Explanation

We have already discussed the Qurʾānic verses that the author—may Allah have mercy on him—cited in this chapter. He then moved on to the prophetic reports, the first of which is the ḥadīth of ʿAbdullāh ibn ʿAmr ibn al-ʿĀṣ—may Allah be pleased with him—where the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) was asked, “Which aspect of Islam is best?”

Whenever the Companions—may Allah be pleased with them—posed such questions to the Prophet, they were not seeking information for its own sake; they wanted to act. As soon as he said, “Islam is such-and-such,” they would put it into practice and compete with one another to do so. Similarly, anyone who asks a scholar for a ruling should resolve in his heart that if the scholar directs him to some good, he will carry it out, just as the Companions did. He should not ask merely to see what the scholar knows.

The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) replied, “You provide food,” meaning to whoever is in need. The first people you are obliged to feed are your own household. Feeding them counts both as charity and as maintaining kinship ties, and it is better than feeding those who are unrelated, because feeding your family fulfills an obligation, whereas feeding outsiders is a recommended act. What is obligatory is more beloved to Allah than what is merely recommended, as He says in the sacred ḥadīth: “My servant does not draw near to Me with anything more beloved to Me than what I have made obligatory upon him.”