Spiritual Maturity Coming Through Education Based On Ascetic Discipline

Sufism has peculiar methods to educate man. Ascetic discipline (riyazet) is one of these educational methods. Riyazet means to strive against the human lower self (nefs), which is regarded as the sources of all kinds of evil distracting man from the path of God and common sense. Riyazet aims at invalidating the power of sensual desires of the nefs. In order to be successful in this undertaking and to reach spiritual maturity, man is to educate his nefs, through a series of ascetic disciplines, including putting certain restrictions on his eating-drinking habits, speaking time and quality, and on his sleeping time.