Giving Food in Surah Al-Insan (No.76):


This is a good gesture of Allah's Mercy to Mention giving food in a Surah that is entitled "Al-Insan". Allah The Exalted Says (what means): {And they give food in spite of love for it to the needy, the orphan, and the captive…} [Quran 76:8]


Ibn ‘Abbas  may  Allah  be  pleased  with  him and Mujahid  may  Allah  have  mercy  upon  him 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!


Allah The Exalted Says (what means): {Or feeding on a day of severe hunger…} [Quran 90:14]


An-Nakha‘i  may  Allah  have  mercy  upon  him commented on this verse saying, "They feed the hungry at times when food is not ample."


Mohammed ibn Al-Munkadir  may  Allah  have  mercy  upon  him said, "Feeding hungry Muslims guarantees the forgiveness of sins."


He  may  Allah  have  mercy  upon  him 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 Allah  sallallaahu  `alayhi  wa  sallam ( may  Allah exalt his mention ). Abu Moosa Al-Ash‘ari, may Allah be pleased with him, reported that the Prophet  sallallaahu  `alayhi  wa  sallam ( may  Allah exalt his mention ) said: "Feed the hungry, pay a visit to the sick and free the captives." [Saheeh] A reported saying reads, "The best charity is to satisfy a hungry person." Alas, a Muslim may sit at an Iftar table with delicious and tasty dishes while his neighbors break their fast with a few morsels of food, if they can be found!


Our righteous predecessors  may  Allah  have  mercy  upon  them 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 not an essential condition in this regard. The Messenger of Allah  sallallaahu  `alayhi  wa  sallam ( may  Allah exalt his mention ) 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  may  Allah  have  mercy  upon  them 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 Isma‘eel  may  Allah  exalt  his  mention (i.e. Arabs)."


Abu As-Siwar Al-‘Adawi  may  Allah  have  mercy  upon  him 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  sallallaahu  `alayhi  wa  sallam ( may  Allah exalt his mention ) 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 of righteous people and hoping for the rewards of Allah The Almighty in offering them food as they gain strength to perform acts of worship.


Food Baskets:


Some righteous predecessors  may  Allah  have  mercy  upon  them used to send their friends a basket full of sugar or other such food.


Yunus ibn ‘Ubayd Yahdi  may  Allah  have  mercy  upon  them said, "I gave a basket of sugar to Al-Hasan Al-Basri  may  Allah  have  mercy  upon  him 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."


Benefits and wisdom of the individual and social Zakah are as follows:


1- Perfecting and completing the Islam of a slave because it is one of the pillars of Islam. So, if one does it, his Islam will be complete and perfect. There is absolutely no doubt that this is a great aim for every Muslim individual. Actually, every Muslim individual seeks to complete his religion.


2- It is proof of the truthfulness of the faith of he who gives Zakah. This is because money is loved by souls and what is loved cannot be sacrificed except in return for something similar to or more beloved than it. Therefore, it is called Sadaqah (i.e. charity) for it indicates the truthfulness of the request of its payer for the Pleasure of Allah The Almighty.


3 It purifies the morals of the payer of Zakah. It disassociates him from the group of misers and includes him in the group of the generous. This is because if one used to give, be it knowledge, money or honor, then giving will become natural for him to the extent that he may feel sad on a day in which he does not give anything.


Such as the hunter who used to hunt. If he delays his hunt on a specific day, he feels sad. The same thing applies to the one who gets himself accustomed to being generous. He feels sad when a day passes by without giving out money, honor or benefit.


4- It expands the breast with assurance and gladdens the heart. This is because if one gives something, especially money, he will feel an assurance in his breast. This is something that is tested and tried, providing that his giving should be done with complete generosity and pleasure. His sacrifice should not dwell in his heart (with regret and displeasure).


Sheykh Ibn Al-Qayyim  may  Allah  have  mercy  upon  him mentioned in his renowned book 'Zad Al-Ma‘ad' that giving and generosity are included in the causes of expanding the heart with assurance. However, no one can achieve this benefit except one who gives with generosity and pleasure. The money leaves his heart before it leaves his hand. However, the one whose money leaves his hand while his heart is still attached to it will not benefit from giving.


5- It makes one reach the rank of the perfect believer. The Prophet  sallallaahu  `alayhi  wa  sallam ( may  Allah exalt his mention ) said: “None of you truly believes until he loves for his brother what he loves for himself.” [Muslim] So, as one loves to be given money to satisfy his needs, he should also love to give it to his brother. By doing so, one will have perfect faith.


6- It is one of the causes of entering Paradise. This is because Paradise is for “those who use soft speech, spread the greeting of Islam, feed people and spend the night in voluntary prayer while the people are asleep.” [Ahmad and At-Tirmithi] All of us earnestly seek to enter Paradise.


7- It makes the Islamic society a single family in which the strong helps the weak and the rich helps the poor. One will feel that he has brothers to whom he has to do good as Allah The Almighty has done good to him. Allah The Almighty Says (what means): {And do good as Allah has done good to you.} [Quran 28: 77] Thus, the Islamic nation will be as one family. This is what the later scholars called social solidarity. Zakah is the best thing that can achieve this because one fulfills with it an obligation and benefits his fellows.


8- It extinguishes the fire of the revolution of the poor. This is because the poor are vexed to find someone who rides in whatever he desires (of luxurious modes of transportation), lives in whatever palace he wishes and eats whatever he likes. All this, while (the poor bystander) can only use his (own) legs, does not sleep except on the ground and the like. There is no doubt that he will find something (of an ill feeling) in his heart. However, if the rich give to the poor, this will extinguish their feeling for revolution, calm down their anger and make them say: “We have brothers that take care of us in difficult times” and thus they will love the rich.”


9- It prevents financial crimes such as robbery and stealing. This is because the poor will receive what satisfies their needs and so they will excuse the rich for they give them from their wealth. They give them one quarter of one-tenth (i.e. 2.5 percent) on gold, silver and trade goods, one-tenth or one-half of one-tenth on grains and fruits and a great percentage on flocks. Thus, they will see that they are treating them well and will not transgress against them.


10- Salvation from the intense heat of the Day of Resurrection. The Prophet  sallallaahu  `alayhi  wa  sallam ( may  Allah exalt his mention ) said: “Every man will be in the shade of his charity on the Day of Resurrection.” [Ahmad]


Furthermore, he  sallallaahu  `alayhi  wa  sallam ( may  Allah exalt his mention ) said regarding the seven categories of people whom Allah The Almighty will shade with the shade He Creates on the day when there will be no shade but His: “A man who gives in charity so secretly that his left hand does not know what his right hand spends;” [Al-Bukhari and Muslim]


11- It makes one know the limits and rulings of Allah The Almighty because one will not fulfill Zakah unless he knows its rulings, properties, Nisabs (i.e. the minimum amounts liable for Zakah), its recipients and other such matters that the need calls for.


12- It purifies and increases wealth, meaning that, if one gives charity on his wealth, then this will protect it from blight and Allah The Almighty may Increase his provision due to this charity. Therefore, it is mentioned in the Hadeeth: “Wealth does not decrease because of charity.” [Muslim]


It is clearly witnessed that the wealth of a miser may be afflicted with what may destroy it or the most of it due to fire, a great loss or diseases that force him to seek treatment that consume great amounts of his wealth.


13- It is one of the causes of the downfall of goodness. It is mentioned in the Hadeeth: “No people ever withhold the Zakah of their wealth but rain is withheld from the sky.” [Ibn Majah and Al-Hakim]


14- “Charity given in secret extinguishes the wrath of The Lord,” as was authentically narrated from the Messenger  sallallaahu  `alayhi  wa  sallam ( may  Allah exalt his mention ). [At-Tirmithi and Ibn Hiban]


15 - “It wards off an unpleasant death.” [At-Tirmithi and Ahmad]


16 - “It wrestles with a calamity that comes down from the heavens and prevents it from reaching earth.” [At-Tabarani]


17 – It expiates sins. The Messenger  sallallaahu  `alayhi  wa  sallam ( may  Allah exalt his mention ) said: “Charity extinguishes sins as water extinguishes fire.” [Ahmad, At-Tirmithi and An-Nasaa’i]


Zakah is the most important pillar of Islam after Prayer. The word “Zakah” means both ‘purification’ and ‘growth’; so, our possessions are purified by setting aside a proportion for those in need. The obligatory nature of Zakah is firmly established in the Quran, the Sunnah, the consensus of the Prophet’s  sallallaahu  `alayhi  wa  sallam ( may  Allah exalt his mention ) Companions  may  Allah  be  pleased  with  them and the Muslim scholars  may  Allah  have  mercy  upon  them  

One of the most important principles of Islam is that all things belong to Allah, and that wealth is therefore held by human beings in trust. Allah also has set limits and restrictions on how to dispose of our wealth in order to strike a balance in the Muslim society. Allah Almighty promised those who fulfill this duty a great reward in this world and the Hereafter, and whosoever doesn’t fulfill it is sternly warned of the grave consequences.


Zakah on plants, fruits and grains


Plants and fruits are included in the types subject to Zakat. Allah Says (what means): “O you who believed, spend from the good things which you have earned and from that which We have produced for you from the earth...”  [Quran 2: 267] And (what means): “…and give its due [Zakah] on the day of its harvest…" [Quran 6: 141]


Allah also Says (what means): “And He it is who causes gardens to grow, [both] trellised and untrellised, and palm trees and crops of different [kinds of] food and olives and pomegranates, similar and dissimilar. Eat of [each of] its fruit when it yields and give its due [zakah] on the day of its harvest. And be not excessive. Indeed, He does not like those who commit excess.” [Quran 6: 141]


The Prophet  sallallaahu  `alayhi  wa  sallam ( may  Allah exalt his mention ) enjoined Zakah on the agricultural yield as shown in a Hadeeth narrated by Muslim  may  Allah  have  mercy  upon  him: "A tenth is payable on what is watered by rivers, or rains, and a twentieth on what is watered by camels."


Types subject to Zakah:


The scholars agree that Zakah is obligatory on wheat, barley, dates and raisins, almonds and pistachios. There is, however, disagreement over whether or not all other types of agricultural yield are exempted.


The majority of the scholars  may  Allah  have  mercy  upon  them hold the view that all types of agricultural yield (except vegetables and fresh fruits) which can be stored, or used as regular food, or dried, and are planted by human beings, are subject to Zakah. 


 As for fresh fruits and vegetables, nothing is confirmed from the Messenger of Allah  sallallaahu  `alayhi  wa  sallam ( may  Allah exalt his mention ) concerning their Zakah. However, it is still recommended to give something from them to the poor and the neighbors due to the generality of Allah's statement (which means): "And spend of the good things you have earned and from what we brought out for you from the earth." [Quran 2: 267]


Nisab of the Zakah:


Nisab is an Arabic word which technically (i.e. in Islamic jurisprudential terminology) refers to the minimum amount of wealth on which Zakah is legitimately levied.


Most scholars say that there is no Zakah due on plants or fruits until they attain the amount of five Wasaqs. Five Wasaqs equal, according to the majority of scholars, 651.4 kg. The Prophet  sallallaahu  `alayhi  wa  sallam ( may  Allah exalt his mention ) said: "No Zakah is payable in less than five Wasaqs of dates or grain." [Muslim]


The time for paying Zakah:


Zakah of agricultural products is due as soon as they are harvested. So, it is not permissible to delay giving out the Zakah after the harvest of the crops. Allah Says (what means): “… and give its due [Zakah] on the day of its harvest…”[Quran 6: 141]


Zakah is due on plants when the grains mature and are ready to be rubbed off and on the fruit when it is ripened. In the case of dates, for example, the indication will be their brightness or red color, and with grapes their sweetness. Zakah on the grains is only due after removing the dust, husk, straw and chaff. However, Zakah on fruits is due at the time of harvesting. It is sinful for the owner to dispose of anything before paying Zakah.


If the farmer sold his grain after it had matured, and the fruit after it had ripened, then its Zakah should be paid by him and not the buyer. This is because the obligation to pay Zakah became due when the produce was still in the owner's possession. On the other hand, if the owner sold his harvest before it ripens, Zakat should be paid out by the buyer.


The passage of a year (i.e. possession of property for one complete lunar year) is not a condition for paying Zakah on plants and fruits. It is to be paid once only even if the rest of this kind of property is kept, or not spent, in many years. 


Combining different kinds of grains and fruits to complete the Nisab:


The scholars  may  Allah  have  mercy  upon  them agree that the different types of one product (e.g. different types of dates) may be added together to complete the Nisab. But Zakah is to be paid out from each type separately. Likewise, if there are different grades or qualities, Zakat is to be paid out from each grade, or from the medium (i.e. not the best nor the worst). Thus, different kinds of raisins may also be combined together, and so can the various kinds of wheat and cereals.


Regarding combining various categories of grains, the scholars  may  Allah  have  mercy  upon  them have different views. The predominant opinion is that no two things can be combined together to complete the Nisab. The Nisab must be considered on every category by itself. Therefore, barley cannot be added to wheat, and this is also applicable to dates, raisins, chickpeas and lentils. However, as we have mentioned above, different types of wheat can be combined together because all of them belong to the same category.


The Rate of Zakah:


The rate of Zakah differs according to the method of irrigation. If it is watered naturally without the use of artificial means, then the due Zakah is 10 % of the harvest. However, if it is irrigated by machinery or with purchased water, then the Zakah payable is 5 % of the harvest.


Ibn 'Umar  may  Allah  be  pleased  with  him reported that the Prophet  sallallaahu  `alayhi  wa  sallam ( may  Allah exalt his mention ) said: "On that which is watered by the heavens (i.e. rain) or springs or its own roots, 10 % of the harvest is due, and on that which is watered by a well or a stream (i.e. purchased water), 5 % of the harvest." [Al-Bukhari and others]


In case the land is watered equally by artificial as well as natural means, then Zakah payable will be 7.5 % of the crop.


All of the costs involved in harvesting, transportation, threshing, cleaning, storing, and others should be deducted before Zakah is paid.


Ibn 'Abbas and Ibn 'Umar  may  Allah  be  pleased  with  them hold that whatever is borrowed for the purpose of tilling, planting, and harvesting should first be taken out. [Yahyaa Ibn Aadam related this in Al-Kharaaj]