Quraysh: (4) Who fed them against hunger...

Then the Almighty said: {Who fed them against hunger}. In this feeding, there are several interpretations:

1. Since God secured them within the Sanctuary so that no one would harm them during their journeys, this security became the reason for feeding them after the hunger they were experiencing.
2. Muqatil said: It was difficult for them to travel to Yemen and Syria in winter and summer to seek sustenance. So, God cast it into the hearts of the Abyssinians (Habasha) to carry food in ships to Mecca. The Meccans would meet them with camels and wine, buying their food from Jeddah, which was a two-night journey away. This continued, and God spared them the trouble of the two journeys.
3. Al-Kalbi said: The meaning of this verse is that when they denied Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him), he supplicated against them, saying: "O Allah, make it a year of famine upon them like the years of Joseph." Famine intensified, and hardship afflicted them. They said: "O Muhammad, supplicate to God, for we will believe." The Messenger of God (PBUH) supplicated, and the lands became fertile, and the people of Mecca became prosperous after the drought. That is His saying: {Who fed them against hunger}.

Then, there are questions regarding the verse:

First Question:

Worship is obligatory because God gave them the foundations of blessings. Feeding is not among the foundations of blessings. So why did He make the obligation of worship conditional upon feeding?

Answer: There are several aspects:

1. Since God mentioned His favor upon them by stopping the Elephant (of the army of the elephant) and sending the birds, and destroying the Abyssinians, and clarified that He did this to secure their familiarity (for their trade routes), and then commanded them to worship, a questioner might say: But we are in need of earning food and defending ourselves. If we occupy ourselves with worship, who will feed us? He replied: {Who fed them against hunger} before they worshipped Him. Will He not feed them when they worship Him?
2. After the servant received the foundations of blessings, the servant acted badly toward Him. Yet, He still feeds them. It is as if God is saying: If you are not ashamed of the foundations of blessings, are you not ashamed of My kindness toward you after your wrongdoing?
3. He mentioned this favor because animals obey the one who feeds them. It is as if God is saying: You are not less than the animals.

Second Question:

Did He not make the world their possession by saying: {He created for you all that is in the earth}? How can He claim favor upon us by giving us what is already ours?

Answer: Consider the things necessary before eating for the food to be complete and ready, and the things necessary after eating for the benefit of the consumed food to be realized. You will know that the celestial spheres and stars are necessary, and the four elements are necessary for that food to be complete. Also, a set of limbs with their different shapes and forms is necessary for the benefit of the food to be realized. At that point, you will know that feeding is appropriate for commanding obedience and worship.

Third Question:

The favor of feeding is not suitable for one who possesses any generosity, let alone the Most Generous of the generous!

Answer: The purpose is not to claim favor, but to guide toward what is most beneficial. The goal of eating is not to strengthen desire which prevents obedience, but to strengthen the body to perform acts of obedience. So, the purpose of commanding worship is that.

Fourth Question:

What is the benefit of saying: {against hunger}?

Answer: It has benefits:

1. To draw attention to the severity of hunger. This is supported by His saying: {And it is He who sends down the rain after despair has struck the people} and the Prophet's saying: (Whoever wakes up safe in his community...).
2. To remind them of the first, painful, bad state, which was hunger, so they may recognize the value of the present blessing.
3. To indicate that the best food is that which removes hunger. He did not say: "and satisfied them," because food removes hunger, whereas satiety breeds gluttony.

Regarding His saying: {Who fed them against hunger}

There are interpretations:

1. They used to travel safely, and no one would attack them or raid them, neither in their journeys nor in their settlements, while others were not safe from raids in travel and settlement. This is the meaning of His saying: {Have they not seen that We have made a sanctuary secure}?
2. He secured them from the throng of the army of the Elephant.
3. Al-Dahhak and Al-Rabi' said: He secured them from the fear of leprosy, so it would not afflict them in their land.
4. He secured them from the fear that the Caliphate would be in other hands.
5. He secured them through Islam. They were previously in disbelief, contemplating, knowing that the religion they were upon was nothing, but they did not know the religion that a rational person must adhere to.
6. He fed them from the hunger of ignorance with the food of revelation, and secured them from the fear of misguidance by clarifying guidance. It is as if God is saying: O people of Mecca, before the mission of Muhammad, you were called the ignorant Arabs and the uncivilized ones, and those who disputed with you were called the People of the Book. Then the revelation descended upon your Prophet, and you were taught the Book and Wisdom until you became known as the people of knowledge and the Qur'an, and those others are called the ignorant Jews and Christians. Since feeding the body requires thanks, does feeding that which is the nourishment of the soul not require gratitude?

In the verse, there are questions:

First Question:

Why did He not say: from hunger and from fear?

Answer: Because the meaning of min (from) implies that He made hunger distant from them, which suggests that this distancing followed a period of experiencing hunger, and then He diverted them from it. An (against/for) does not imply that; rather, it means that when they become hungry, they are fed, and when they fear, they are secured.

Second Question:

Why did He say from hunger (min ju'in) and from fear (min khawfin) in the indefinite form (using min without the definite article)?

Answer: The indefinite form implies magnification. As for hunger, it is narrated that they suffered such severity that they ate carrion and burnt bones. As for fear, it is the intense fear resulting from the army of the Elephant.

It is also possible that the indefinite form implies belittlement. The meaning would be that God, due to His utmost generosity, did not permit them to remain in that little hunger and little fear; how then would it be permissible, in His generosity, to neglect their affairs if they worshipped Him?

Another possibility is that He said: {He fed them from hunger} (indefinite) but did not say from fear (indefinite, as the next verse says and secured them from fear). This is to make the second instance of hunger and fear a reminder of the first types of hunger and fear they were in, so that they might be thankful in one respect and patient in another, thus deserving the reward for both qualities.

Third Question:

God only fed them and secured them in response to the supplication of Abraham (peace be upon him). Regarding feeding, it is His saying: {And provide for its people [with sustenance]} and regarding security, it is His saying: {And make this city secure}. If that is the case, this is a favor upon Abraham, so how can it be made a favor upon those present?

Answer: When God said: {Indeed, I will make you an Imam for mankind}, Abraham said: {And [for] some of my descendants}. God replied: {My covenant does not include the wrongdoers}. So Abraham called out with this etiquette. When he said: {My Lord, make this city secure And provide its people with fruits}, he qualified it with: {of those who believe in Allah}. God said: There is no need for this qualification; rather, I will provide even for those who disbelieve for a short while.

It is as if God said: The favor of security is religious, and it is only attained by the pious. As for the blessing of this world, it reaches the righteous and the wicked, the good and the bad. If this is the case, then feeding the disbeliever from hunger and securing him from fear is a grace from God bestowed upon him initially, not due to Abraham's supplication. Thus, the question is resolved. And God, the Glorified and Exalted, knows best. May blessings and peace be upon our Master Muhammad and his family and companions.