ فِي عَشَاءِ اللَّيْلِ قُلْتُ إِنَّهُمْ يَنْهَوْنَّا عَنْهُ قَالَ لَكِنِّي آمُرُكُمْ بِهِ.
“Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), once asked me, ‘What do your physicians say about dinner?’ I replied, ‘They prohibit taking dinner.’ He (the Imam) said, ‘I however, command you to take dinner.’”
طَعَامُ اللَّيْلِ أَنْفَعُ مِنْ طَعَامِ النَّهَارِ.
“Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), has said, ‘Food during the night is more useful than food during the day.’”
قَالَ: إِنَّ فِي الْجَسَدِ عِرْقاً يُقَالُ لَهُ الْعَشَاءُ فَإِنْ تَرَكَ الرَّجُلُ الْعَشَاءَ لَمْ يَزَلْ يَدْعُو عَلَيْهِ ذَلِكَ الْعِرْقُ إِلَى أَنْ يُصْبِحَ يَقُولُ أَجَاعَكَ اللَّهُ كَمَا أَجَعْتَنِي وَ أَظْمَأَكَ اللَّهُ كَمَا أَظْمَأْتَنِي فَلَا يَدَعَنَّ أَحَدُكُمُ الْعَشَاءَ وَ لَوْ بِلُقْمَةٍ مِنْ خُبْزٍ أَوْ شَرْبَةٍ مِنْ مَاءٍ[2].
“Al-Rida’ (a.s.), has said, ‘In the body there is a vein called ‘Isha’. If one does not take dinner, it continues praying against him until morning; and it says, ‘May Allah make you hungry just as you kept me hungry, and may Allah make you thirsty just as you kept me thirsty.’ No one of you must neglect taking dinner,