BLESSED FOOD

The Authenticity of Offering Food for the Reward of

Others

The Authenticity of Reciting Quran or Dua over Food

Compiled by:
MUHAMMAD SAJID YOUNUS

HAZRAT SULTAN BAHU TRUST

Publishing Division
Birmingham

WWW.KNOWINGTHEQURAN.COM
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 INTRODUCTION

Muslims prepare and distribute food for the eesaal e sawaab

(reward) of the deceased. Often Quranic verses or dua are also
recited over all or some of this food.

Amongst Muslims of Sub-continental heritage such food is

distributed on occasions of eesaal e sawaab known locally as
Khatam; Urs; Gyaarveen and Milaad. Consequently this food
becomes known as the food of Khatam; Gyaarveen; Urs or
Milaad. Irrespective of the name, this food has two basic
characteristics:

1) It is prepared and distributed on behalf of others and

labelled as such, e.g. it is said ‘this is for the reward of a
relative or Ghous ul Aazam Shaykh Adbul Qadir Jilaani or
for the Prophet sallallaahu alaihi wasallam

2) Before food is distributed or consumed Quranic verses or

dua are often recited over it.

Note that both these characteristics are independent, there is

food that is distributed for eesaal e sawaab that does not have
anything recited over it and there is food that has words recited
over it but is not for eesaal e sawaab.

Unfortunately some of our naïve friends doubt the legitimacy of

this food. Some go as far as vehemently claiming such food to
be haraam and worse than pork (Na Aozu billah). Not only do
they refrain from this food but actively despise it!

This booklet shall prove that such food is blessed and these
practices authentic and the claim that such food is haraam is a
violent excess by demonstrating:

➢ The Prophet sallallaahu alaihi wasallam sacrificed animals for

others
➢ The Companions offered sacrifice for others
➢ The Prophet sallallaahu alaihi wasallam recited Dua & Words
over food

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 Food given on behalf of others
e.g the deceased, Shaykh Abdul Qadir Jilaani or the
Prophet

Muslims regularly distribute food on behalf of others, such

as deceased relatives or holy people, in the hope that Allah
Ta’aala will reward the deceased or holy people for this
food.

Often this act of distributing food is given local names

based on the occasion or person on behalf of whom it is
distributed. For example food distributed for the reward of
Shaykh Abdul Qadir Jilaani is known in the Sub Continent
as Gyaarveen and food distributed for relatives is often
labelled as Khatam.

Some naïve friends suggest that such food is unlawful

because it is offered for someone other than Allah. They
claim the verse

‘And (is unlawful) that on which is slaughtered on any other name other
than Allah’
(Al Baqarah 173)

prohibits such food because this is food for our deceased

parents or for Shaykh Abdul Qadir Jilaani or for the
Prophet. It is haraam simply because it is not for Allah!

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Apart from the obvious fact that this verse only refers to
slaughtered animals (and distributed food is not always
meat!) these people also fail to understand that when it is
said ‘this food is for such people’ it means that it is for
their reward and not for their worship! When we distribute
food we hope and expect Allah Ta’aala to reward them for
such food. This concept is similar to offering monetary
sadaqah on behalf of others, we expect Allah to reward the
deceased for our donation. So what is the difference
between offering sadaqah in the form of money or as food?
Absolutely none!

We will quote authentic examples showing that the practice

of slaughtering animals and offering food on behalf of
others and labelling it as ‘for so and so’ is Sunnah and the
practice of our pious predecessors.

This sacrifice is on behalf of My Ummah

Remind yourselves of the famous incident of our Prophet

sallallaahu alaihi wasallam slaughtering an animal in the name
of Allah and declaring it ‘This is for my Ummah’

Syeda Aisha narrates that the Prophet sallallaahu alaihi wasallam

called for a horned goat that had two black feet, a black
stomach and black eyes, in other words it should be black from

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 head to toe. He said ‘Aisha, bring a knife and sharpen it on
this stone’. Syeda Aisha did so. The Prophet sallallaahu alaihi
wasallam took the knife and the goat, lay it down, sacrificed it
and said ‘With the Name of Allah accept it from Muhammad
and the Ummah of Muhammad’ and slaughtered it’ (Sahih
Muslim)

This is authentic evidence for offering food on behalf of

relatives and meritorious people because does the Ummah,
for whom the Prophet sallallaahu alaihi wasallam offered this
animal, not include our deceased relatives or Shaykh Abdul
Qadir Jilaani? So why the objections when we offer food for
them?! And why do our naive friends see this food in such
contempt. Do they also view this offering of the Prophet
sallallaahu alaihi wasallam with the same contempt? If not, why
not, for what is the difference? In another narration,

Syeduna Jaabir narrates that on the day of sacrifice the Prophet

sallallaahu alaihi wasallam sacrificed two beautiful horned goats.
When he lay them down he recited some verses and said ‘O
Allah, this is from You and is for You from Muhammad and
his Ummah, With the name of Allah, Allah u Akbar and then
slaughtered it’ (Ahmad, Abu Dawud, Ibn Majah and Daarimi)

Syeduna Ali slaughtered animals on behalf of the Prophet

sallallaahu alaihi wa aalihi wasallam

Anash narrates that he saw Syeduna Ali sacrificing two goats

and asked ‘What is this?’ Syeduna Ali replied ‘The Prophet

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 sallallaahu alaihi wasallam bequeathed me to sacrifice on his
behalf so I sacrifice on his behalf’ (Abu Dawud)

Would the meat of the animal sacrificed on behalf of the

Prophet sallallaahu alaihi wa aalihi wasallam, have been eaten or
wasted? Surely it would have been eaten, so if the
companions were prepared to eat meat sacrificed on behalf
of the Prophet sallallaahu alaihi wasallam what objections do
people have to eating meat sacrificed on behalf of the
Prophet sallallaahu alaihi wasallam on Milaad or for the Awliyaa
on Khatam or Gyaarveen?!

Hanafi Fiqh Ruling

It is in the famous Hanafi book ‘Radd ul Mukhtaar’

‘If someone sacrifices on behalf of a deceased it is permissible to eat

it because it is actually from the property of the sacrificer and (only)
the reward belongs to the deceased’

A Companion declared ‘This well is for my mother’

Those who claim that labelling food for others is wrong

should also look at the statement of the famous companion
Saad bin Ubaada. He dug a well and explicitly labelled it
for his mother.

Saad bin Ubaada narrates that he asked the Prophet ‘Yaa

Rasoolallah sallallaahu alaihi wasallam, Umm e Saad has passed
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 away. Which is the best sadaqa?’ The Prophet sallallaahu alaihi
wasallam replied ‘Water’ so he prepared a well and declared
‘This is for the mother of Saad’
(Abu Dawud; Nisai; Musnad Ahmad; Ibn Asaakir)

If the Sahaaba labelled food items for others why can we

not label food for our deceased relatives?! Surely the
companions - both rich and poor - drank from the well that
was labelled for the mother of Saad. So if such food is
good enough for the companions why is it apparently not
good enough for those who claim to follow the pious
predecessors (Salaf)?! Do they better understand the Deen
than the companions?!

Even Animals labelled with the name of idols are not

haraam

Those who claim that items labelled or known by the

names of others are haraam should look closely at the
Quranic verse in which animals named after idols are
shown to be halaal.

During the time of the Prophet sallallaahu alaihi wasallam the

idolaters of Makkah would offer animals to their idols and
let them roam free. They would name these animals after
their idols such as Baheera, Saaiba, waseela and Haam.
Because of these names and offerings some Muslims

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assumed these animals were unlawful. However their
assumption was mistaken and Allah revealed

It was not Allah who made (haraam) Baheera, Saaiba, Waseela and
Haam, It is disbelievers who invent a lie against Allah’
(Al Maaida 103)

So if animals named after (but not slaughtered for) idols are

not haraam how can animals slaughtered in the name of
Allah and in reward of Muslims be unlawful and unfit for
consumption?!

Reciting Quranic Verses or Dua over food

Muslims not only recite verses or Dua over the food of

eesaal e sawaab but also do during invitations, waleema
and even ordinary meals! However some misinformed
friends claim it is an innovation and wrong to recite Quranic
verses or dua over food and strictly refrain from eating such
food.

Such people appear oblivious to the practice of the Prophet

sallallaahu alaihi wasallam and his companions. Praise be to
Allah, reciting Quran or dua over food is an established
practice of the Prophet sallallaahu alaihi wasallam. Take a look
at some authentic examples:

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The Prophet sallallaahu alaihi wasallam recited over food
whatever Allah wished him to recite

Anas bin Malik narrates “Abu Talha said to Umm e Saleem ‘I

heard the voice of the Prophet sallallaahu alaihi wasallam, it
sounded weak and I came to know that he was hungry. Do
you have anything?’ She said ‘Yes’ and took out some bread
and folded it into the corner of a piece of cloth and tied it
around me and sent me towards the Prophet sallallaahu alaihi
wasallam ‘So I went to the Prophet and found him in the
mosque sat with many other people. I stood there and the
Prophet sallallaahu alaihi wasallam addressed me ‘Has Abu Talha
sent you’. I replied ‘Yes’. He then asked ‘With food?’ I again
replied ‘Yes’. The Prophet sallallaahu alaihi wasallam ordered
everyone around him ‘Stand (Let us go)’ and they all departed
and I ran ahead of them and informed Abu Talha who turned
to Umm Saleem ‘Other people are also coming with the
Prophet and we don’t have anything’. Umm e Saleem
consoled ‘Allah and his Prophet know best’ Anas narrates that
Abu Talha welcomed the Prophet and both of them entered
the house. The Prophet sallallaahu alaihi wasallam ordered ‘O
Umm e Saleem, bring forth whatever you have’. So she
presented him with the same pieces of bread. The Prophet
sallallaahu alaihi wasallam ordered the bread to be broken up.
Umm e Saleem buttered the pieces and the Prophet then
recited whatever Allah wished him to recite and called for ten
people. They came and ate to their fill and left. The Prophet
sallallaahu alaihi wasallam then called for more people. They
came, ate to their fill and departed. He then called for another
ten people and they came, ate to their fill and departed. In
other words all the people ate to their fill and they were some
70 or 80 people.’(Sunan Tirmidhi, similar in Bukhaari, Muslim)
The important sentence in this hadith for our discussion is

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 ‘The Prophet sallallaahu alaihi wasallam then recited whatever Allah
wished him to recite’.

What do you think the Prophet sallallaahu alaihi wasallam would

have recited? Poetry, Stories or Worldly talk? We know that
it could have been nothing except the Book of Allah or a
Dua for the Prophet does not speak except without
inspiration.

Sweet was presented before the Prophet, he placed his blessed

hand over it and recited’ (Bukhaari & Muslim)

Syeduna Jaabir narrates that during the battle of the Trench he

slaughtered a goat in invitation of the Prophet sallallaahu alaihi
wasallam and prepared one Sah (i.e. 2.4kg) of flour and discretely
invited the Prophet with a few other people. The Prophet
sallallaahu alaihi wasallam gathered all the Ahl ul Khandaq, some
one thousand, and brought them along and ordered Jaabir not
to touch the cooking pot or the flour until he arrived. The
Prophet sallallaahu alaihi wasallam later arrived and put his
blessed saliva in both the knead dough and the cooking pot
and performed dua and ordered ‘Call another woman to cook
and keep taking soup out of the pot but do not take it off the
fire’. Jabir states ‘There were 1000 people, by Allah, all of
them ate but our cooking pot and flour appeared untouched.’
(Sahihain as quoted by Ashraf Ali Taanvi in Nashr ut Teeb)

Furthermore the companions would bring food and ask the

Prophet sallallaahu alaihi wasallam to recite over it.

‘Syeduna Abu Hurayra states ‘I placed a few dried dates before

the Prophet sallallaahu alaihi wasallam and pleaded ‘Perform the
dua of barakah for these dried dates’. The Prophet sallallaahu
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 alaihi wasallam gathered the dates together and performed a dua
over them and ordered ‘Take them and put them in your waist
pouch and whenever you wish put your hand in and take out
but never shake them’. Syeduna Abu Hurayra states ‘There
was so much barakah in those dried dates that I gave many
wisq (one wisq is of 60 Sahs and one Sah is about 2.4kg) in the
path of Allah and always fed myself and others from it. The
pouch stayed tied to my waist until the day of Uthmaan’s
martyrdom (some 30 years later) when it was cut away and
lost’. (Tirmidhi as quoted by Ashraf Ali Taanvi in Nashr ut Teeb)

This shows that Syeduna Abu Hurayra ate and distributed

food over which Dua had been performed! So who is
following the way of the Sahaabah? Those who perform
dua over food or those who don’t?!

As mentioned earlier some of our friends have adopted the

sad practice of refusing food that has had the Quran or
Dua recited over it. Maybe they need reminding that it is
the sunnah of the devil to refuse to eat and digest food
over which words of Allah have been recited. Our dear
brothers should repent from it.

The Prophet sallallaahu alaihi wasallam was sat with a man

eating who had not recited the name of Allah until only one
bite was left when he remembered and recited with the last bite
‘With the name of Allah at the beginning and the end’. The
Prophet sallallaahu alaihi wasallam laughed and explained ‘The
devil was eating with you until you mentioned the name of
Allah, after which he vomited all that was in his stomach’ (Abu
Dawud)

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May Allah Ta’aala allow us to follow in the footsteps of
those He favoured.
Aameen

Bi Jaai Syedil Mursileen

Al Faatiha
London
October 2006

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