«اللَّهُمَّ إِلَّا أَنْ تَقِدَ نَارُ الْجُوعِ وَتَحُولَ دُونَ الْهُجُوعِ»
Unless the fire of hunger blazes up and keeps one from sleeping.
Taqida means to kindle or blaze; al-jūʿ is hunger; taḥūla dūna means to stand in the way; and al-hujūʿ is sleep.
The exception matters. He distinguishes genuine hunger from an unnecessarily elaborate meal. The language of “hunger’s fire” turns an ordinary practical distinction into vivid imagery.
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The Kūfan Maqāmah: The Guest’s Condition and Abū Zayd Revealed
«اللَّهُمَّ إِلَّا أَنْ تَقِدَ نَارُ الْجُوعِ وَتَحُولَ دُونَ الْهُجُوعِ»
Unless the fire of hunger blazes up and keeps one from sleeping.
Taqida means to kindle or blaze; al-jūʿ is hunger; taḥūla dūna means to stand in the way; and al-hujūʿ is sleep.
The exception matters. He distinguishes genuine hunger from an unnecessarily elaborate meal. The language of “hunger’s fire” turns an ordinary practical distinction into vivid imagery.