His Eminence the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar Al-Sharif and Chairman of the Muslim Council of Elders (MCE), Prof. Ahmad Al-Tayyeb, said: “Scholars have agreed that there are no synonymy in the beautiful names of Allah. Each name has attributes and characteristics that distinguish it from others, even if they are similar. For example, Ar-Razzaq (the Provider) and Al-Muqeet (the Sustainer), despite their similar meanings, each has its own attributes and independent effect. The name of Allah, “Ar-Razzaq” refers to all types of provision, such as money, housing, health, rain, good things, and other diverse and abundant types of provision. As for Al-Muqeet (the Sustainer), it means sustenance, and it is divided according to its recipient. Sustenance for bodies is food, sustenance for souls is knowledge and science, and sustenance for angels is glorification of Allah, in accordance with the Almighty’s saying: ‘They glorify Him day and night, never wavering’ (Quran, 21:20). Sustenance can either mean food, in the literal sense of the word, or it can mean knowledge and glorification, metaphorically.”

During his talk today in the tenth episode of his Ramadan program "Imam Al-Tayyeb" for 2025, His Eminence explained that the servant has a share of Allah's name Al-Muqeet by emulating the morals of this name as much as possible, and to the extent that his human nature can bear. The servant's share of this name is to offer food for the hungry and needy, and to give them charity from his food, sustenance, and money, and not abandon them to beg and ask others if he is wealthy. However, if he is knowledgeable, his share is to nurture the minds and souls of others with his knowledge. This is the meaning of what is mentioned in the saying of our Prophet (PBUH) in his miraculous hadith: “Whoever has an extra mount should offer it to him who is without it, and whoever has surplus food should give it to him who has nothing.”

His Eminence concluded that we are now in dire need of understanding the meaning of this prophetic hadith and applying it to save humanity from a moral crisis that has never been experienced before. He added that we find countries that are extremely wealthy, affluent, and extravagant, while others suffer from need and poverty and cannot find their sustenance, as is the case in Gaza. He asked Allah to save Gaza from its crisis. His Eminence pointed out that Avicenna summarized this issue by saying: “Were it not for food and drink, nobody would remain, and were it not for knowledge, no soul would be able to thrive.” A soul without knowledge is a dead soul.