The Sunnah of Feeding the Poor and Needy
Hazrat Khadeejah (RA) offered all her vast wealth to the Holy Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, after they married. Holy Prophet Muhammadﷺ did not take this money for himself but in fact only accepted it to serve the Islamic mission and in care of the poor and needy in society. The immediate difficulty of the most vulnerable in society was a lack of food; thus, the Holy Prophet ﷺ exerted his efforts in feeding all the poor people as a great act of charity.
Feeding people is one of the greatest Sunnahs, blessed practices, of the Holy Prophet Muhammad ﷺ and has immense blessings for the one who receives and the one who provides. This is the reason why the Garden of Blessings offers a facility for the provision of food for visitors. People are able to arrange this with our team on request. Some families choose to have us provide food on the day of the funeral or arrange this as an act of general charity at various times in the year, including on the anniversary of the passing of their loved one or other occasions to feed visitors of this site of worship.
The Virtue of Feeding Others – Hadith Evidence
Holy Prophet Muhammad ﷺ tells us:
‘Allah Almighty, Mighty and Sublime be He, will say on the Day of Resurrection […]: “O son of Adam, I asked you for food and you did not feed Me”. Man will say: “O Lord, how can I feed You when You are the Lord of the worlds?” Allah Almighty will say: “Did you not know that My servant so-and-so asked you for food and you did not feed him? Did you not know that had you fed him you surely would have found that (the reward for doing so) with Me?” ′ [Sahih Muslim]
Benefits of Giving Food in Charity
Giving food to people has many benefits, including:
- Feeding the creation of Allah Almighty when they are hungry and in need of sustenance
- Encouraging people to worship Allah Almighty when food is distributed as part of religious ceremonies, worship and festivities
- Bringing communities together
- Being in the company of righteous people and encouraging people towards goodness
- Inspiring people to be more charitable and giving
Holy Prophet Muhammad ﷺ tells us:
‘Worship Ar Rahman, feed others, spread the (greeting of) peace, then you will enter Paradise with security’. [Jami Tirmidhi]
Isaal Al Sawaab – Feeding as Charity for the Deceased
Holy Prophet Muhammad ﷺ taught us a very beautiful process of charity that we can perform as a gift to those people who have passed away. This process is known as Isaal Al Sawaab’, which means the transfer of blessings or reward to another and is something Muslims regularly do by feeding others. Feeding is a great form of Sadaqah (charity), and this can be an effective way of presenting reward to the deceased, allowing them to continue to receive benefit from our actions.
Rewards in the Grave Through Charity
The reward of these charitable actions is received in the grave of the deceased, and some scholars say that this comes in the form of light. If somebody is receiving punishment in their grave for any reason, then this transferred reward helps alleviate those punishments for them. Continuous charitable acts of Isaal Al Sawaab will continue to reduce the punishment in the grave. If somebody is comfortable and at peace in their grave, the rewards presented serve to only increase their good rank in the afterlife.
A Place of Worship, Charity, and Community Support
The Garden of Blessings is pleased to be a place where people can be fed, communities can come together and the deceased can benefit from the good intentions and charitable actions of their loved ones.