Feeding the poor and the vulnerable in Ramadan

 Gratitude is due alone to Allah (SWT) who again spared our lives till this day in 1439AH to observe another Ramadan fast. In Nigeria, today is the third day in this year’s Ramadan.The month of Ramadan is one unique opportunity by which Muslims do not only strengthen their spiritual ties with the Creator of the Heavens and the earth but also renew the bond of brotherhood among themselves.

Pubic feeding of the poor and the needy in Ramadan which is an aspect of spending in the way of Allah is generally exhorted in Islam. It is called Iftar Jama’i in Islamic literature. Informing us about the inestimable reward for every act of charity, Allah (SWT) states in Qur’an 2:261 that “The parable of those who spend their substance in the way of Allah is that of a grain of corn; it grows seven ears and each ear hath a hundred grains. Allah gives manifold increase to whom He pleaseth; and Allah careth for all and he knows all things”. 

Anyone who feeds a fasting believer in Ramadan receives the same reward given to the individual that was fed without reducing anything from the reward of the person(s) fed. For instance, if you feed 10 persons who are fasting in a day, you are due to receive a reward equivalent to the reward given to 10 persons that fasted on that day. This is besides the reward that accrues to you if you also fasted on that day. This is one difference between feeding others in Ramadan and in other months of the Islamic lunar calendar. Let us therefore take advantage of this ‘promo’ which is exclusive to the month of Ramadan. And as we may have learned, fasting as an act of worship is so revered that Allah (SWT) said fasting is for Him, and He (not the angels), gives the reward for it.

Nonetheless, this handsome reward is only assured if the financier of the feeding remains sincere, modest and God-fearing in his act of charity or feeding others. The feeding, for example, must be for the sake of Allah (SWT) and not for any cheap political or worldly gains. Also, the act of feeding must not be followed by public references or reminders intended to bring the good deed to public knowledge. Yet, the act of feeding others must, by no means, cause anger or discomfort to the person or group that was fed. The spirit of charity is destroyed when the benefactor of a public feeding arrangement tells the beneficiaries that his benevolence brought them relief in the hour of need. This is sheer hypocrisy. 

The reward for feeding others in Ramadan is jeopardized when the financier verbally humiliates the beneficiaries. Allah (SWT) cautions us in Qur’an 2:264 and states “O ye who believe! Cancel not your charity by reminders of your generosity or by injury like those who spend their substance to be seen of men…” The essence of charity including feeding the poor, needy and the vulnerable is sure to be preserved if the giver turns a blind eye to the predicaments of the receiver(s). The sanctity of any act of charity is further protected when the left hand of the giver does not know when the right hand gave out alms. 

To feed a person or group during Ramadan or carry out any other acts of charity in order to be seen of men is actually no charity. If anything, it is false charity. Such is metaphorically compared to a hard rock on which a little soil had fallen by chance. When rain which benefits soil falls, it will simply wash away the little soil and leave the rock as bare, as it were. The lesson here is that sponsors of hypocritical charity derive no benefits from the wealth they may have amassed.

Allah (SWT) likens genuine feeding of the poor and sincere charity to a farm with fertile soil that is further matched with abundant showers of rain. Favourable weather conditions and the moistures that penetrate the soil all add up to increase the yield from the farm. Allah (SWT) mentions in Qur’an 2:265 “And the likeness of those who spend their substance seeking to please Allah and to strengthen their souls is as a garden, high and fertile; heavy rain falls on it but makes it yield a double increase of harvest; and if it receives not heavy rain, light moisture sufficeth it. Allah seeth well whatever ye do” This implies that a Muslim who is sincere in his acts of charity is spiritually healthy and best situated to attract the bounties of Allah (SWT). Even in hard times, such a person still puts forth good works of charity and remains content with what he has. 

The act of feeding the poor and the needy in Ramadan could be carried out directly by the financier or indirectly through mosques where formal arrangements for such public feeding in Ramadan exist. Some mosques have even developed the system further by defining what it costs in naira and kobo to feed a person or 10 persons or 15 persons so that interested financiers would only be required to pay the amount it costs to feed the number of persons they choose. 

As some state governments announce various sums they have appropriated for public feeding of the poor and the vulnerable including Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) during this Ramadan, we appeal to those put in charge of the arrangements to fear Allah (SWT) in coordinating the public feeding. The food items should not end up in the houses of officials entrusted with the food items. Neither should the raw foods supplied for the exercisefind their way to retailers’ shops in various markets.

According to the Sunnah of the Prophet (SAW), charity including feeding of the poor is a strong instrument of salvation from illnesses and a means to averting calamities. The Prophet (SAW) exhorts us to in one of his sayings to treat the sick among us with alms. As we engage in feeding the poor, the needy, IDPs, orphans and widows in this Ramadan, we pray that Allah (SWT) will deliver us from all our national challenges and personal worries including insurgency, kidnappings, armed robbery, illnesses, abject poverty and unemployment, amin.