Storing Food Without Giving to the Needy
📖Sahih Muslim 1605
Ma’mar ibn Abdullah reported: The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said, “Whoever hoards food is a sinner.
- This hadith emphasizes that collecting or hoarding food without sharing it with those in need is a sin.
- A person who stores wealth or food for selfish reasons while others are hungry is neglecting the responsibility Allah has placed upon them.
- Being stingy with basic provisions hurts others and reflects arrogance or greed, which are condemned in Islam.
- Hoarding violates the principle of charity, fairness, and social responsibility.
- Why it makes a person a sinner:
- Denying others sustenance while having plenty goes against Allah’s commands of helping the needy.
- It shows disregard for the rights of others, greed, and lack of empathy, which Allah forbids.
- Islam encourages believers to spend in charity and help those in need, making generosity a moral and spiritual obligation.
Examples of correcting this behavior:
- Share excess food with neighbors, the poor, or travelers.
- Donate part of your harvest or stored food to charity.
- Avoid keeping more than necessary while others are in need.
- Practice moderation in storage and ensure others benefit from your provisions.
Quranic Context
📖Quran 107:1-3
Have you seen the one who denies the Recompense?
For that is the one who drives away the orphan
And does not encourage the feeding of the poor.
📖Quran 2:177
Righteousness is not that you turn your faces toward the east or the west, but [true] righteousness is in one who … gives wealth, in spite of love for it, to relatives, orphans, the needy, the traveler …
📖Quran 107:7
So woe to those who pray
But are heedless of feeding the poor.