Having food is not enough; it must be safe, nutritious and wholesome, and enough for everyone, which means not wasting it. Writing for Channel i Online, Farzia Hossain sets out five teachings on food security from the Quran and hadith.
The first is to eat what is lawful and good. Surah al-Baqarah (2:168) tells people to eat of what is lawful and wholesome on earth; the writer reads this as attention to quality, cleanliness and suitability as well as lawfulness.
The second is not to waste. Surah al-A'raf (7:31) says eat and drink but do not be wasteful. Taking only what is needed, storing leftovers safely and cutting waste at weddings and other gatherings follow from it, she writes.
The third is moderation. In a hadith in Jami' at-Tirmidhi (2380), the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said that a person fills no vessel worse than the stomach, and that if one must eat more, a third should be for food, a third for drink and a third for breath.
The fourth is to feed the hungry: Surah al-Insan (76:8) describes the righteous as giving food to the needy, the orphan and the captive. The fifth is responsibility towards food and the resources behind it: Surah an-Nahl (16:114) asks believers to eat of God's provision and be grateful. For the writer, that gratitude means not wasting food, respecting farmers' labour and using water, land and other natural resources wisely.
Food security needs modern science, safe production and sound policy, the piece concludes, but also public awareness, which these teachings can help build.
Photo: dates and Arabic coffee (file), Pshahma / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Source: Channel i Online
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