He Who Fed Them Against Hunger

He Who Fed Them Against Hunger

I bear witness that Muhammad is His servant and Messenger.

Especially in the Muslim land, and especially in Gaza. May Allah make it easy for the people of Gaza.

Moments of Gratitude and Reflection

Every Muslim, every faithful Muslim should pause. Should pause and think and reflect on two important things. These are moments of gratitude and reflection.

Ask yourself the question: Are we truly thankful to Allah for the blessings of safety in our homes? Are we truly grateful to Allah for the food? Do we appreciate the food that is laid before us when we eat together as one family? Are we grateful to Allah for these blessings?

Brothers and sisters, as I was reflecting on this, سبحان الله, and thinking about the khutbah — sitting here, الحمد لله, with ease, with safety, listening to the beautiful adhan, in your beautiful masjid, in a beautiful gathering where you find so much peace and tranquility that many of our brothers and sisters in Gaza are lacking right now. You're not worrying about anything as you sit down here right now, other than maybe a parking ticket outside if you parked illegally.

What kind of worry is that? In comparison to people that don't even know if they're going to survive until the end of the day. Or if they're going to have a chance for the next day — to wake up when they go to sleep at night. What kind of situation the world has become, my dear brothers and sisters.

The Two Essential Blessings: Safety and Food

The two blessings that many people don't have — are we appreciating these ni'mah? Just these two blessings: safety at home and food right in front of you.

Allah speaking about the greatest ni'mah — some of the greatest favors and blessings He had bestowed upon people. Can you even imagine? When you think about society, when you think about a community, when you think about a village, when you think about a city — how do these cities survive? How do these villages thrive? How does the whole world move forward? Unless they've been secured in these two areas. How do you expect the world today to survive under these circumstances, when people are now lacking safety in their homes, and also don't even know if the economy is going to stand strong enough for the next day to have food?

Allah mentioned His favors upon the people of Mecca, the Quraysh. He said:

Two things He said: Let them appreciate — "I gave them safety when the entire Arabian Peninsula, people were killing each other. I gave them safety because of their status that was established for them in Mecca — being the guardians of the sacred house of Allah, people did not dare challenge the people of Quraysh."

And He fed them in an area — in a valley that Allah described in the Quran with the words of Ibrahim, peace be upon him — a valley that is completely barren. A dead valley. No vegetation. No fruitful trees would grow there. How did they survive? They safely traveled south and traveled north. In the summer they go north, in the winter they go south. And with these trades, they gained so much. And they felt safe, because when people know that this caravan belongs to the people of Mecca, no one dares to attack.

He said: "I gave you food. I gave you safety." These ni'mat, dear brothers and sisters, are important.

The Hadith of the Three Blessings

Rasulullah ﷺ, expounding on this matter, says in the hadith:

(Sunan al-Tirmidhi, Hadith 2346)

Like — you wake up, الحمد لله, you don't have anything to worry about. You're going to be going to have your coffee, have your breakfast, and get ready for the day. You have nothing to worry about. You feel healthy in your body. You're able to wake up and get out of your bed. You went to the bathroom. You washed. You took a shower. Maybe you exercised. You felt safe at home. You felt الحمد لله healthy in your body. You did not worry about breakfast for that day. You knew that when you opened the fridge, الحمد لله, you have enough. You knew, when you woke up, that you're not going to worry about a meal for the day.

The Prophet ﷺ said: this person is as if the whole world has been gathered for them. Like Allah has given you all the world — whatever you need. Everything extra is excess, it's not necessary anymore.

What's the point if you have all the treasures of the world, but you don't have safety and you don't have food for the day? What's the point of that? You're willing to sacrifice everything for that — for a meal.

Brothers and sisters, we have these ni'mah in our hands. And Allah made it very clear that these two blessings — safety and provision — are the very foundation of human well-being.

Playing God: A Reminder from the Story of Nimrod

This is not a luxury issue for the people of Gaza. We talk about food in a political context — "They deserve to get it in. No, they don't deserve it. Who's going to take it? Who's not?" سبحان الله — we have made human life a game for politicians to mess with and play with. When Allah made these two ni'mah — these two blessings — essential for human rights. Who are they to act like God and speak on behalf of God like this?

This reminds me of Nimrod, that tyrant. When Ibrahim, peace be upon him, stood before him, and he asked him: "Who is your Lord? Who is your God that you're talking about, that you're preaching about?" He said: "My Lord is the one who gives life and death." This man arrogantly said: "I can do that." He brought two prisoners — killed one, spared the other — and said: "You see, I give life and death."

Ibrahim could have argued with him and said: "The one you just killed — can you bring him back to life?" But he didn't want to go that route with him. He said: "Well, God brings the sun from the east all these generations. Can you bring it from the west?" That kafir just could not say anything after that.

Today, there are people playing with the lives of hundreds of thousands — millions of people around the world, and specifically in Gaza right now. They want to act like a Nimrod: "I feed and I deprive. I give and I take back." But we know what happened to Nimrod. Allah finished his life in the most despicable way, because he was so arrogant. And Allah turned just an insect against him to finish his life.

Jannah: Where These Blessings Are Eternal

Brothers and sisters, these two ni'mah are not a luxury. These are essentials. This is human nature. We need all these things. We cannot survive, we cannot do anything if we don't have these basic needs. And even today in psychology — Maslow's pyramid of needs — it starts with this. If you're not secure in the basic human needs, the physical needs, then safety and well-being.

سبحان الله — Allah spoke about these as blessings that are also a reward for people in Jannah. What is so special about Jannah in terms of this ni'mah and blessing in comparison to the dunya? Of course there is no comparison to begin with. But if you look at one particular area — in this dunya, you might be safe today, you might not be safe tomorrow. One moment you're safe, the next moment you're scared, you're anxious, you're always worrying. There's always something to worry about in this dunya. Even if you become rich, you're worried about losing that wealth and going back to poverty.

In Jannah, Allah says:

The food is perpetual — which means, don't worry about it. It's not bound by a season. Every time, every second, every moment, that food is there available. وَظِلُّهَا — and the shade is also perpetual. What does that mean? Safety. So you have the safety of food and the emotional safety that you have in Jannah. الحمد لله — that shade will always be there. You're never going to be deprived of that blessing that Allah blessed you with.

The Prophet ﷺ says that these are rewards in Jannah. And for that reason, Allah is giving us the taste of this in this dunya. It is a human need and it is a human right. That's not something to mess with, يا جماعة.

When Allah Punishes with Hunger and Fear

Allah, when He punishes people, what did He say about them?

About the rebellious nations, He said: so Allah made them taste the garb of hunger and fear after they were secure and had everything. But they disobeyed Allah. Allah showed them what it means to remove their basic needs — the very things they had been surviving off.

The Virtue of Feeding Others

Brothers and sisters, Allah, as a result of that, highlighted and praised those who provide this for the people. He praised them and made it one of the keys to Jannah — to be among those who are charitable and giving. He said:

He said: they give food, in spite of their love for it. Like — I love the money I have in my hand. I love that food. However, they give it. They give it to the needy despite their love for it. They still give it to the needy, the orphan, and the captive. They're charitable. They know, الحمد لله, I can pay $100 for this meal — but I'm going to go with $50 and give the other $50 to charity. I want to share that food with others who don't have it.

The Sin of Discouraging Others from Feeding the Poor

Allah did not just speak about those who deny the needy. He even spoke about those who deny others from giving to the needy. Allah, speaking about those of Jahannam, says: Take him, throw him in chains and throw him into Jahannam. Let him burn. Tie him in chains seventy arms long. Why? Why did they end up in Jahannam?

Because they did not believe in Allah, the Greatest. And — وَلَا يَحُضُّ عَلَىٰ طَعَامِ الْمِسْكِينِ — nor encouraged the feeding of the poor. سبحان الله. He didn't say they did not feed the poor. No — they did not encourage; which means they discouraged others. Like what is happening these days. Unfortunately, some political entities and so-called countries surrounding the area of crisis in Gaza are depriving even food from reaching the people who need it the most — so much so that some individuals, out of desperation, are putting food in plastic bottles and throwing them in the waters, hoping to do their part to deliver something to them.

Surah Al-Ma'un: Denying the Basics

Brothers and sisters, in Surah Al-Ma'un, Allah says the same thing as well:

Do you know the one who denies the deen? He is the one who pushes away the orphans, and also discourages others from giving to the needy and the poor. That is a blessing that not so many of us appreciate enough. But when we see what is happening there, we realize the value of this.

A Call to Action: Remember, Give, and Respond

Brothers and sisters, I want you to remember this today, بإذن الله. Appreciate these ni'mah. After this salah, you're going to be, إن شاء الله, walking safely, going home, going to work, knowing that you will end your day with a meal, maybe with your family and your friends. Appreciate that ni'mah.

But when you do that, remember — there are others who don't even have that basic human need being taken care of. Remember them. Whether with a donation, with a du'a, with a statement, with a push — someone you know who can make a big difference — in whichever capacity, do it. May Allah remove at least the liability from us for not being there for them.

We have so much power in our hands that we are not exercising, my dear brothers and sisters. Unfortunately, we're too busy with this dunya — we have just left this in the hands of those few people who are making the decisions and choices for the people of Gaza. May Allah forgive us our shortcomings, يا رب العالمين. And may Allah make it easy for them, يا الله, and break the blockade against them, يا رب العالمين.

Second Khutbah: The Prophet's ﷺ Response to Suffering

الحمد لله رب العالمين، صلى الله وسلم وبارك على نبينا محمد وعلى آله وصحبه وسلم تسليمًا كثيرًا، أما بعد.

My dear brothers and sisters, in a time like ours, it's not easy to feel safe. You should be agitated knowing that some people — somewhere on earth — your brothers and sisters are being deprived of the basic human need.

One day, the Prophet ﷺ was sitting in the masjid with the sahabah. A group — a tribe from Mudar — came from the desert. They came during a time of famine, with no food, and they were almost dying. Their condition — half naked, barefooted — you could even see their ribcages, سبحان الله, they were so hungry.

When the Prophet ﷺ saw that, his face turned pale and changed. And the Prophet ﷺ was the most smiling person ever. When his face changed, he was agitated by what he saw. Why? Because — how could this possibly happen under my watch?

So what did he do ﷺ? He went, he stepped out, and came back again. He was stressed, he wanted to solve the problem. He came back again, and Bilal called the adhan outside of the regular prayer time — which means an urgent matter. They all came to the masjid, the iqamah was called, they prayed two rak'ah, and then the Prophet ﷺ gave them a khutbah:

(Sahih Muslim, Hadith 1017)

"Let the people give from their money, from their wealth, from their food, from their clothes." And in no time, a pile of good things came before him ﷺ — food and clothes. His face began to shine ﷺ.

Brothers and sisters, for a single tribe — maybe not even a hundred people — the Prophet ﷺ mobilized the entire ummah for them. And the whole ummah responded immediately. We are talking about 1.6 billion Muslims in the world today. And unfortunately, not so many people are responding to that call. May Allah make us among those who respond, يا رب العالمين.