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Feeding the poor and the needy

By FinalCall.com News | Last updated: Jul 31, 2014 - 4:35:57 PM

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Muslim women in the Nation of Islam distribute food and water in Chicago.

CHICAGO - The Believers from the Nation of Islam’s flagship Mosque Maryam spent recent Sunday afternoons feeding some of the city’s homeless people near a downtown mission.

“Feeding our people today with the Believers from Chicago was and is always a blessing,” said Carmella Muhammad, who organized the effort with Lee A. Muhammad. Last year the duo and other Believers went out to feed those who are less fortunate.

This year the effort coincided with the month of Ramadan, the Islamic holy month of fasting and prayer which includes a special focus on feeding the poor.

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“Today with so many sisters, brothers and Student Minister Ishmael Muhammad on deck was an unbelievable high. All I heard was ‘this is from the Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan.’ I want to thank all the Believers and especially Minister Farrakhan for planting the seed of love for our people in us and now watching that seed blossom into genuine Love for our people,” she said July 27. “For those that don’t know, we gave food to all not just Black people but to all. The true work of Jesus is not in the mosque or church but in the streets among the people. May Allah bless us all for our efforts and our duty. There is a field out there for the wide awake man and woman. Let’s go after our people,” she said.

The men of the Nation, the Fruit of Islam,  also gave away copies of The Final Call newspaper as many people said they needed something to read. One man stopped Final Call editor Richard B. Muhammad, who handed out newspapers, food and water,  and said, “Thank you Brother Editor.”

The Muslims also distributed toiletries and plan to regularly return and help those who need it. The homeless included men, women and mothers pushing babies in carriages.

“(The righteous are those) who feed the poor, the orphan and the captive for the love of God, saying: ‘We feed you for the sake of God Alone; we seek from you neither reward nor thanks,’ “ notes the Holy Qur’an, chapter 76, verses 8-9.

“On any given day, a staggering 870 million people worldwide do not have enough food to eat, and the religion of Islam works to combat that staggering statistic. Feeding the hungry and helping the poor is an integral part of the Islamic faith. …Throughout the Holy Qur’an and hadiths, which are a collection of sayings and actions of Prophet Muhammad, the Muslim is called to feed the hungry and help those in need, regardless of race, religion or background,” wrote Homaira Shifa on “Importance of Feeding the Hungry in Islam” published online by Demand Media.