Prophetic Diet (Peace Be Upon Him): Verses on Food in the Quran

Asalam alaykum, MashAllah Allahumma Barik, we made it to Day Seven of Ramadan! I hope that the days and nights are filled with worship, good deeds and your duas and fasts are accepted. Today I am continuing the Prophetic Model of the Diet of the Prophet (Peace be Upon him) by breaking down some of the verses that relate to the Sunnah and how the Prophet used to eat, show his gratitude and viewed food while he was alive. These are some of the verses we studied and researched!

Surah Khaf, verse 19: 

And similarly, We awakened them that they might question one another. Said a speaker from among them, "How long have you remained [here]?" They said, "We have remained a day or part of a day." They said, "Your Lord is most knowing of how long you remained. So send one of you with this silver coin of yours to the city and let him look to which is the best of food and bring you provision from it and let him be cautious. And let no one be aware of you.

In the halaqa where we were discussing these verses, we talked about how the story of the dwellers of the cave, the young people who were sleeping for 309 years. The first matter they discussed when they awakened was how long they had been asleep for, and when someone suggested it was a day or part of the day,  the others told them "Your Lord is most knowing of how long you have remained." Which is another way of saying Alahoo Alam, an Arabic phrase meaning Allah Knows Best,  Muslims say when we are not sure about a matter. 

The other lesson we talked about concerning the verse was the fact that once they awakened the first thing they asked for was pure, halal and the best of food. Now not to stereotype all young people, but the reason that this was just a beautiful request is because normally these days young people do not eat the healthiest of foods. Which I don't blame people for, greasy, salty, and sugary junk food is definitely easier to obtain when you are a broke college student budget. And so for a young person to want and ask for the purest and best food show us that this is an example to follow, to ask for and look for the best of food if we are able to afford and obtain it. The best of food is food that comes from the Earth, fruits and vegetables are best for us bodies that give us the energy and strength we need to function.

An-Nahl, Verse 114-115

Then eat of what Allah has provided for you [which is] lawful and good. And be grateful for the favor of Allah, if it is [indeed] Him that you worship.

He has only forbidden to you dead animals, blood, the flesh of swine, and that which has been dedicated to other than Allah . But whoever is forced [by necessity], neither desiring [it] nor transgressing [its limit] - then indeed, Allah is Forgiving and Merciful.

If you look at the Arabic words in the first verse, the words used are halal and Tayiban, halal referring to foods that are lawful or permissible for you to eat. Tayiban, I looked up the meaning, is referring to foods that are good, pleasant, agreeable for you. We also discussed in halaqa that halal can mean that we buy from sources where the animals are killed humanely, that your income is also coming from permissible sources that you are using to purchase the food you eat. Is it also meant by foods that are good or pleasant is choosing foods that are clean and good for your body to ingest.

The second verse says that Allah has not forbidden much for us, eating dead animals raw, blood or pig meat aka pork. Also it says anything that has been dedicated to other people or things that someone may worship instead of Allah alone. So if someone kills animals in the name of Buddha, Jesus Christ or any other than God alone, it would be forbidden for us to consume. But the verse mentions after that , that if we are forced or have no choice, Allah is the forgiving and if He wills he will forgive us for which is out of our control.

Surah Abasa, 24-32

Then let mankind look at his food -, How We poured down water in torrents, Then We broke open the earth, splitting [it with sprouts], And caused to grow within it grain, And grapes and herbage, And olive and palm trees, And gardens of dense shrubbery, And fruit and grass -, [As] enjoyment for you and your grazing livestock.

I loved these verses because the first verse in itself tells us look at your food, not just literally stare at it, but contemplate and consider where it came from before it ended up on your plate. What were the conditions and treatment of the animal before it was killed? What kinds of processes did the fruits or vegetables or grain have to go through before it reached the final stage? What chemicals or pesticides were used on the food, is it organic and free from harmful substances?

Most of us go to the local grocery store to buy whatever food items we like or use often but do we stop to think about what it took for the farmers or workers to create this product for us? Some people are perfectly fine not knowing about who created their food or what it went through before it came packaged to the store. But Islam teaches us to reflect, to research and understand the unknown, including food, which is important because this is something we are consuming and putting into our bodies, which has been entrusted for us to take care of.

I am vegetarian and the main reason for that being once I did look into the meat and dairy industry and how the animals were treated before they were in the slaughterhouse and what ways they did kill them. It made me disgusted and turned off to wanting to eating meat. Now I am not the type of person to tell someone else who to live their life and I understand people don't like to watch the videos of the animals in their last moments of life because it grosses them out, but I would encourage you to visit farms and learn more about different food companies and the process of certain foods from start to finish.

Lastly I liked that this verse was telling us also how Allah caused water to come down to the Earth, how it was split open with the sprouts and caused forth to grow grain, grapes, herbs, olive oil, fruit and grass, which is needed for both humans and the livestock to eat. So it is also a blessing for us to contemplate the variety of foods Allah has provided for us and the ways in which they start from a sprout to a fully grown grain, fruit or vegetable.

Surah Qurayash, 4:

Who has fed them, [saving them] from hunger and made them safe, [saving them] from fear.

So in order to understand the meaning of this verse, we had to do some digging, to understand the context of what they are talking about. This is one of the shorter Surahs which Alhumdilah I am able to read easily but I did not know because I am not fluent in Arabic and did not look much into the translation of the verses what it meant. This Surah talks about how the Qurayash tribe experienced hardship, that Allah provided them with security in the harshness of winter and in the summer. That Allah fed them but did not give them an abundance, He gave them what they needed, which teaches them and us that we do not always need too much of something, especially food.

The Prophet (Peace Be Upon him) did not overeat, did not eat too much to the point of him feeling lazy or sick, he ate only when he was hungry and ate enough to keep his back straight. I think as a community we could definitely learn to only take what we need and how this can help us stop wasting food. That too much food can lead to having food related diseases due to the high amount and the types of food we consume. 

Surah Ya-Sin, 33-35

And a sign for them is the dead earth. We have brought it to life and brought forth from it grain, and from it they eat.

And We placed therein gardens of palm trees and grapevines and caused to burst forth therefrom some springs -

That they may eat of His fruit. And their hands have not produced it, so will they not be grateful?

When you study these verses, it is basically talking about the processes of food, how it starts from the dead Earth aka dirt and dust, and how when Allah brings it to life and adds the water, sun, air and the other things needed for the food to go from a seed to the necessary fruit, vegetable or grain for is to eat. So these verses say, when you look how the food goes from Point A to Point B, the process is not quick and we do not think much about it unless we have firsthand had a garden or had something we planted and watched it grow. So how can we deny that this is a sign from Allah and not be grateful that Allah created this sustenance for us to survive. 

Surah A'raf, 31

O children of Adam, take your adornment at every masjid, and eat and drink, but be not excessive. Indeed, He likes not those who commit excess.

This verse mentions two different things, the importance of not only wearing just any normal clothes, but wearing your best clothes to the Masjid to worship and appear in front of Allah. Also eating and drinking is fine but to not be excessive because Allah does not like those who commit excess. So wear your best clothes when possible to the Masjid and remember to not waste the blessings of the food and drink we were provided.

In Sha Allah I will cover a whole other post dedicated to food wastefulness for stay tuned for that! JazakAllah Khair loves for reading! Happy fasting !