“Right and graciously did her Lord accept her. He made her grow in purity and beauty; to the care of Zakariyya was she assigned. Every time he entered (her) chamber to see her, he found her supplied with sustenance. He said: “O Mary! Where from (comes) this to you?” She said: “From ALLAH, for ALLAH provides sustenance to whom He pleases, without measure”. {Holy Qur’an / 3:37} Narrated Uthmaan bin Affaan (RadhiyALLAHU Anhu): ALLAH’S Messenger (SalaLLAHU Alayhi Wa Sallam ) said, “There is no right for the son of Adam except to these (four) things. A house to live in, a cloth to cover therewith his private parts, a slice of bread and water”. [At-Tirmidhi) Upon analysis, we would come to realise that our sustenance gets to reach us from ALLAH in one of three possible ways. Either with means, or without means, and even against means. Because… ALLAH does!!! Proof of this can be found in manner in which ALLAH provided for Maryam (Alayhi Salaam), the blessed mother of Isaa (Alayhi Salaam), in terms of care, food and shelter. Without any effort on her part, she received shelter whilst in the custody of the prophet, Zakariyyah (Alayhi Salaam). He was entrusted with providing the means for her comfort and care. In terms of her provisions, against our perception of means, ALLAH provided for her from the unseen, even to the astonishment of Zakariyyah (Alayhi Salaam). The above-mentioned illustrates two ways how our sustenance can reach us, without means (effort) on our part, or even directly from ALLAH, through “sources we could never imagine”. Often in life, when we are unable, or not of ample means, to meet our needs, or fulfill our noble objectives, ALLAH opens the floodgates of His generosity, and lets it flow through the hearts of His trusted, chosen servants. I always maintain that kindness and generosity is one of the great bounties which ALLAH confers upon a person. Over and above the rewards we could receive from our acts of praise and worship, ALLAH presents further opportunities for “investment” through acts of generous benevolence. In a world of self-centredness, not many seize upon this opportunity, which holds “returns” that are out of this world. In further exploring the avenues of our sustenance, I continue with the third manner by which ALLAH provided for Maryam (Alayhi Salaam). In the moments that Maryam (Alayhi Salaam) was about to give birth to Jesus (Peace be upon him), she was in extreme pain. In her efforts to ease the pain, she held onto the trunk tree, a creation of ALLAH. This is symbolic of human nature. When in difficulty, we reach out to the creation of ALLAH for respite. It is at this moment that ALLAH Commanded Maryam (Alayhi Salaam) to shake the palm tree, and dates fell down for her to eat. He could easily have commanded the wind to shake the branches for dates to fall down, but some effort for her sustenance was required of Maryam (Alayhi Salaam), even at a time of extreme difficulty. The following verses of the Holy Qur’an clearly illustrate that ALLAH may allow us to experience difficulty, perhaps for reasons of personal growth. Yet still, even in difficult times, ALLAH does not abandon us and continues to generously provide for us from His limitless bounties. Then the pains of labour drove her to trunk of a palm tree. She cried,”Alas! I wish that I had died before this, and was a thing long forgotten”. So a Voice reassured her from below her, “Do not grieve! Your Lord has provided a stream at your feet. And shake the trunk of this palm tree towards you. It will drop fresh, ripe dates upon you. So eat and drink, and put your heart at ease…”. {Holy Qur’an /19:23-26} As believers we trust in the fact that not only is ALLAH the best of Providers, He is our Sole Provider. It is the spiritual disease of pride that often instils within us a further disease of arrogance when we attribute our successes to the efforts of our hands, and not completely to the Grace and Mercy of ALLAH. It is in this state of arrogance that man strays from modesty and moderation. Aameer-ul-Mu’mineen, Abu Bakr Sideeq (RadhiyALLAHU Anhu) eloquently stated, “The things of this world are(merely) a means of existence, and the best of such means are those that are moderate”. If we were take out time to reflect on the various bounties of ALLAH, as a sign of gratitude, we would adopt moderation in consumption. The sustenance which ALLAH provides is the means to an end… our end. Inna liLLAHI wa inna ilayhi raji’oon {Holy Qur’an / 2:156} “Then let mankind look at his sustenance. (and how We provided it). For that We poured forth water in abundance. And We split the earth in fragments, and produced therein grain. And grapes and nutritious plants, and olives and dates. And enclosed the gardens, dense, with lofty trees, and fruits and fodder, for use and convenience, to you and your cattle”. {Holy Qur’an / 80:24-32} Sustenance for all of creation has been pre-written. Written before it was bitten… by our father, Aadam (Alayhi Salaam). ALLAH favours without measure, by His Will and through His Pleasure, from the vastness of His Treasures. Being constant in the Remembrance of ALLAH is by far the best service which we can render unto ourselves. “…And whoever is mindful of ALLAH, HE will make a way out for them, and provide for them from sources they could never imagine. And whoever puts his trust in ALLAH, then He (alone) is sufficient for them. ALLAH achieves his Will. ALLAH has already set a destiny for everything. {Holy Qur'an / 65:2-3} I C A N (17 Shawaal / 6 April 2026)