38 - الْمُقِيتُ

[Bint e Aisha]

الْمُقِيتُ

 

Translation

الْمُقِيتُ  is translated as The Nourisher and The Sustainer. It comes from Quwwat which means power or energy. It is an Ism Faa'il.

 

Definition
 

It is translated as The Nourisher and The Sustainer because it is The One Who gives Quwwat in something that keeps the body standing and alive. Arabic is such an encompassing and comprehensive language that English often does not do justice. 

 

الْمُقِيتُ is understood as The One Who creates and delivers / distributes nourishment and this can be in terms of food for a person’s body and knowledge for a person’s heart. Therefore it is not just physical nourishment but also spiritual nourishment as the body, mind, heart and soul all need nourishment. This is for everyone regardless of whether they are Believers or non-believers, good or bad. 

 

It is similar to الرَّزَّاقُ i.e. The Provider of provision but this has more the meaning of the provider and الْمُقِيتُ is more specific to not just providing but to providing enough to be sustained and get energy from i.e. how it is distributed / how it come to you, how it is processed, how you eat it (Chewing, digesting etc.) and how then energy is derived by the body. For example a glass of milk is healthy for a person however for a sick person or one who has lactose intolerance, it will be harmful. Therefore it is also how Allah ta’ala takes out the nourishment from the food for the body. 

 

Some Scholars say Muqeet can also mean One Who is Powerful i.e. Qaadir so it can also mean Protector, Overseer.

 

In the Qur’an

It is mentioned once in Surah Nisaa’ (verse 85) 

وَكَانَ اللَّهُ عَلَىٰ كُلِّ شَيْءٍ مُقِيتًا - Allah has control over everything.

   
Allah ta’ala is the Nourisher and Sustainer of all things. He has created a whole system where a person can get nourishment. He has created this earth and it is like a huge storehouse which has fed so many people, animals, micro-organisms etc. from the beginning of time and this is Allah ta’ala distributing and giving nourishment to all creatures living on the earth. 

 

Comes from Muqaddar

Some Scholars say Muqeet comes from Muqaddar – something that is divided or distributed. In Surah Fussilaat (Haa-meem, verse 10) Allah ta’ala says,

 

وَجَعَلَ فِيهَا رَوَاسِيَ مِنْ فَوْقِهَا وَبَارَكَ فِيهَا وَقَدَّرَ فِيهَا أَقْوَاتَهَا فِي أَرْبَعَةِ أَيَّامٍ سَوَاءً لِلسَّائِلِينَ

He set upon it mountains towering high above its surface, He bestowed blessings upon it and in four periods provided it with sustenance according to the needs of all those who live in and ask for it.

 
Allah ta’ala being الْمُقِيتُ commanded different parts of the earth to make various amounts and types of food and He has designated and distributed sustenance to all the creatures on earth. We see that every part of the world has its specialities where tropical countries have mangoes and other exotic fruits while cold countries have apples and pears etc. Allah ta’ala has made some parts of the earth exclusive for certain foods, fruits, vegetation and animals according to the requirements i.e. a certain place will have a certain animal and people will utilize its milk, meat, hide, bones etc. 

 

Camels are custom made for the desert. When man messes up the system then it creates problems as in the case of wild camels in Australia. In the olden days the camels were imported to Australia because they were needed for transport in the desert area however they bred and had no natural predators to control them so they went out of control. 

 

Therefore through being الْمُقِيتُ Allah ta’ala has made a system where everyone benefits. There is a mutual inter-dependency in the world and one of the hidden reasons for it is trade so no one is self-sufficient. That is why when people put trade sanctions on a country it causes the people a lot of problems. 

 

Counsel

Scholars say it is our duty to take as much as we need for ourselves and families and not to be greedy. In our Deen hoarding in times of famine is wrong. 

 

To know that Rizq is written for everyone and Allah ta’ala has taught human beings how to attain that Rizq i.e. Allah ta’ala has provided us with tools, strategies, minds etc. to learn in order to benefit from the nourishment and sustenance Allah ta’ala has provided in the world. 

 

A story is related by ibn Katheer (rahimahullah) about four Muhadditheen in Egypt who worked together and did not really care about worldly matters. Once they were so involved in their academic work that they did not realise one or two days had passed by and they needed something to eat. One of them was assigned to go out and seek some work and find the means to get provisions. This Scholar performed two Rakat Salaah and made Du’a. Allah ta’ala is الْمُقِيتُ and He will provide in some form but it requires effort and the Salaah and Du’a was the Scholar’s effort. 

 

The governor of Egypt was sleeping at that time of the afternoon and he dreamt that the Prophet sallallaahu ‘alayhi wasallam came and told him to enquire about the Scholars as they had nothing to eat. Upon awakening he made enquiries and thereafter sent 1,000 Dinars to them and told them to carry on their work. The Scholars used the money to build a Masjid and it became a place of study. 

 

Allah ta’ala provides in ways we cannot fathom. Therefore counsel is to use Salaat and Du’a for all our problems and not just for sustenance.

 

Quwwat from Allah ta’ala while Fasting 

The Prophet sallallaahu ‘alayhi wasallam fasted for days continuously; the people also did the same but it was difficult for them. So the Prophet sallallaahu ‘alayhi wasallam forbade them (to fast continuously for more than one day). They said, “But you fast without break (no food was taken in the evening or in the morning).” The Prophet replied, “I am not like you, for I am provided with food and drink (by Allah).”

 

From this we see that in the spiritual realms there are ways some people get Quwwat (Energy / nourishment). Allah ta’ala grants strength in unseen ways and we see this Ramadhaan that some people show so much energy even when fasting in long days and this is what the Prophet sallallaahu ‘alayhi wasallam is referring to in the Hadith that food is not the only way to get sustenance. 

 

Not to waste food

To use the nourishment and energy we get for doing good deeds. There is a saying, “The world is made for Insaan and Insaan is made for Allah.” Allah ta’ala gave us the whole world to nourish and sustain us and the reason is not just to enjoy this time in the world but to find Him and become closer to Him. We should make Du’a for that energy for the body and soul and to use it in doing good deeds, ‘Ibaadah, dhikr etc. We are all often tired with work, children etc. and knowing Allah ta’ala gives the energy has an effect psychologically.

 

Another counsel is that Allah ta’ala is absolutely الْمُقِيتُ but we should give sustenance, energy, strength etc. to the needy and vulnerable. Material help is easy but giving words of encouragement and advice can make a difference to a person who has hit rock bottom and lost hope in humanity. Sometimes love is more important than something materialistic so we should be Muqeet to people in a physical, emotional, psychological and spiritual way. 

 

We should ask Allah ta’ala for strength in all aspects and to be a means of it to others and the beautiful thing is if we become the source of strength for others, Allah ta’ala gives us strength too because we also feel weak. If we help others then Allah ta’ala will help us and keep our feet firm.

 

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