Mawlana Sheikh Mehmed Adil. Translations.

وَأَنفِقُوا مِن مَّا رَزَقْنَاكُم (63:10) Allah, Azza wa Jalla, says: "Spend from that which We have provided for you." Allah, Azza wa Jalla, commands this so that it benefits both yourselves and others. Since we are currently constantly confronted with such situations, the brothers and sisters ask: "Should we stock up on supplies at home? How much should we have, and what should we do?" Mawlana Sheikh Nazim used to say: "Make sure you have supplies in the house." May Allah protect us, but you never know what is coming. Therefore, one should always have a supply for forty days or two months at home. To this, some might say: "But the food will eventually spoil." Exactly for this reason, you should pass them on to the poor and needy in a timely manner. This way, on the one hand, you secure yourselves, and on the other hand, there are many needy people waiting exactly for what you can spare. There are so many who depend on it. Therefore, it is a beautiful and sensible thing in every respect. Adhere to these blessed words of Mawlana Sheikh Nazim and safeguard your provisions. In the past, people in the village bought their flour, salt, and oil once a year. They stocked up on them as soon as they had sold their harvest, and it lasted for the whole year. People did not go shopping every day like today. Today, an expiration date is printed on the products; as soon as it is reached, everything goes straight into the trash. This is, to put it mildly, complete nonsense. Even salt has a best-before date printed on it. Yet salt does not spoil even in a thousand years. The same goes for honey. They print dates on some things that only unnecessarily lead to food waste. So give the things away before they expire. Because nowadays the poor – masha'Allah – often pay closer attention to the date than the rich. They throw it away without batting an eye and do not use it anymore. Yet you could easily continue to use the items. Even if one or two years have passed, there is usually nothing wrong with these products. For very few foods is it truly a concern. There are only very few things that actually spoil after the expiration date. But today we live in a veritable throwaway society – it is pure waste. They say: "The more you consume and throw away, the more the economy is stimulated." They have established a constant cycle of buying and throwing away. But where waste is involved, nothing good can come of it. Waste is never good. Blessings dwindle, and the livelihood of the people and the whole country decreases. Today's inflation and all the crises we are going through are a direct consequence of this waste. If people only bought what they really need without wasting, the whole country would be fine. There would be neither hardship nor poverty. This constant talk of "stimulating the economy" is merely an invention of the West. Basically, it just means: "Constantly shop, consume, and throw away." Because of this, prices have completely spiraled out of control; everything has become unaffordable. No one has any money left. By Allah, no one knows anymore how people are even supposed to make ends meet. But with Allah's permission, a solution is in sight. This situation will only turn for the better with the appearance of the Mahdi (peace be upon him). Because unfortunately, they have completely ruined not only the economy but everything else as well. Chaos reigns everywhere. Whatever you touch, it crumbles in your hands. They talk about things getting better, but there is neither any real improvement nor anyone who would even be capable of fixing it. Therefore, as I mentioned at the beginning: Spend good in the way of Allah. You never know what will happen next in this world. Therefore, always stock up on supplies for one or two months. Then, when the expiration date approaches, give it to the needy so that they can also benefit from it. This way, you attain a great reward, and their provision reaches them through your hands. Allah is the Provider (Ar-Razzaq); yet He makes you His intermediary so that you too share in the reward when His gifts reach the people. This is an immeasurably great grace from Allah, Azza wa Jalla. When you alleviate the hardship of another, it is in truth a great blessing and a favor from Allah for yourself. As it also says in a noble Hadith: "The giving hand is better than the receiving hand." Insha'Allah we will always be among those who give. May Allah make our blessings lasting. May He uphold our service. May the goodness, grace, and generosity of Mawlana Sheikh Nazim spread to all of us and everywhere, insha'Allah.