Hunger Awareness
| Khatib : |
Sadullah Khan |
| Khutbah No: |
200 |
| Khutbah Date: |
06/02/06 |
[b]لِلْفُقَرَاء الَّذِينَ أُحصِرُواْ فِي سَبِيلِ اللّهِ لاَ يَسْتَطِيعُونَ ضَرْبًا فِي الأَرْضِ[/b][b]يَحْسَبُهُمُ الْجَاهِلُ أَغْنِيَاء مِنَ التَّعَفُّفِ تَعْرِفُهُم بِسِيمَاهُمْ لاَ يَسْأَلُونَ النَّاسَ إِلْحَافًا[/b][b]وَمَا تُنفِقُواْ مِنْ خَيْرٍ فَإِنَّ اللّهَ بِهِ عَلِيمٌ[/b][i]One who is unaware of the circumstances of (some of the poor) supposes them to be self-sufficient because of their dignified bearing, but you will know them by their countenance, although they do not go about begging of people with importunity. And whatever wealth you will spend on helping them, Allah will know of it. [/i][b] [Q 2:273] [/b]Global SituationIn this week as many in this country participate in events pertaining to Hunger Awareness Day (First Tuesday of June, June 6th); we are led to reflect on the grim reality facing the human race…Hunger, poverty, and homelessness are sources of desperation in all parts of the world. Most victims of these social ills are found in developing countries. Consider these statistics from the United Nations Development Program (UNDP):Worldwide:- nearly 800 million people do not get enough food- half a billion people suffer from some form of malnutrition, 250 million ofthese are children of preschool age- The United Nations reports that each year, 15 to 20 million people die of hunger-related causes, including diseases brought on by lowered resistance due to malnutrition. Of every four of these, three are children. Over 40% of all deaths in poor countries occur among children under five years of age. The United Nations (UNICEF) states that 17 million children died last year from preventable diseases; one every two seconds, 40 000 a day.
Recent DisasterThis past week, a major earthquake occurred in the most populated Muslim land (Indonesia). Over 5 000 people lost their lives, over 100 000 were injured and over half a million lost their homes. These outbursts of nature are reminders to all humanity that we have no control over the planet we inhabit. Each disaster serves the purpose of reminding humankind of its inherent weaknesses, reminds us of our enduring vulnerability in the face of nature; making us realize that neither wealth nor authority, neither science nor technology has any power to resist the forces greater than ourselves.All this is a challenge to us; the greatest of which is, how we respond in the face of such challenges. We therefore have to respond to Allah’s call for helping the distressed.
Life ~ A Test of Faith and an Opportunity for Goodwill.How many times have we recited [i]Surah Al-Maun [/i][b][Quran: 107] [/b]?It is short, easy, and we've probably had it memorized since we were children. But we often miss its message of
feeding the hungry as an expression of our faith in God. People are possessed by their possessions. They think that they are worth more than others, not by what they are, but by what they own. Many become selfish and heedless.
[b]كَلَّا بَل لَّا تُكْرِمُونَ الْيَتِيمَ وَلَا تَحَاضُّونَ عَلَى طَعَامِ الْمِسْكِينِ[/b][b]وَتَأْكُلُونَ التُّرَاثَ أَكْلًا لَّمًّا وَتُحِبُّونَ الْمَالَ حُبًّا جَمًّا[/b][i]No! But you show no kindness to the orphan, nor do you vie with each other in the feeding the destitute. Greedily you lay your hands on the inheritance of the weak, and you love riches with all your hearts.[/i][b][Q 89:20][/b]We need to evolve our consciousness to the level where we wish for others what we desire most for ourselves
[b]لَن تَنَالُواْ الْبِرَّ حَتَّى تُنفِقُواْ مِمَّا تُحِبُّونَ [/b][i] "None of you can attain unto righteousness until you avail for others of [/i][b] [Qur'an 3:92] [/b][b]Note the advice of the Prophet …[/b]
[b]خلُقان يُحبُهُمَا الله ، و خلقان يُبغِضُهُمَا الله ؛[/b][b]فأما اللذان يحبهما الله ، فالسخاء و الشَجاعة ؛[/b][b]فأما اللذان يبغضهما الله ، فسوءُ الخلُق ِو البُخلُ .[/b][i]Allah loves two human qualities and dislikes two;The two qualities Allah loves are generosity and courage:The two qualities Allah dislikes are bad character and miserliness.
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