Presented at a panel
of the Food Security Forum organized by the Department of Community Medicine,
IIUM Malaysia by Professor Omar Hasan Kasule MB ChB (MUK), MPH (Harvard), DrPH
(Harvard).
1.0 RIZQ IS WIDE AND EXPANSIVE
وَمَنْ يَتَّقِ اللَّهَ يَجْعَلْ لَهُ مَخْرَجًا. الطلاق
٢-٣ * وَيَرْزُقْهُ مِنْ حَيْثُ لَا
يَحْتَسِبُ
وَلَوْ أَنَّ أَهْلَ الْقُرَى آمَنُوا وَاتَّقَوْا
لَفَتَحْنَا عَلَيْهِمْ بَرَكَاتٍ مِنَ السَّمَاءِ وَالْأَرْضِ وَلَكِنْ كَذَّبُوا
فَأَخَذْنَاهُمْ بِمَا كَانُوا يَكْسِبون. الأعراف ٩٦
قُلْ إِنَّ رَبِّي يَبْسُطُ الرِّزْقَ لِمَنْ يَشَاءُ مِنْ
عِبَادِهِ وَيَقْدِرُ لَهُ وَمَا أَنْفَقْتُمْ مِنْ شَيْءٍ فَهُوَ يُخْلِفُهُ
وَهُوَ خَيْرُ الرَّازِقِينَ. سبا ٣٩ .
فَقُلْتُ اسْتَغْفِرُوا رَبَّكُمْ إِنَّهُ كَانَ غَفَّارًا *
يُرْسِلِ السَّمَاء عَلَيْكُم مِّدْرَارًا * وَيُمْدِدْكُمْ بِأَمْوَالٍ وَبَنِينَ
وَيَجْعَل لَّكُمْ جَنَّاتٍ وَيَجْعَل لَّكُمْ أَنْهَارًا. نوح ١٠-١٢
2.0 FOOD IS THE MOST IMPORTANT EXISTENTIAL REQUIREMENT
FOR HUMANS
- There are two major necessities for the physical
survival of individual humans: food and physical security.
- لِإِيلَٰفِ قُرَيۡشٍ
إِۦلَٰفِهِمۡ رِحۡلَةَ ٱلشِّتَآءِ وَٱلصَّيۡفِ فَلۡيَعۡبُدُواْ رَبَّ هَٰذَا ٱلۡبَيۡتِ ٱلَّذِيٓ أَطۡعَمَهُم مِّن جُوعٖ وَءَامَنَهُم
مِّنۡ خَوۡفِۭ
- The third existential requirement, reproduction,
is secondary to food and physical security but it relates to the survival of
the community and not the individual.
- Zakariyah prayed for offspring to
continue the community of believers.
Mariam 1-11
- كهيعص (1) ذِكْرُ رَحْمَتِ رَبِّكَ
عَبْدَهُ زَكَرِيَّا (2) إِذْ نَادَىٰ رَبَّهُ
نِدَاءً خَفِيًّا (3) قَالَ رَبِّ إِنِّي وَهَنَ
الْعَظْمُ مِنِّي وَاشْتَعَلَ الرَّأْسُ شَيْبًا وَلَمْ أَكُن بِدُعَائِكَ رَبِّ
شَقِيًّا (4) وَإِنِّي خِفْتُ
الْمَوَالِيَ مِن وَرَائِي وَكَانَتِ امْرَأَتِي عَاقِرًا فَهَبْ لِي مِن لَّدُنكَ
وَلِيًّا (5) يَرِثُنِي وَيَرِثُ مِنْ آلِ يَعْقُوبَ ۖ وَاجْعَلْهُ
رَبِّ رَضِيًّا (6) يَا زَكَرِيَّا إِنَّا
نُبَشِّرُكَ بِغُلَامٍ اسْمُهُ يَحْيَىٰ لَمْ نَجْعَل لَّهُ مِن قَبْلُ سَمِيًّا (7) قَالَ رَبِّ أَنَّىٰ يَكُونُ
لِي غُلَامٌ وَكَانَتِ امْرَأَتِي عَاقِرًا وَقَدْ بَلَغْتُ مِنَ الْكِبَرِ
عِتِيًّا (8) قَالَ كَذَٰلِكَ قَالَ
رَبُّكَ هُوَ عَلَيَّ هَيِّنٌ وَقَدْ خَلَقْتُكَ مِن قَبْلُ وَلَمْ تَكُ شَيْئًا (9) قَالَ رَبِّ اجْعَل لِّي
آيَةً ۚ قَالَ آيَتُكَ أَلَّا تُكَلِّمَ النَّاسَ ثَلَاثَ لَيَالٍ سَوِيًّا (10) فَخَرَجَ عَلَىٰ قَوْمِهِ
مِنَ الْمِحْرَابِ فَأَوْحَىٰ إِلَيْهِمْ أَن سَبِّحُوا بُكْرَةً وَعَشِيًّا (11)
3.0 CONCEPT OF RIZQ AND ITS RELATION
TO FOOD.
- Food is part of Allah’s rizq albeit
the most important because it is existential.
- Other components of rizq necessary
for the utilization of food by the body: oxygen, water, heat.
- Not all food is sustenance. A lot of
what we eat is wasted only part of it is absorbed and used by the body.
- Excessive eating is wastage
(tabdhiir, israaf) because the undigested unabsorbed food is voided in stool.
4.0 GRADES OF NUTRITION
- Three grades of nutrition according
to Ibn Alqayyim:
وقد بين ابن القيم أن مراتب الغذاء
ثلاثة
فالأولى أن يأخذ بقدر حاجته وهو المشار
إليه بقوله: بحسب ابن آدم لقيمات يقمن صلبه
والثانية بقدر الكفاية وهي ما زاد
على ذلك، ولم يصل إلى حد الشبع المضر،
والثالثة هي الفضلة: وهي ما زاد علي هذا المقدار.
5.0 RIZQ IS ALLOCATED BY ALLAH
- Rizq is sustenance from Allah each
is allocated given his/her due in advance. Ibn Masud
إنَّ أحَدَكُمْ يُجْمَعُ خَلْقُهُ في بَطْنِ أُمِّهِ
أَرْبَعِينَ يَوْمَاً نُطْفَةً، ثُمَّ يَكُونُ عَلَقَةً مِثْلَ ذلكَ، ثُمَّ
يَكُونُ مُضْغَةً مِثْلَ ذلكَ، ثُمَّ يُرْسَلُ المَلَكُ فَيَنْفُخُ فِيهِ
الرُّوحَ، وَيُؤْمَرُ بأرْبَعِ كَلِماتٍ: بِكَتْب رِزْقِهِ وَأجَلِهِ وَعَمَلِهِ
وَشَقِيٍّ أَوْ سَعِيدٍ
- The rizq of our children is from Allah. We cannot refuse to
reproduce because of a perceived lack of rizq.
- We should not kill children (feticide or abortion) because of a perceived shortage of rizq.
وَلَا تَقْتُلُوا أَوْلَادَكُمْ مِنْ إِمْلَاقٍ نَحْنُ
نَرْزُقُكُمْ وَإِيَّاهُمْ. الاانعام ١٥
- Rizq varies according to Allah’s
qadar but each has enough. Isra:30
إِنَّ رَبَّكَ يَبْسُطُ الرِّزْقَ لِمَن يَشَاءُ وَيَقْدِرُ ۚ إِنَّهُ كَانَ بِعِبَادِهِ خَبِيرًا بَصِيرًا
6.0 CAUSES OF FOOD INSECURITY
- Food insecurity is exceptional and is limited
by space and time
- Weather is not an absolute cause of food
insecurity
- Lack of food in one place can be mitigated by
importing food or migration. Nisa:97
إِنَّ الَّذِينَ تَوَفَّاهُمُ
الْمَلَائِكَةُ ظَالِمِي أَنفُسِهِمْ قَالُوا فِيمَ كُنتُمْ ۖ قَالُوا كُنَّا
مُسْتَضْعَفِينَ فِي الْأَرْضِ ۚ قَالُوا أَلَمْ تَكُنْ أَرْضُ اللَّهِ وَاسِعَةً
فَتُهَاجِرُوا فِيهَا ۚ فَأُولَٰئِكَ مَأْوَاهُمْ جَهَنَّمُ ۖ وَسَاءَتْ مَصِيرً
- Physical insecurity leads to food insecurity because farmers
are not free to produce food, or routes of transport are blocked.
- Injustice in resource distribution.
Pictures of malnourished children in Gaza
Source: https://www.bbc.com/
Source: https://www.aa.com.tr/en/
Source: https://www.unicefusa.org/
Pictures of malnourished children in Sudan
Source: https://www.aa.com.tr/en/
Source: https://www.bbc.com/
Source: https://www.wfp.org/
Pictures of children with protein-calorie malnutrition or kwashiorkor
Source: https://discover.hubpages.com/
Source: https://emedicine.medscape.com/
Source: https://ghanadistricts.com/
7.0 ENSURING FOOD SECURITY BY STORAGE: YUSUF AND
STORING FOOD FOR THE EGYPTIAN FAMINE
- Yusuf PBUH predicted famine due to cycles in
the flow of River Nile. Yusuf 55
وَقَالَ ٱلْمَلِكُ إِنِّىٓ أَرَىٰ سَبْعَ بَقَرَٰتٍۢ
سِمَانٍۢ يَأْكُلُهُنَّ سَبْعٌ عِجَافٌۭ وَسَبْعَ سُنۢبُلَـٰتٍ خُضْرٍۢ وَأُخَرَ
يَابِسَـٰتٍۢ ۖ يَـٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلْمَلَأُ أَفْتُونِى فِى رُءْيَـٰىَ إِن كُنتُمْ
لِلرُّءْيَا تَعْبُرُونَ ٤٣ قَالُوٓا۟ أَضْغَـٰثُ أَحْلَـٰمٍۢ ۖ وَمَا نَحْنُ
بِتَأْوِيلِ ٱلْأَحْلَـٰمِ بِعَـٰلِمِينَ ٤٤ وَقَالَ ٱلَّذِى نَجَا مِنْهُمَا
وَٱدَّكَرَ بَعْدَ أُمَّةٍ أَنَا۠ أُنَبِّئُكُم بِتَأْوِيلِهِۦ فَأَرْسِلُونِ ٤٥
يُوسُفُ أَيُّهَا ٱلصِّدِّيقُ أَفْتِنَا فِى سَبْعِ بَقَرَٰتٍۢ سِمَانٍۢ يَأْكُلُهُنَّ
سَبْعٌ عِجَافٌۭ وَسَبْعِ سُنۢبُلَـٰتٍ خُضْرٍۢ وَأُخَرَ يَابِسَـٰتٍۢ لَّعَلِّىٓ
أَرْجِعُ إِلَى ٱلنَّاسِ لَعَلَّهُمْ يَعْلَمُونَ ٤٦ قَالَ تَزْرَعُونَ سَبْعَ
سِنِينَ دَأَبًۭا فَمَا حَصَدتُّمْ فَذَرُوهُ فِى سُنۢبُلِهِۦٓ إِلَّا قَلِيلًۭا
مِّمَّا تَأْكُلُونَ ٤٧ ثُمَّ يَأْتِى مِنۢ بَعْدِ ذَٰلِكَ سَبْعٌۭ شِدَادٌۭ
يَأْكُلْنَ مَا قَدَّمْتُمْ لَهُنَّ إِلَّا قَلِيلًۭا مِّمَّا تُحْصِنُونَ ٤٨
ثُمَّ يَأْتِى مِنۢ بَعْدِ ذَٰلِكَ
عَامٌۭ فِيهِ يُغَاثُ ٱلنَّاسُ وَفِيهِ يَعْصِرُونَ ٤٩
- Yusuf advised storing food for the future.
Yusuf : 56
وَقَالَ ٱلْمَلِكُ ٱئْتُونِى بِهِۦٓ أَسْتَخْلِصْهُ
لِنَفْسِى ۖ فَلَمَّا كَلَّمَهُۥ قَالَ إِنَّكَ ٱلْيَوْمَ لَدَيْنَا مَكِينٌ
أَمِينٌۭ ٥٤ قَالَ ٱجْعَلْنِى عَلَىٰ خَزَآئِنِ ٱلْأَرْضِ ۖ إِنِّى حَفِيظٌ
عَلِيمٌۭ ٥٥ وَكَذَٰلِكَ مَكَّنَّا لِيُوسُفَ فِى ٱلْأَرْضِ يَتَبَوَّأُ مِنْهَا
حَيْثُ يَشَآءُ ۚ نُصِيبُ بِرَحْمَتِنَا مَن نَّشَآءُ ۖ وَلَا نُضِيعُ أَجْرَ
ٱلْمُحْسِنِينَ ٥٦
- A house without dates is a house of hungry people. Muslim
بيت لا تمر فيه جياع أهله. رواه مسلم
- Narrated 'Umar: The Prophet used to
sell the dates of the garden of Bani An-Nadir and store for his family so much
food as would cover their needs for a whole year. Bukhari Volume
7, Book 64, Number 270:
8.0 ENSURING FOOD SECURTY BY TECHNOLOGICAL
INNOVATIONS: 3 AGRICULTURAL REVOLUTIONS
- The
First Agricultural Revolution circa 10,000 B.C. Shift from hunting and gathering to
subsistence farming and domestic herding.
- The
Second Agricultural Revolution in the UK in the mid-18th century: livestock breeding, crop
rotation, and mechanical farm equipment.
- The
Third Agricultural Revolution, or the Green Revolution, took place during the
1940s, 50s, and 60s. Innovations in irrigation, fertilizers, pesticides, and
plant breeding led to greater crop yields.
- Starvation
was feared in India in the 1950s, but it was mitigated by the Green Revolution.
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