The Provider

He who nourishes every creature.

The tongue

From r-z-q; rizq denotes all that sustains — bread, breath, knowledge, consolation. An intensive form: subsistence is continual.

The reason

Not a mouth is opened on earth for which He has not prepared its food. The ant beneath the stone is nourished just as the king is.

The Sufi meaning

There is a rizq of the body and a rizq of the heart. The second is rarer and more necessary: wisdom, presence, right encounters.

The servant's portion

Work for your subsistence, but without anguish; and be yourself nourishment for others — through your word, your time, your attention.