The Blessing of Food and the Afflication of the Starved

Today we are talking about a great blessing that some may consider simple, but it is one of the greatest blessings Allah has bestowed upon us.

It is a blessing without which life cannot proceed properly. Blessings are never mentioned without mentioning the blessing of food at the top of the list. It is a blessing that many people take lightly, but for those who lose it, it is more precious than gold and silver. It is a blessing that Allah made one of the pillars of life and made its loss a trial and a calamity. It is a blessing that we overlook, and we only realize its value when we lose it.

It is the blessing of food and drink about which Allah says what means: {Then let man look to his food, That We pour down the water, pouring (it) down in abundance, Then We cleave the earth, cleaving (it) asunder, Then We cause to grow therein the grain, And grapes and clover, And the olive and the palm, And thick gardens, And fruits and herbage, A provision for you and for your cattle.} [80: 24-32]. And He, may He Be Glorified, says: {Have you considered what you sow? Is it you that cause it to grow, or are We the causers of growth?} [56: 63-64], and Allah the Almighty says: {So let them serve the Lord of this House, Who feeds them against hunger and gives them security against fear.} [106: 3-4].

Look at our tables, how they are full, and at our refrigerators, how crowded they are. Then contemplate the conditions of our people in besieged Gaza, in famine-stricken Sudan, and in distressed Yemen. How some of them feed on tree leaves, while others go to bed without a morsel to satisfy their hungry stomachs!

How many people in this world go to bed hungry? How many mothers in Gaza, Sudan, or Yemen look into the eyes of their children, and find nothing to satisfy their hunger except tears?! In Gaza today, mothers and their children are under siege, deprived of food, medicine, and water, to the point that people are reduced to eating grass, while others eat leaves and flour mixed with dirt and blood.

In Sudan, millions of displaced and hungry people live in squalid camps lacking food and clean water, and in Yemen, some families survive on one meal a day.

Have we thanked Allah for our food and drink? Have we contemplated our daily meals, which are full and sometimes wasted?

Do we raise our children to appreciate the value of this blessing? Have we comprehended the words of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him): “Whoever among you wakes up secure in his home, healthy in his body, and has his daily sustenance, it is as if the entire world has been given to him” (Narrated by Al-Tirmidhi).

How many of us wake up secure and healthy, drink cold water, and savor various types of food, yet fail to thank Allah for these blessings, but rather despise them, waste them, and complain of boredom from the same food!

 Where are we from true gratitude? Haven't we heard the words of Allah the Almighty, which mean: { And when your Lord made it known: If you are grateful, I would certainly give to you more, and if you are ungrateful, My chastisement is truly severe.} [14: 7]

Today, famines are not only present in history, but also in our daily news, and in images that bring tears to the hearts before the eyes.

O Muslims, the righteous predecessors greatly appreciated food, and they believed that being grateful for a blessing does not consider it small, so how about when poverty, hunger, disease, and war come together?

Part of being grateful for a blessing is to protect it from being wasted, to give from it what is due to the poor, to thank Allah for it at every meal, to pray for our deprived brothers, and to refrain from extravagance in food and drink. As Allah Almighty said what means: {…and eat and drink and be not extravagant; surely He does not love the extravagant.} [7:31], and to give charity to the hungry and the destitute, as the Prophet, may Peace and Blessings of Allah be upon him, said: “Protect yourselves from the Fire, even if it is with half a date” (Narrated by Al-Bukhari).

Our duty today is to raise our children to respect food, not to throw it in the trash, and to allocate a portion of our monthly income to aid the needy, especially the besieged people of Gaza, who are experiencing a compound famine: food famine, security famine, and famine of abandonment and loss.

They are denied food and medicine, and are even bombed while they line up for food! We should increase our supplications for them in our prostrations, supplications, and private moments, and remember the saying of the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him: “He is not a believer who eats his fill while his neighbor is hungry next to him.” We should fast some of the voluntary and Sunnah fasts so that we feel the hunger that our brothers feel, for by Allah, there is no good in us if these scenes and images do not affect us. Allah the Almighty says what means, {It is) for the poor who fled their homes and their possessions, seeking grace of Allah and (His) pleasure, and assisting Allah and His Apostle: these it is that are the truthful. And those who made their abode in the city and in the faith before them love those who have fled to them, and do not find in their hearts a need of what they are given, and prefer (them) before themselves though poverty may afflict them, and whoever is preserved from the niggardliness of his soul, these it is that are the successful ones. } [59: 8-9]

O Servants of Allah, when a people are afflicted by famine, the spotlight is on the tragedy, tears of compassion flow, and images of the afflicted crowd. But has it ever occurred to us that we, too, are being tested? Yes, a different test... It is the test of victory, fulfilling our duty, and doing what is necessary.

 We have become so accustomed to food that it has become a routine, not a blessing. We eat a lot, talk a lot, and give thanks a little. Those of you who have food and complain of boredom, remember those who cannot find their daily sustenance! Those of you who blame your wife for eating too much, remember the mothers in Gaza who cook ashes!

Today, many people view food as a right, not a blessing. In fact, if one type of food is missing, they become discontented and annoyed, forgetting that there are those who sit for hours waiting for a loaf of bread, only to never find it. Reflect on the words of Allah Almighty which means: {Most surely man is ungrateful to his Lord} [100: 6]. The ungrateful is the one who counts his calamities and forgets his blessings.

 Where are we from the supplication of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him): “O Allah, make for the family of Muhammad the provision which is a bare subsistence.”? The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) sought sustenance, not abundance, because sustenance is sufficient, while abundance may make a person forgetful, arrogant, and distract him.

Today, we see in Gaza an open wound, a humanitarian tragedy witnessed by the world, yet silent. The wounded, besieged Gaza is not only dying from bombs, but is also dying of hunger, dying before the eyes and ears of the world, without a conscience being moved or a conscience being awakened.

At this moment in Gaza, people are not dying in hospitals, but on the streets, on the sidewalks, amidst the rubble, of hunger and thirst.

Children are dying in their mothers' arms, the elderly are gnawing at weeds and plants, and families are searching for flour in the garbage.

It is a true famine that does not require a technical description or a UN resolution. It is seen by the eyes and heard by every living heart.

O Muslims, the famine in Gaza is a deliberate injustice and systematic starvation. More than 100 humanitarian organizations have warned, saying: famine is knocking on the door, and has even entered homes. Yet, despite all these reports and testimonies, the dead world still hesitates to utter the word famine.

Hasn't the condition of food insecurity been met? Hasn't severe malnutrition been recorded among children? Haven't mass deaths due to hunger been documented? Where is the human conscience and moral responsibility?

O Servants of Allah, we are a nation that should not become numb to emotions, nor should we become so accustomed to scenes of tragedy that we lose all feelings. The Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said: "The believers in their mutual kindness, compassion and sympathy are just like one body. When one of the limbs suffers, the whole body responds to it with wakefulness and fever" (Narrated by Muslim).

Have we ever felt hunger as the people of Gaza do? Have we suffered because of their hunger? Have we sacrificed for them? Have we prayed for them in the dead of night that Allah would relieve their suffering?

What is happening in Gaza today is a deliberate crime, a collective punishment, in which aid is being withheld, relief centers are being bombed, and women and children are being starved. Many organizations have issued calls: Enough, enough! But the world is not listening, and the logic of politics prevails over the voice of humanity. So where do we stand in light of the words of Allah Almighty which means, {That (shall be so); and whoever respects the signs of Allah, this surely is (the outcome) of the piety of hearts.} [22: 32]? Where is the support? Where is the money? Where are the pens? Where is the supplication? Where is the jealousy?

 It is our religious duty not to let them down, and not to accept being told: The Muslims are hungry and we are full, and they are being bombed and we are silent. And Allah will ask us, for He said, {…and if they seek aid from you in the matter of religion, aid is incumbent on you.} [8:72].

O Allah, our Brothers in Gaza are hungry, so feed them. They are naked, so clothe them. They are sick, so heal them. They are besieged, so support them. O Allah, open for them the doors of mercy, facilitate for them the path of relief, and provide for them from where they do not expect. O Allah, whoever intends to harm them, turn their plot against them, and show us the wonders of Your power in them.

May Peace and Blessings of Allah be upon our Prophet Muhammad, and upon all his Family and Companions!

Author: Dr. Murad Bakhrisa

Source: Alukah Network