COVID -19 ” A curse or a blessing” as Elizabeth Gilbert said “I am a better person when I have less on my plate.”

In the stillness of life, amid the silence of the environment, among-st the calmness of the busy roads, one can observe the hidden treasure of the inner activities. One great inner activity is practicing gratitude for what we have. We have a great opportunity to be grateful for everything available to us. If we have food on our plate we should remember that there are so many people standing in the queue holding plates, waiting, to be filled by the grace of Allah Taala. Our life and thinking are designed and conditioned to blame and complain about what we don’t have. Instead of complaining it’s time to be obliged for his blessings. Allah Taala`s reward multiplies when a human being extends his hand for lending food to those who need it the most.
Among-st us, few people don’t even know what they will get the next day to feed their family. The current situation has shown us the true value of the food. Nothing can be more important than food in life. As it’s said We never miss the water until the well runs dry!
One day I asked the garbage collection van employee, do you see food wastage nowadays? His gaze towards me answered my question. 
But this incident has a surprising twist, on the contrary, food wastage during COVID-19 is high. This fact will blow our mind that, the reason for wastage is lock-down. Owing to the prolonged shut down of supermarkets, vegetables are getting rotten. In USA gallons of milk have been thrown into pits.

See: https://www.foodandwine.com/news/food-waste-coronavirus-covid-pandemic

I was wondering why during this situation also food has been wasted? Why all efforts of mankind to provide food are going in vain. Then I realized that  Allah Taala has divided livelihood and sustenance (risq) from the birth of the human till his death. Although good deeds can sometimes change destiny.

We see two kinds of people during the current situation! One, roaming on the street seeking to buy food stock and not getting enough of what they required. Then returning home mostly convinced and satisfied by what they found. Second, whose condition is impoverished because of the current pandemic, who is hardly able to meet and fulfill his basic necessities. If, both find someone who helps them in this situation will be like an angel to them who descended from the sky to feed them. 

This pious and virtuous initiative is taken by His Holiness Dr. Syedna Mufaddal Saifuddin tus. The “community kitchen” is already feeding mankind. During the current situation, this organization supplied food stock and ration to the community and others. This is the epitome of serving mankind.

Honorable Prime Minister Mr. Narendra Modi appreciated the community kitchen a couple of times in his speech. 
He himself has taken a keen interest in supplying food materials to all and insisted citizens also to participate generously in this pious cause.

Honorable Prime Minister of India at a religious congregation in Indore

Community members serving Medical staffSo, we can conclude that any luxury of life will perish if food is not available. This is a time to take a pledge that “in life, we will not waste the food”. And we will remain relentless in the crucial situation also. 
Our religious teaching has always emphasized on consuming food only for the sake of survival. Food is not a luxury to be enjoyed rather it should be consumed just to remain alive. 

Consuming food just for existence is a great notion to be practiced for achieving contentment. All human activities are for the sake of food, and food is one of the integral components for survival. 

May Allah bestow us the divine insight to understand his blessings and give us sacred prudence to act accordingly.