FOOD FOR THOUGHT 
During Ramadan our minds invariably wonder to thoughts about food.
While we continue to refrain from eating, it is acceptable to consider
the verses in the Quran on this delectable topic.
From the tempting fruits of Eden to the etiquette reminders for
eating with Muhammad, the Quran narrates examples to learn from
vicariously. Wondrous sustenance was granted to many in the past
including the ghost town sleeper’s unspoiled food, Mary’s
divine provisions and dates, Job’s healing spring, Jonah’s
edible fruit tree, and the feast from the sky for Jesus’ disciples.
Many of these accounts underscore the fact that the prophets and
messengers were only humans that ate and walked in the markets just
like us. These individuals may also be contrasted with Abraham’s
angel guests who did not eat. From the pages of the Quran we are
taught our stomachs may long for cucumbers, onions, and beans but
it shouldn’t be out of ungratefulness like the Children of
Israel with the manna and quail. There are similar lessons in the
account of the boastful gardener and his friend, Sheba’s marvelous
homeland and the sure harvester. It must be our goal to thank God
without fail for every morsel that He provides for our well being.
Provisions of the past were tied directly to crops, harvest, and
springs, but God sends modern provisions through money, grocers
and restaurants. However, it doesn’t diminish the importance
of being appreciative. One way of demonstrating appreciation for
His support is to adhere to God’s laws like giving “due
alms on the day of harvest” or giving Zakat charity when we
receive any provision of money. Those that observe Ramadan, acknowledge
that God knows what is best for us. Allowing all the vast array
of foods that God has deemed permissible shows recognition that
He is the Most Gracious Provider, and that He imposes only a few
limits on what to eat or drink in His scripture. Pronouncing God’s
name on anything before it is eaten expresses belief in Him and
His revelations. While Ramadan is a test of steadfastness, we are
told in the Quran that God may test steadfastness through loss of
money or crops as well. God alone has the power to relieve this
type of adversity.
God also offers proof of His abilities and existence through the
food He provides. The variety of colorful, self-packaged fruits
and vegetables confirms His greatness and today’s shipping
industry roaming the earth augmenting our choices, gives all the
more reason not to take what God endows us with for granted. God
tells us He is aware of the grain in the depths of the soil and
He is the One who causes it to crack and germinate. He sends good
weather to allow them to grow revealing His kindness and control.
Out of His mercy, He has allowed a selection of livestock to be
domesticated for our meals as well as fish and other meats. Humans
cannot create a simple tree to feed themselves, yet God feeds and
is not fed. Only God, the best Provider, could have planned such
an amazing and pleasurable system of delivering nutrition and healing
to His creation.
Other verses in the Quran use crops, gardens and fruits figuratively
in order to give insight and understanding. Spending in God’s
cause, for instance, is compared to a grain producing many spikes
as well as crops grown in fertile soil. Preoccupation with this
worldly life is paralleled with a flourishing garden suddenly struck
completely barren and useless. However, most of these illustrative
verses in the Quran are used in the allegorical descriptions of
the Hereafter. No one would want to be like the occupants of Hell
that are described as eating from trees of bitterness and drinking
miserable drinks of sand. In contrast, the lucid passages about
the lavish gardens and lush orchards of Heaven almost temporarily
transport our yearning souls to the rivers of unpolluted water,
fresh milk and honey that are reserved as a reward for the righteous.
God rewards the righteous from His inexhaustible bounties both
in this life and in the Hereafter. Figs, olives, grapes, pomegranates
and other foods mentioned in the Quran anchor its illuminating verses
about God and all His splendor in the reality around us. As we find
compassion for those that go hungry during Ramadan, we can also
renew our appreciation of God and His innumerable blessings.
Donna A.
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