FROM FEEDING TO FLOURISHING: AN AL-FĀRĀBĪAN EXAMINATION OF SUSTAINABILITY, EMPOWERMENT, AND TAWHIDIC ETHICS IN URBAN COMMUNITY FOOD INITIATIVES

Abstract

Urban hunger has intensified despite substantial economic growth, with global data revealing a sharp rise in food insecurity driven by climate disruptions, economic volatility, and systemic inequalities. In large metropolitan areas, B40 communities face acute challenges accessing nutritious food, dignified employment, and stable livelihoods, despite the presence of charitable efforts such as soup kitchens, rumah makan, and food banks. While these initiatives provide immediate relief, mounting evidence shows that feeding alone is insufficient to address entrenched poverty. Drawing on al-Fārābī’s philosophical vision of the virtuous city and the Tawhidic principles of niyyah, barakah, and maṣlaḥah, this study explores how urban community food initiatives sustain themselves through adaptive fundraising, volunteer mobilisation, and spiritually grounded motivations. Using a qualitative case study involving donors, volunteers, and beneficiaries of the mKitchen initiative, the research investigates how charitable food systems transition from short-term relief toward empowerment pathways such as micro-entrepreneurship, skills development, and social cohesion. The findings underscore that long-term solutions require a synthesis of compassion, structural reform, and ethical stewardship. Ultimately, sustainable food assistance must become a platform for human capability-building, economic inclusion, and community flourishing aligned with al-Fārābī’s conception of a just and purposeful society.