STYLE OF DRINKING
Our Saint ‘would at first drink a lot of water in small qualities and would feel thirsty after short interval. At the time of drinking he would thoughts in an atmosphere of tranquillity and after drinking his lips moved as if to express some thing. If ever our Saint fell thirsty would never say “bring me water” but with humility and in a pleasant tone requested his attendant, “Shall we drink water? In case the attendant, replied that he had drink water just a few moment ago he would remain silent and in case the attendant brought water to drink it. So his mode of drinking depended more on the will of attendant than on his thirst.
STYLE OF EATING
It is so difficult to explain the detail Sarkar aris’ mode of eating. Since it is incumbent children of Adam to eat our Saint perfunctorily followed but eat it very little. Since our Saint
depended on God entirely, perhaps his food from unknown quarter. Although his eating was limited, his disturbed to other has limitless. This was evidenced from his childhood days and it has also been the habit of Saint and Prophets.
So much so in addition to his sparing food habits at the age of fourteen after observing the Ramadan fasts for six more days, until he became an eternal faster. When he went on his second journey to Hijaz he would break open his fast after seven days. But when at the age of fifty, he fell sick at Shikohabad, on repeated requests he included stew in his meals which were simple ad sparing. But mostly his meal included peeled green gram or black gram cooked in spinach or wild green grown in the wheat fields Chapattis and rice. He never liked any arrangement for food as it was against his way of life. He accepted the invitation of all his devotees, irrespective of rich or poor.
Although he was stickler for time, in case his host delayed the meals and when later the host announced that food was ready he would say “yes, food is ready” “or” “you ” have come”. He would eat sitting on his haunches with his knees raised upward, and with his head covered by a portion of his tahband. Never in his life did he eat with his head uncovered.
The decorum followed by his saint during meal has a unique grandeur. Apart from the dishes cooked by his attendant the spread include dishes brought by his various devotees. The attendant would present every dish to our Saint but he had no desire for tasty meals therefore he would time and again ask the attendant, “In which dish is the dal (grams) served?” and when it was passed to him he would take one mouthful; at the same time the attendant would break a few pieces of bread and dip it in the stew, at which again our Saint merely pecked. This dish was stated by our Holly Prophet as good food and traditionally followed by Saints and scholars. He would conclude by taking a few grains of rice with broth and look at the attendant who would offer a glass of water, our Saint drank half a glass and would ask for the dishes to be taken away. But the attendant would draw his attention to the various dishes laid on the table to which he would simply taste some like taking a pinch of salt or merely touch his hand to it as form of blessing. His entire food if weighed would be five tolas (50 grams) and from 1318 Hijrah his meals taken once a while had decreased to one tola (10 grams) and later not even this.
The greatness of his table spread was that all the devotees of Deva Shereef bring their dishes and include on his table spread. Apart from these, even cooks would present their delicious dishes prepared by them as an offering. The attendant presenting the sweet would say, “This sweet was brought by Thakur Panjam Singh, this Pulao was specially prepared for you by Nawab Abdul Sukur Khan, and this Kabab was prepared by the cook of King Hussein Khan. Huzoor taste these also.” Although his habit was to eat very little, yet since his devotees had prepared the dishes with a lot of effort and love he would merely taste or touch his hand to it so as not to disappoint them.He had completely lost his sense of taste such an extent that Sarkar dipping in the sweet would comment, “The dal is cooked fine.” And tasting a few grains of the Pulao would say, “The cook is very efficient. He has cooked the Kabab well.”
Aal-e-Qutub Aal-e-Syed Abdullah Shah Ghazi 