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We need to thank God that we have these blessings. Worldwide it is not the same. According to the UN WFP about 811 million people do not have enough food. And in roughly 60% of the cases the reason for hunger is due to human-caused conflict. This includes places such as Yemen, South Sudan, Congo, Syria, Afghanistan, Myanmar (not to mention Ukraine). In Afghanistan more than half the population goes hungry every night (the UN estimates about 23 million are in acute hunger).
Praise God for our blessings. Not only does He provide enough food for us but also clean water.
[16:10] He sends down from the sky water for your drink, and to grow trees for your benefit. [16:11] With it, He grows for you crops, olives, date palms, grapes, and all kinds of fruits. This is (sufficient) proof for people who think.
[27:60] Who is the One who created the heavens and the earth? Who is the One who sends down to you from the sky water, whereby we produce gardens full of beauty--you could not possibly manufacture its trees? Is it another god with GOD? Indeed, they are people who have deviated. [27:61] Who is the One who made the earth habitable, caused rivers to run through it, placed on it mountains, and created a barrier between the two waters? Is it another god with GOD? Indeed, most of them do not know.
We don’t want to take it for granted. When it comes to water—the situation is tough for many people. About 2.2 billion people don’t have a way to get drinking water on premises (free from contamination and available when needed) according to a CDC article. Further, about 10% of the population of the world (785 million) does not even have access to basic services:
that means “a protected drinking water source that takes less than thirty minutes to collect from”. Even in the USA, about 2 million do not have running water or plumbing. Praise God for water that comes into pipes in our homes. We turn on a faucet and there’s always water there. Thank You God. Many people, i.e., roughly 42% of the world’s population (that’s over 3 billion people) do not have piped water to their homes.
[56:68] Have you noted the water you drink? [56:69] Did you send it down from the clouds, or did we? [56:70] If we will, we can make it salty. You should be thankful.
[31:10] He created the heavens without pillars that you can see. He established on earth stabilizers (mountains) lest it tumbles with you, and He spread on it all kinds of creatures. We send down from the sky water to grow all kinds of beautiful plants.
[32:27] Do they not realize that we drive the water to barren lands, and produce with it crops to feed their livestock, as well as themselves? Do they not see?
Even here in Arizona, where we’ve been in a drought for about 20 years (low rainfall), God continues to provide us with water. He has designed an underground aquifer system that stores water for the future. The water is purified as it sinks through the layers of earth and then stays underground without draining away.
[39:21] Do you not see that GOD sends down from the sky water, then places it into underground wells, then produces with it plants of various colors, then they grow until they turn yellow, then He turns them into hay? This should be a reminder for those who possess intelligence.
And even other means that humans use to collect and store water such as building reservoirs—the ability to design those and store water without spoiling comes from God.
[15:22] And we send the winds as pollinators, and cause water to come down from the sky for you to drink. Otherwise, you could not keep it palatable.
Thank You God for being our Best and only Provider. May God forgive me for all the times I forget to thank Him. May God help me pass my tests of being appreciative and charitable.
References:
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God has decreed the pilgrimage during the holy months:
[2:197] Hajj shall be observed in the specified months.* Whoever sets out to observe Hajj shall refrain from sexual intercourse, misconduct, and arguments throughout Hajj. Whatever good you do, GOD is fully aware thereof. As you prepare your provisions for the journey, the best provision is righteousness. You shall observe Me, O you who possess intelligence.
*2:197 Hajj can be observed any time during the Sacred Months: Zul-Hijjah, Muharram, Safar, and Rabi I. Local governments restrict Hajj to a few days for their own convenience. See 9:37
Sacrifice is one of the rites of pilgrimage, to be performed during Hajj by those who are participating in the Hajj:
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