Food Justice: An Islamic Obligation
Islam is built on three
pillars, Freedom, Justice and Equal Dignity.
The lives of all human beings must be free of oppression, duress,
injustice, discrimination, and disparate treatment. Such freedoms are essential for a human being
to be able to fully actualize his or her potential according the surah, the
blueprint or pattern upon which Allah SWT has created him or her. In the Qur’an, Allah SWT reminds us that the
fundamental purpose for which He created us is to worship him. This purpose lies at the heart of Islam,
surrender to Allah SWT.
In order to fulfill this purpose, Islam posits Five Pillars of Ibaadah or Worship; the Shahada or Witness, Salaat or Communion with Allah, Sawm
or Fasting, Hajj or Pilgrimage, and the pillar most often paired with Salaat,
Zakat.
Zakat means to purify. As Muslims, we are required to give 2.5% of
our total wealth each year to the poor, needy and deserving of support. We are also encouraged to spend even more of
our wealth to help others and to engage in ethical action, to put our faith
into action through jihad (striving according to the Path of Allah)[1]. Such charity purifies our wealth by reminding
us that our wealth is a gift from Allah, and that we should be grateful for
it. It also purifies wealth by keeping
our intentions in acquiring wealth, pure.
We are reminded that the
acquisition of wealth is only a means to an end and not an end in itself. Wealth allows us to provide for our needs,
and for the needs of our families, and we are also able to provide for the
needs of others in our communities. It
is a means for gaining the pleasure of Allah, and the pleasure of our whole
community, not just in some selfish way, but because it builds happy
communities from which we all derive joy.
And in keeping with this
focus on community relations, zakat also purifies our thinking about each
other. When the wealthy give their due,
willingly and whole heartedly, people will not feel ill will toward them. And the wealthy will not feel ill will toward
the less fortunate. Instead, they will
be viewed with compassion and brotherhood.
And neither will disparage the other because each is providing the other
a valuable opportunity to show patience, constancy, generosity, and
gratitude.
So we can see that social
justice lies at the very center of the Islamic faith. The Prophet SAW was greatly concerned about
the plight of widows and orphans in his society. He was appalled by the injustices perpetrated
against women, laborours, indentured servants and slaves. He strove all his life against these
injustices.
Allah SWT instructs us on the
ideal employment relationship in the Qur’an al-Hakim:
Al-Qasas 28:26 One of the two women said: O my father! Hire
him! For the best (man) that thou canst hire in the strong, the trustworthy.
27 He said: Lo! I fain would marry thee to one of
these two daughters of mine on condition that thou hirest thyself to me for
(the term of) eight migratory circuits. Then if thou completest ten it will be
of thine own accord, for I would not make it hard for thee. Allah willing, thou
wilt find me of the righteous.
28 He said: That (is settled) between thee and me.
Whichever of the two terms I fulfil, there will be no injustice to me, and
Allah is Surety over what we say.
In these ayaat from Surah al
Qasas, Allah SWT narrates to us something of the life of Moses AS. Moses came to Madian in the Arabian Desert, and found two women trying to water their flocks at
a well. The male shepherds were
preventing them from coming near the well. To prevent this injustice and
establish fairness on their behalf, Moses assisted them. One of the women was impressed by his
selfless action and good character, and advised her father, the Prophet Shu’ayb
AS, to hire Moses.
Their discussion reveals key
points in fair employment practices:
First, in the spirit of
justice, the employment agreement, job description, compensation and term of
employment should be clearly written out.
Islam prohibits gharar or uncertainty in contracts, and that includes
employment contracts.
Second, in the spirit of
equal dignity, workers should be treated with respect and dignity and no workers
should be treated unkindly. The Prophet
Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) said, "Your brothers are your
responsibility. ALLAH has made them under your hands. So whosoever has a
brother under his hand, let him give him food as he eats and dress as he
dresses. Do not give them work that will overburden them and if you give them
such task then provide them assistance" (Al-Bukhari).
Thirdly, in the spirit of
justice, workers should be compensated in a fair and timely manner. Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon
him) said, "Give to the worker his wages before his sweat dries" (Ibn
Majah)
Al-Araf
7:85 And unto Midian (We sent)
their brother, Shu'eyb. He said: O my people! Serve Allah. Ye have no other God
save Him. Lo! a clear proof hath come unto you from your Lord; so give full
measure and full weight and wrong not mankind in their goods, and work not
confusion in the earth after the fair ordering thereof. That will be better for
you, if ye are believers.
Food Justice in Islam
Here Allah SWT orders us to
what is referred to today as “Food Justice.”
Fourteen hundred years ago, we were ordered by Allah to give fair and
full measures of food stuffs, and not to wrong each other in what we are due as
to our provision, be it in food stuffs, as was common in the past, or in money,
as is common today.
What is most important is
that Allah SWT tells us that to not be just in these matters is a
crime. Wa la tufiduu fi al ard ba’da
islaahiha – do not commit crimes and cause disruption and disorder on the earth
after it is peaceful and well ordered.
Modern Food Justice brings
together concerns for healthy, natural, unadulterated foods; concerns for
economic justice; and concerns for social justice. Food justice includes the right to be able to
obtain healthy foods, free of chemicals and additives, and free of adulteration
at the macro level as well as on the level of their DNA. Food justice includes the right to a living wage for work in
industries that grow, harvest, process, store, prepare and serve food. Food justice also includes the right to have
safe working conditions in these industries.
And, perhaps most importantly, food justice includes the right to food security.
Certainly, Islam mandates
every one of these rights.
Through the Shariah law of
tahara or purity, Islam prohibits the addition of impure and dangerous
substances to food and water.
Islam also prohibits the
alteration of that which Allah SWT has created, as well as hiding defects in
goods. Hadith expressly forbid watering
down milk, not milking animals so they will look better before sale, hiding bad
or spoiled food stuffs in amongst the good ones, and other deceptive
practices. Hence, packaging which masks
the food, oils or wax that make the produce appear more shiny and ripe or more
appetizing, chemical additives and dyes that are designed to “puff” the product
and make it appear fresher, and other cosmetic practices are prohibited.
Sometimes additives and
coatings are added to help extend shelf life of products. Although this is not expressly forbidden
under Shariah law, it certainly would be a better policy not to market food
that is not native to an area or is out of season for an area. Having summer fruits in winter is a convenience,
but perhaps not as healthy as we imagine.
Allah SWT gave us His provision when He decreed to give it, and He is
the best to understand why He made grapes to grow in summer, and apples in the
fall. Allah Ta’ala Alam.
Islam also expressly
prohibits genetic engineering of anything.
Al-Nisaa 4:119. "I will mislead them,
And I will create
In them false desires; I will
Order them to slit the ears
Of cattle, and to deface
The (fair) nature created
By God." Whoever,
Forsaking God, takes Satan
For a friend, hath
Of a surety suffered
A loss that is manifest.
And I will create
In them false desires; I will
Order them to slit the ears
Of cattle, and to deface
The (fair) nature created
By God." Whoever,
Forsaking God, takes Satan
For a friend, hath
Of a surety suffered
A loss that is manifest.
Improving a plant or animal
through natural means, such as selective breeding, is beneficial, and has been
the long standing method for increasing yields, improving size and taste of
fruits and vegetables, and disease resistance and heartiness of plants and
animals. This method follows the natural
method used by Allah SWT to improve species.
Allah SWT states that He created male and female, and He is intimately
aware of all of His creation, including the smallest animal or insect, and
every seed or leaf that grows.
As for fair treatment of
workers, it is related on the authority of Ibn Majah (RA) that the Holy Prophet
(PBUH) said, “The wages of labour must be paid to him before the sweat dries
upon his body. “In another Hadith the Holy Prophet (PBUH) said, “It is the duty
of employer to take only such work from the employees, which they can do
easily. They should not be made to work so that their health is impaired.” The
Holy Prophet (PBUH) said: “He is not Momin (true Muslim) who eats full stomach
while his neighbour is hungry.”
Workers rights in Islam stem
from the belief that all people are equal. It does not make any difference to
what race they belong, what color they are, what country they come from, what
their gender is or what their occupation is. Young and old, rich and poor,
white and black, citizens or foreigners with legal work permits are all equal;
and they all should be respected, honored, and treated equally.
Almighty Allah SWT says: O mankind! We created you from a single (pair)
of a male and a female, and made you into nations and tribes, that you may know
each other. Verily the most honored of you in the sight of Allah is (he who is)
the most righteous of you. And Allah has full Knowledge and is well acquainted
(with all things)] (Al-Hujurat 49:13).
The wages should be
reasonable — commensurate with time, skills, and the labour involved. Thus,
Islam mandates a living wage. Wages have
to be settled at the time of employment and paid “before the sweat of the
workman dries up” (promptly). Employees are not to be burdened with excessive
workload beyond their capability as Shoaib (A.S.) said while employing Musa
(A.S.), “...I intend not to place you under difficulty. Allah willing, you will
find me one of the righteous” (Al Qasas:27). In the words of the holy Prophet
(SAW), “A worker is a friend of God.”
(From Labor Dignity in the Eyes of Islam, Imran Mangrio,
hamari.web, http://www.hamariweb.com/articles/article.aspx?id=6970
(Accessed 9/28/2014).
Finally, Islam absolutely and unequivocally mandates food security. The Pillar of Zakat requires us to provide food or the means to obtain food to those who are unable to provide it themselves.
Finally, Islam absolutely and unequivocally mandates food security. The Pillar of Zakat requires us to provide food or the means to obtain food to those who are unable to provide it themselves.
Zakat lies at the heart of
the Islamic Capital Flow Economic system.
It encourages the productive movement of resources in the economy, and
discourages any form of hoarding or excessive accumulation of capital. Such
accumulation, of necessity, will remove resources from someone’s hands, and
increase poverty and food injustice. The
Islamic economic system, then, promotes economic justice and food justice by
circulating the wealth and ensuring that those, who are unable to obtain food
and necessities through their own efforts, are able to do so.
Ibn Khaldun, in his Muqaddimah,
and later Abraham Maslowe, in "A
Theory of Human Motivation,” both
identify food as a fundamental necessity of human life, along with water, air. These physiological needs are of critical importance,
as are the need for shelter and clothing, and the need for sex. No human being should be denied these needs,
and the since humans are social, our societies are charged with assisting us in
meeting these needs.
This is why under Shariah
law, if a person is compelled to steal food to feed himself and his family, he can
not be held accountable. The Hadd
punishment for theft, mandated by Allah SWT in the Qur’an, will not be imposed
in such a case, and the person will not be punished. In fact, it is the government leaders who are
to be punished for failing to provide that person zakat support.
I remember years ago, the US sent the starving people of Biafra, a small African region, Gerber baby food and Jello. Every year Muslims send out millions of tons of tinned meat – beef, lamb and goat.
Let us not forget that Islam called humanity to justice 1400 years ago. We should be the first in this movement toward food justice. We should be the first to call for economic justice, food justice, environmental justice, employment justice and every other form of resistance to the culture of selfishness and greed that acts as a parasite on the majority of the population of this planet.
Allahumma, aghfi lilmuslimeen wa almuslimaat, wa almu’mineen wa almu’minaat il-ahyaa’a minhum wa al-amwaat, innaka sami’u qareebun mujeebu udda’awaat.
[1] For a
full explanation of the term “jihad,” please refer to other articles on this
topic. Jihad means to strive, and in
Islam, it means to strive according to the ethical teachings of Islam. There are three forms of jihad; jihad of the
soul, jihad of the mind, and jihad of the body. Although the physical jihad may include countering
violence with equal violence, harb or war is expressly forbidden. The ends do not justify the means in Islam;
therefore, if a course of action is not effective or would cause greater harm,
it must be abandoned. Physical jihad
more correctly includes doing charitable works, such as building houses or cooking
for the poor or other physical acts that help others.
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