This phrase translates to “he doesn’t encourage the food of the needy”.
Ta’aamil Miskeen – The Distinction:
In this ayat, Allah (subhanahu wa ta’ala) used “ta’aamil miskeen” which means “food of the poor” and not “it a’aamil miskeen” which means “feeding the poor”. There is a very important distinction between the two. Allah (subhanahu wa ta’ala) used “food of the poor” to imply that the food actually belongs to them. If Allah (subhanahu wa ta’ala) would have used “feeding the poor” it would have implied that the food belongs to someone else, and we are feeding them.
The Quran’s Strong Stand Against Corruption
This is a very powerful commentary in the Quran. This is a very sharp criticism of the political corruption whose victims are everyone (including non-Muslims). The Quran has left us a legacy. We must stand up against the social, economic and political corruption even when the victims are non-Muslims. The dignity of every human being is the responsibility of the Muslims. Until this happens, we cannot say that we are people of the Quran. The problem of the ummah is that we are not living by the basic principles of this book.
Understanding Hadda:
“Hadda” means to “go out of one’s way to encourage”.
A politician or a public figure like Abu Lahab has a lot of influence. He can encourage the entire population to go one way or another with his speeches. Yet he doesn’t use his influence to do anything good. The reason he doesn’t do this is because he himself, despite having all the riches, is greedy and not charitable, and hence cannot ask others to be charitable.
Critical View on Leadership
This is another sharp criticism in the Quran about political corruption where there are leaders that have huge influence and choose not to speak about certain issues because the mirror will then reflect on them.
Meaning of Miskeen:
“Miskeen” is a combination of two things – “masaka means “to stop” and “sakana” means “to remain somewhere”. Hence, “miskeen” in Arabic is “someone who is in a difficult economic or political situation and cannot help his/her situation”. For example, a taxi driver that got sick and lost his eyesight and has no other means of living. This person is now stuck and would be considered as “miskeen”.
“Miskeen” is not just any poor person. It is the one who cannot help himself. For example, if you choose not to go to work and then you get bankrupt, then you are not “miskeen”.
Some more examples of “miskeen” include refugees, elderly people who do not have anyone taking care of them etc. These are people who cannot help themselves.
The moment people become “miskeen”, they become the responsibility of the society.
“Yateem” and “miskeen” keep coming together throughout the Quran.
Meaning of Ayat #3
That’s the one who does not encourage the food for the needy and does not use his/her influence to support the poor.