بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
8/7/1439
The Means of attaining Barakah in Food Part 1
Meaning of Barakah:
Ibn Mandhoor said in Lisaan
Al-'Arab, "Al-Barakah is growth and Increase."
Al-'Manawi said in Faid
Al-Qadar, on the authority of ar-Raaghib who said, "Al-Barakah is the
continuance of divine goodness in something. This is derived from the
motionlessness of water in the well. The Mubarak is a person who has good in him."
An-Nawawi (Rahimahullah) said, "Blessed food
is food by which nourishment is attained, whose end is safe from harm, and
which strengthens one upon obedience to Allah." [Sharh Muslim by an-Nawawi]
Accordingly, the blessing
of food means its growth and increased benefit to the body, its prevention of
harm to the body, and its strengthening the person on obedience to Allah.
Barakah is the goal to be
attained by everything; from wealth, children, food, etc. There is no good in
anything whose Barakah is removed.
The Food of the Muslim
Ibn Mandhoor said,
"Food is a comprehensive name for everything that is eaten."
Al-Mulla 'Ali al-Qari said
in Mirqat Al-Mafateeh in explanation of Mishkat al-Masabeeh, "It also
includes what is taken as a drink."
The Means of attaining
Barakah in Food
The Sunnah of the Prophet (Salla-Allaahu 'alayhi wa
sallam)
has explained specific means
of attaining the Barakah of food in detail, after taking the general means
which have clearly been mentioned in the Qur'an;- Belief in Allah and righteous
deeds.
Allah says in Surat
al-A'raf [7:96]:
"And if the people of the towns had believed and had the Taqwa (piety), certainly, We should have opened for them blessings from the heaven and the earth, but they belied (the Messengers). So We took them (with punishment) for what they used to earn (polytheism and crimes, etc.)."
#1 - Measuring or Weighing
the Foodstuff
Narrated Al-Miqdam Ibn
Ma'dikarib al-Kindi that the Prophet (Salla-Allaahu 'alayhi wa sallam) said, "Measure your
foodstuff and you will be blessed." [Al-Bukhari #2128]
Ibn Battal (Rahimahullah) said, "Measuring is
desirable on what one spends on his family (dependants). The Hadeeth means:
Weigh your foodstuff with a known measurement to be sufficient for the period
that you determine. [Fat'h-Ul-Baari]
Al-Mulla Qari said that
al-Mudhhar said, "The purpose behind weighing foodstuff is to know the
amount that man needs to take as a loan and to sell and buy. If he does not
measure, then what he sells or buys is unknown and this is impermissible. Also,
if he does not measure what he spends on his family, it might be less than what
suffices them hence it will cause harm to them, or it could be more than what
suffices them and he will not know what he will store for the whole year.
Therefore, the Messenger of Allah (Salla-Allaahu 'alayhi wa
sallam) commanded us to weigh the
food in order to be aware and sure. And whoever takes the Sunnah of the
Messenger of Allah (Salla-Allaahu 'alayhi wa sallam) into consideration will
surely find great Barakah in this world and great reward in the
Hereafter."
Bear in mind that there is
no contradiction between this Hadeeth and the Hadeeth reported by 'Aisha (Radia-Allaahu'anha) when she said, "The
Prophet (Salla-Allaahu 'alayhi wa sallam) died and there was nothing in my
house that a living being could eat, except some barley lying on a shelf. So, I
ate of it for a long period. And I measured it and (after a short period) it
was consumed."
Ibn Hajar (Rahimahullah) said in Al-Fath, "It is apparent to me
that the Hadeeth of al-Miqdam is referring to foodstuff which is bought. The
Barakah is attained in it by measuring it, carrying out the command of the
Law-Maker (Allah and His Messenger). If one does not carry out the command
regarding it by weighing it, the Barakah will be removed and this is due to the
evil consequences of disobedience. The Hadeeth of 'Aisha (Radia-Allaahu'anha) on the other hand refers to
weighing the food that she had at home to examine it, therefore it diminished.
And Allah knows best."
Al-Mulla Qaadri said in
Al-Mirqaat, "Weighing at the time of selling and buying is commanded with
in order to establish justice, and in doing so there is Barakah and
goodness."
Whereas at the time of
spending the food, counting and checking it is forbidden. The Prophet (Salla-Allaahu 'alayhi wa
sallam)
told Bilal, "O Bilal!
Spend in charity and do not fear any diminishment from the Owner of Majesty
(Allah)" [Authenticated by Al-Albani in Saheeh at-Targheeb #921]
It was narrated that Abu
Umamah bin Sahl Ibn Hunaif said, "One day we were sitting in the Masjid
with a group of the Muhajireen and Ansar. We sent a man to 'Aisha (Radia-Allaahu'anha) to ask permission to come
to her. She said, 'A beggar came to me one day when the Messenger of Allah (Salla-Allaahu 'alayhi wa
sallam)
was present, and I ordered that he be given
something, then I called for it and looked at it. The Messenger of Allah (Salla-Allaahu 'alayhi wa
sallam)
said, 'Do you want that
nothing should enter or leave your house without your knowledge?' I said,
'Yes.' He said, 'Don't be hasty, O 'Aisha. Do not count what you give;
otherwise Allah will count what He gives you." [Authenticated by Al-Albani
in Saheeh an-Nasaa'i #2549]
In another narration from
Asma bint Abu Bakr (Radia-Allaahu'anhuma) that she came to the Prophet (Salla-Allaahu 'alayhi wa
sallam)
and said, "O Prophet of Allah, I do not
have anything but that which az-Zubair brings to me. Is there any sin on me if
I give a small amount of that which he brings to me?" He (Salla-Allaahu 'alayhi wa
sallam)
said, "Give whatever
you have, and do not withhold what you have, lest Allah withhold provision from
you." [Authenticated by Al-Albani in Saheeh An-Nasaa'i #2551]
Shaikh Ibn 'Othaimeen (Rahimahullah) said in his commentary on
the Hadeeth of 'Aisha (Radia-Allaahu'anha) in the Book of Ar-Riqaq in
Saheeh al-Bukhari: As for the Hadeeth of 'Aisha in which she said, 'So, I ate
of it for a long period and measured it, and (after a short period) it was
consumed' it is an indication that if a person measures a things and begins
noticing whether it increased or decreased, then its Barakah (blessings) will
be removed. Therefore, the Prophet (Salla-Allaahu 'alayhi wa sallam) said to 'Aisha, 'Do not count
what you give, lest Allah will count what He gives to you.' Meaning, do not
determine things, otherwise Allah will deal with you according to what you
determine. If one entrusts the matter to Allah and eats from it till it
finishes, that is more blessed for him, and this is something that has been
tried. [End Quote]
Shaikh 'Abdul-Kareem
al-Khudair said regarding the Hadeeth of
'Aisha: If we look at the barley which was with 'Aisha (Radia-Allaahu'anha), she ate from it for a
long period of time. But when she measured it, it finished. This indicates that
the matter had Barakah when there was no checking, careful examination,
nor waiting for when it would finish. Undoubtedly, such an action is more
deserving of attaining Barakah. However, when she weighed the barley and knew
its amount, it finished. [End Quote]
Based on the aforementioned
statements of the 'Ulama, there are three states of food:
First: At the time of buying the
food
At this time, it is
compulsory to weigh foodstuff in order to maintain rights. Barakah is hence
attained by carrying out the command of the Law-Maker.
Second: When the foodstuff is
stored at home
One should neither weigh,
nor observe, nor examine as to whether it has increased or decreased, for the
Barakah will then be removed from it. One should rather leave it, putting his
trust in Allah and relying on Him to put Barakah in it.
Third: When one takes from the
foodstuff which is stored to cook from it or spend from it on his family.
He should weigh or measure
it, based on the general statement of the Prophet (Salla-Allaahu 'alayhi wa
sallam), "Measure your
foodstuff and you will be blessed." and in order that the Muslim should
not be extravagant in what he cooks, such that he cooks more than what suffices
the family, nor niggardly, such that it will not be sufficient. Rather, he
takes the suitable amount for his state. This is what people nowadays follow
when they say, "We used two kilos of such and such with two eggs in order
to bake a cake", for example.
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