Starvation can never be justified
Islamic teachings are unequivocal on the matter of sustenance. In Surah al-Aʿrāf, Allah commands:
“Do not spread corruption on the earth after it has been set in order” (7:56).
Corruption, or fasād, takes many forms, and one of the gravest is denying people the means to survive. Provision is part of the divine balance, and Allah has introduced Himself in the Qur’an as Rabb al-ʿĀlamīn, the Lord of all worlds. The word “Rabb” carries the meaning of One who nourishes, sustains, nurtures, and looks after every aspect of creation, from the birds and the fish to insects and large animals. He is the Lord not only of believers, but of all people, regardless of colour, race or faith – even those who challenge His authority.
Allah ﷻ is Ar-Razzāq, the Ultimate Provider, and He has guaranteed sustenance for all of His creation. This is why the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ warned so strongly against the mistreatment of even the smallest creature. In a famous narration, he said:
“A woman entered the Fire because of a cat. She locked it up and neither fed it nor let it roam free to eat from the insects of the earth.” (Bukhari and Muslim)
The hadith does not mention that the woman was a disbeliever, nor that she committed any greater crime, it was her treatment of a defenceless animal, her neglect of its need for food and freedom, that was sufficient for punishment. Scholars, such as Imam al-Nawawī, Ibn Ḥajar al-ʿAsqalānī, and Ibn Baṭṭāl, interpreted this hadith as a severe warning against all forms of cruelty and neglect, even if the victim is an animal.
All human beings are equal. They all have the same needs. No human being, no government or power, has the right to obstruct the provision that Allah has decreed. When such provision is deliberately withheld from people, whether through blockade, siege, or the denial of aid, it constitutes an injustice that runs contrary to the mercy and balance that Allah has placed upon the earth.
What we are witnessing today, particularly in Gaza, is a modern tragedy that raises deep ethical and spiritual questions. A population is enduring extreme deprivation not due to natural disaster, but because of man-made restrictions that deny them food, medicine, clean water, and shelter. This is not only a humanitarian issue; it is a theological and moral crisis.
When we reflect on this hadith in the context of our present reality, the parallels are sobering. In Gaza, civilians, including children, the elderly, and the vulnerable, are facing starvation in the 21st century. They are not merely neglected, but actively denied the means of survival. Aid trucks are blocked or heavily limited. Farms and food warehouses have been destroyed. Medical infrastructure has collapsed under siege. This is not a case of limited resources or unavoidable crisis, it is entirely preventable.
The ethical implications are immense. The starvation of civilians, especially when used as a method of warfare, is a breach not only of human rights law but of conscience. International humanitarian law, particularly the Geneva Conventions, forbids starvation of civilians as a tactic of war. More importantly for believers, the Qur’an and Sunnah emphasise the sanctity of life and the duty to preserve it. To knowingly contribute to the starvation of a population is to challenge that duty and defy divine mercy.
Despite widespread awareness of the crisis, many governments and institutions have chosen to remain silent or offer only symbolic gestures. While statements and token gestures to drop aid are made, the reality remains unchanged. The scale of humanitarian need is vast, some estimates suggest over thirteen hundred aid trucks per day are required to meet basic needs, yet only a fraction are allowed through. For those on the ground, these delays and restrictions are not political statistics, they are a daily struggle for survival.
What then is the moral responsibility of those who witness such events? The Qur’an teaches us that silence in the face of oppression, when one has the means to speak or act, is complicity. To be neutral in the face of starvation is to endorse it. Every human being has the right to food, water, and dignity, a right that no one has the authority to revoke.
In Islamic law, the deliberate starvation of a civilian population is a grave sin. Contemporary scholars have described it as a form of fasād fī al-arḍ, corruption on the earth, and a breach of divine justice. It is our collective responsibility, as an Ummah and as part of the global human family, to raise our voices against such injustice and to work, in every lawful and peaceful way, to bring relief to those suffering under it.
If a woman was condemned for starving a cat, then how can the systematic starvation of tens of thousands of human beings be met with silence? If Islam teaches us to care for even the smallest and weakest of creatures, then it demands even more care and concern for the oppressed among us.
The world cannot claim moral integrity while it turns away from the cries of the hungry. The sanctity of life, the guarantee of sustenance, and the obligation to uphold justice are not negotiable principles, they are divine commands.
Based on the Khutbah of Shaykh Haytham Tamim 1st August 2025