What is the authenticity of the saying, "A morsel in the belly of a hungry person is better than building a thousand mosques," attributed to Sheikh Abdul Qadir Al-Jilani, and is it permissible to propagate it?
Source: FtawySummarized from the full answer at Ftawy · imported Sep 2, 2026
This statement is not attributed to Shaykh Abd al-Qadir al-Jilani by reliable authorities. The first part of it, "A morsel in the belly of a hungry person is better than building a thousand mosques," is not a hadith, and it carries its own falsehood within it, because the reward for a morsel in the belly of a hungry person cannot possibly be greater than building a thousand mosques. The rewards for deeds and the preference between them are based on transmission (naql), not on assertion without proof.
Summarized from the full answer at Ftawy · imported
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- Ftawy
- Original fatwa ID
- 160045
- Imported
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- Source text, unreviewed
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