The Book of Foods

The basic ruling concerning them is permissibility, …

His statement, “Foods,” is the plural of food, and it includes everything that is eaten or drunk. That which is eaten being called food is self-evident. As for that which is drunk being called food, this is due to Allah’s saying:

“So whoever drinks from it is not of me, and whoever does not taste it is indeed of me.” [al-Baqarah 2:249]

Thus, He referred to drinking as tasting. Moreover, the one who drinks tastes the substance being drunk, so it is, in reality, food.

Know that a person’s need for food is evidence of his deficiency. This is why Allah, exalted is He, demonstrated that Jesus and his mother are not two deities by His saying:

“They both ate food.” [al-Ma'idah 5:75]

And He praised Himself for the fact that He feeds and is not fed:

“He feeds, and is not fed.” [al-An'am 6:14]

There is no doubt that needing food is a deficiency, because a person cannot survive without it. Yet not eating food is likewise a deficiency, because refraining from food is a departure from the natural disposition upon which he was created, and departing from one’s natural disposition is considered a deficiency.

Thus, if a person eats, he is deficient; and if he does not eat, he is deficient. Through this, the perfection of Allah, exalted is He, and the deficiency of all besides Him become clear.

A person is therefore in need of food, whether it is eaten or drunk. The basic ruling concerning it is permissibility, as the author stated:

“The basic ruling concerning them is permissibility.” That is, concerning foods. This is a matter upon which there is consensus, as indicated by the Quran in Allah’s saying:

“He is the One Who created