14. Quran verses and the related Ahadith:

السلام عليكم ورحمة الله وبركاتة

بِسْمِ ٱللَّٰهِ ٱلرَّحْمَٰنِٱلرَّحِيمِ

وَيُطْعِمُوْنَ الطَّعَامَ عَلٰى حُبِّهٖ مِسْكِيْنًا وَّيَتِيْمًا وَّاَسِيْرًا‏○ اِنَّمَا نُطْعِمُكُمْ لِـوَجْهِ اللّٰهِ لَا نُرِيْدُ مِنْكُمْ جَزَآءً وَّلَا شُكُوْرًا‏ ○

They (Abrar - the righteous people) give food in spite of love for it - to the needy, the orphan, and the captive, [Saying], "We feed you only for the face [i.e., approval] of Allāh. We wish not from you reward or gratitude. [Al Quran, 76:8 &9]

Allah says in previous aayath, about the qualities of righteous people:

★ they fulfill their vows,

★ abandon those forbidden things which Allah has prohibited for them,

★ devote to worship Allah with obedience,

★ they fear about the evil reckoning on the Day of Return,

★ they give food while they themselves love it and desire it'

★ saying they feed, seeking Allah's Face only, hoping for the reward of Allah and His pleasure and

★ they wish  neither reward, nor thanks  in return from them.

Mujahid and Sa`id bin Jubayr both said, "By Allah! They do not say this with their tongues, but rather, Allah knows it in their hearts and He commends them for it."

As Allah said in Quran they attain righteousness and save humanity:

By no means shall you attain Al-Birr (righteousness) unless you spend of that which you love. (3:92) Whoever saves one (life) - it is as if he had saved all of humanity’. [Al Qur’an, 5:32]

Feeding the poor is the best deed in Islam:

Narrated 'Abdullah bin 'Amr (RA): A man asked the Prophet (SAW) , "What sort of deeds or (what qualities of) Islam are good?" The Prophet (SAW) replied, 'To feed (the poor) and greet those whom you know and those whom you do not Know (Sahih al-Bukhari 12 & 28 and Sahih Muslim, 39).

Feeding is  Sadaqah:

The Messenger of Allah (saw) said, ‘What you feed yourself is Sadaqah for you. What you feed your child is Sadaqah for you. What you feed your wife is Sadaqah is for you. What you feed your servant is Sadaqah for you’ [Al-Adab Al-Mufrad 82]

Those who feed others are the best persons:

Suhayb ibn Sinan (RA) reported: The Messenger of Allah (SAW), said, “The best of you are those who feed others.” [Musnad Aḥmad 23926]

Giving food to neighbours brings barakah & ensures good relationship:

Abu Dharr (RA) reported, ’The Prophet (SAW) said, “O Abu Dharr, when you cook a stew, put more water in the broth and take care of your neighbours“’. [Sahih Muslim 2625b]

Ibn 'Abbas (RA) informed Ibn az-Zubayr (RA), "I heard the Prophet (SAW), say, 'He is not a believer whose stomach is filled while his neighbor goes hungry.'" [Al-Adab Al-Mufrad, 112]

Feeding others ensures Paradise:

The Messenger of Allah (saw) said, ’Worship Ar-Rahman, feed others, spread the (greeting of) peace, then you will enter Paradise with security (salam)’. [Jami` at-Tirmidhi 1855]

On another occasion, he ( SAW) mentioned:  Whichever believer feeds a hungry believer, Allah feeds him from the fruits of Paradise on the Day of Resurrection…[Jami` at-Tirmidhi 2449]

In addition to this immense reward, Ali (RA) said that the Messenger of Allah (SAW) said, ’“Indeed, in Paradise there are chambers whose outside can be seen from their inside, and their inside can be seen from their outside”. A Bedouin stood and said, “Who are they for, O Messenger of Allah?” He said, “For those who speak well, feed others, fast regularly, and perform Salah during the night while the people sleep”’ [Jami` at-Tirmidhi 1984].

Allah will protect them from the evil of that Day of Judgement:

'Whoever has three daughters and is patient towards them, and feeds them, gives them to drink, and clothes them from his wealth - they will be a shield for him from the Fire on the Day of Resurrection’ [Sunan Ibn Majah 3669].

The Messenger of Allah (saw) said, 'Allah, Mighty and Sublime be He, will say on the Day of Resurrection […] “O son of Adam, I asked you for food and you did not feed Me“. He will say, “O Lord, how can I feed You when You are the Lord of the worlds?” He (Allah) will say, “Did you not know that My servant so-and-so asked you for food and you did not feed him? Did you not know that had you fed him you surely would have found that (the reward for doing so) with Me?" [Sahih Muslim 2569]

Ayesha (RA) reported that the Messenger of Allah (SAW) said, ‘When a woman spends (and Ayesha [RA] added that herfather had specified ’when a woman feeds ‘) from her husband’s house, without spending too much, she will have her reward, and he will be rewarded likewise because he earned it, and she will be rewarded for what she spent…’ [Sahih Bukhari, 2065]

Planting a fruit bearing tree is kind of Charity:

Narrated Anas bin Malik: Allah's Messenger (SAW) said, "There is none amongst the Muslims who plants a tree or sows’ seeds, and then a bird, or a person or an animal eats from it, but is regarded as a charitable gift for him." [Sahih al-Bukhari 2320]

Not feeding human or an animal makes them to enter fire:

Giving food is an important part of being a Muslim - and not doing so is specifically mentioned in the Qur’an as a quality of a disbeliever. Allah says, 'And when it is said to them, “Spend from that which Allah has provided for you”, those who disbelieve say to those who believe, “Should we feed one whom, if Allah had willed, He would have fed? You are not but in clear error”’ [The Noble Qur’an, 36:47]. Allah also says, 'It will be said, “Seize and shackle th¹em...For they never had faith in Allah, the Greatest, nor encouraged the feeding of the poor"' [The Noble Qur'an 69:33-34].

The Messenger of Allah (saw) said, 'A woman punished her cat by imprisoning it until it died of hunger and because of it, she entered the Fire. It was said - and Allah knows best - ”You did not feed it nor give it water when you imprisoned it, nor did you release it and let it eat from the creatures which creep on the earth”’ [Sahih al-Bukhari, 2365].

الحمدلله