8وَيُطعِمونَ الطَّعامَ عَلىٰ حُبِّهِ مِسكينًا وَيَتيمًا وَأَسيرًاMuhammad Asadand who give food - however great be their own want of it1 - unto the needy, and the orphan, and the captive,2Or, as in 2:176, "however much they themselves may cherish [i.e., "need"] it"; cf. also 90:14-16. It is to be noted that in this context the concept of "giving food" comprises every kind of help and care, both material and moral.The term asir denotes anyone who is a "captive" either literally (e.g. a prisoner) or figuratively, i.e., a captive of circumstances which render him helpless; thus, the Prophet said, "Thy debtor is thy captive; be, therefore, truly kind to thy captive" (Zamakhshari, Razi, et al.). The injunction of kindness towards all who are in need of help - and therefore "captive" in one sense or another - applies to believers and non-believers alike (Tabari, Zamakhshari), and apparently also to animals dependent on man.