Giving Food

Giving food in Surah Al-Insaan (No.76):
This is a good gesture of Allaah's Mercy to Mention giving food in a
Surah that is entitled "Al-Insaan".Allaah The Exalted Says (what
means): {And they give food in spite of love for it to the needy, the
orphan, and the captive…} [76:8]
Ibn 'Abbaas and Mujaahid said, "This verse denotes that they feed the
needy, the orphan and the captive despite the scarcity of food and
their need and love for it."
What about you and your food?
How great a deed is feeding the hungry in our time!
Allaah The Exalted Says (what means): {Or feeding on a day of severe
hunger…} [90:14]
An-Nakha'i commented on this verse saying, "They feed the hungry at
times when food is notample."
Mohammed ibn Al-Munkadir said, "Feeding hungry Muslims guarantees the
forgiveness of sins."
He also said on another occasion: "Feeding the hungry and saying kind
words to others usher you to Paradise."
Dear brother and sister, you may notice how our days - in some Muslim
countries - have turned into days of severe hunger. Food has become
scarce and meat has also become scarce as well as being too expensive
for the poor.
What about you, dear readers? What about your food?
An explicit command:
Feeding people in general and a hungry person in particular has been
explicitly mentioned in the command of the Messenger of Allaah . Abu
Moosa Al-Ash'ari reported that the Prophet said: "Feed the hungry, pay
a visit to the sick and free ree the captives." [Saheeh] A reported
saying reads, "The best charity is to satisfy a hungry person." Alas,
a Muslim may sit at an Iftaar table with delicious and tasty dishes
while his neighbors break their fast with a few morsels of food, if
they can be found!
The Righteous Predecessors :
Our righteous predecessors were keen to feed people and favored this
act of worship over many others, whether it was for a hungry poor
person or feeding a righteous Muslim. Poverty is notan essential
condition in this regard. The Messenger of Allaah said: "O people!
Spread the Islamic greetings amongst yourselves, feed the hungry,
maintain kinship relations, observe prayer at night while people are
asleep and you will peacefully enter the Paradise." [Saheeh]
Some of the righteous predecessors said, "It is better for me to
invite ten of my friends and feed them delicious food that they like
than freeing ten slaves from the children of Ismaa'eel (i.e. Arabs)."
Abu As-Siwaar Al-'Adawi said, "Some men from the 'Uday tribe used to
pray in this mosque and none of them would break his fast alone. If
one found someone to eat with, he would eat. If he could not find
someone to eat with, he would take his food and go to the mosque to
share it with the people in the mosque."
Fruits of Feeding the Hungry:
The act of worship of feeding the hungry gives rise to many other acts
of worship such as showing affection towards one's fellow Muslims whom
he feeds and this can be a reason for him being granted Paradise. The
Prophet said: "You shall not enter Paradise as long as you do not
affirm belief (in all those things which are the articles of faith)
and you will not believe as long as you do not love one another."
[Muslim]
It also gives rise to (the act of worship) being in the company
ofrighteous people and hoping for the rewards of Allaah The Almighty
in offering them food asthey gain strength to perform acts of worship.
Food baskets:
Some righteous predecessors used to send their friends abasket full of
sugar or other such food.
Yunus ibn 'Ubayd Yahdi said, "I gave a basket of sugar to Al-Hasan
Al-Basri as a gift and I have not seen any sugar better than this one.
He opened the basket and said to his companions, "Eat and enjoy." -
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