Consider Hunger

Let's consider hunger. Look at the way we think about hunger. We use hunger to refer to many different aspects of our lives.

We hunger for food, we have a sexual appetite, we hunger for justice, we hunger for divine grace. Sura Al Ma'ida lists things that are appropriate to hunger for. Halal food, chaste believing women, wudu and cleanliness, justice in covenants and oaths and the light of divine teachings. Allah (swt) says “All good things are lawful for you” He is spreading a feast before us. He says eat from this table. Then the sura makes a juxtaposition and talks about the things that feast on you, things that eat you up inside such as: cowardice, jealousy, anger, hypocrisy, pandering and excess.

Let's take a look at the story of Cain and Abel inserted into the middle of the sura. It acts as a pivot point between the two descriptions. What does it have to do with hunger? Abel was a shepherd and Cain was a farmer. So they both produced food. Good but what else? They both made offerings to Allah and Allah was pleased and accepted Abel's offering but rejected Cain's. Cain becomes morose over his situation then Allah speaks to Cain:

“Why are you angry? Why is your face downcast? If you do what is right will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door . It desires to have you, but you must rule over it” (Genesis 4:6)

And this is such an interesting image isn't it? Sin crouching at your door like a tiger ready to pounce and devour you.

Cain suffered from his nafs. He became jealous of his brother because he convinced himself that he could never match him. He became angry God favored Abel over him despite the loving words of encouragement and parental warning. Instead of taking on his challenge and striving to do better next time, his perceived failure ate him up inside. Jealousy turned to rage and hatred until he committed the first murder in the world. A grave sin which he was punished for. He was banished to the land of Nod to continue to roam until the end of days.

I'd like to tell you a story of a most heinous hunger. A teenager leads a comparatively normal life, much like the rest of his friends and classmates. He plays football and soccer and video games. He gets average grades in school and when he likes the teacher and subject he manages to do better. One more course for a certificate in life guarding and a city job. Mom and dad are so proud and encourage him at every stage. But there is something missing. Something deep inside. An unspoken pain which turns into a hunger pain he slowly begins to feed.

A bunch of friends after school pass a joint around and each of them take a quick pull. It feeds the mischievousness and the rebellion of youth. Soon after there are parties with more drugs and alcohol and the teen feels his first “buzz”. Friends begin to skip school to get high and everyone is there so the follow begins. These friends are no friends unless you can “score”. They barter and steal and lie to you. Drugs begin to be the most important thing in the teen's life. More important than school, property, love of family, personal safety and the law. The term for these actions in recovery circles is “feeding your addiction”. Addiction is that tiger crouching at your door. It growls and bears its teeth at you threatening to devour you unless you give it sustenance. It becomes a slow suicide.

Lines 90-94 Sura Al-Ma'ida give a warning and a solution. “You who believe, intoxicants and gambling, idolatrous practices and divining (with arrows) are repugnant acts – Satan's doing – shun them so that you may prosper.[...] Those who believe and do good deeds will not be blamed for what they may have consumed [in the past] as long as they are mindful of God, believe and do good deeds, then are mindful of God and believe, then are mindful of God and do good deeds: God loves those who do good deeds.”

There is the road to recovery. How can we get the message of Allah's Feast across? Everyone can have a good life and all we have to do is choose the law and path assigned to us. Reach out to those you see in pain. Be gentle and kind about it but address their pain. Do a little reminding and show how good and happy life can be. Take them with you to picnics and family trips. Get them out into nature, get them involved in projects, remind them of their favorite hobbies and have them start doing them again, get them to start exercising with you, bring them to masjid.

Have the confidence to see what natural talents Allah (swt) has given you and relay it to your community through compassion, understanding and mercy.

"Sometimes Allah allows you to taste the bitterness of this world so that you could fully appreciate the sweetness of faith"

                                                                                    -Omar Suleman