God says
….eat of their fruit when it comes to fruition, and give [unto the poor] their due on harvest day. And do not waste [God’s bounties]: He does not love the wasteful! -- Q.6:141
O children of Adam! Beautify yourselves for every act of worship ; and eat and drink [freely], but do not waste: verily, He does not love the wasteful! -- Q. 7:31
…. give his due to near of kin, as well as to the needy and the wayfarer, but do not squander [thy substance] senselessly.* Behold, the squanderers are, indeed, of the ilk [lit., “brethren”] of satans – inasmuch as Satan has proved to be most ungrateful to his Sustainer. -- Q.17:26,27
*It is to be borne in mind that the term tabdheer does not relate to the quantity but, rather, to the purpose of one’s spending. Thus, both Ibn Abbas and ibn Masud (both of them quoted by Tabari) defined tabdheer as “spending without a righteous purpose” or “in a frivolous (baatil) cause”: and Mujahid is reported to have said, “If a man were to spend all that he possesses in a righteous cause, it could not be termed as squandering; but if he spends even a small amount in a frivolous cause, it is squandering.”
….eat of their fruit when it comes to fruition, and give [unto the poor] their due on harvest day. And do not waste [God’s bounties]: He does not love the wasteful! -- Q.6:141
O children of Adam! Beautify yourselves for every act of worship ; and eat and drink [freely], but do not waste: verily, He does not love the wasteful! -- Q. 7:31
…. give his due to near of kin, as well as to the needy and the wayfarer, but do not squander [thy substance] senselessly.* Behold, the squanderers are, indeed, of the ilk [lit., “brethren”] of satans – inasmuch as Satan has proved to be most ungrateful to his Sustainer. -- Q.17:26,27
*It is to be borne in mind that the term tabdheer does not relate to the quantity but, rather, to the purpose of one’s spending. Thus, both Ibn Abbas and ibn Masud (both of them quoted by Tabari) defined tabdheer as “spending without a righteous purpose” or “in a frivolous (baatil) cause”: and Mujahid is reported to have said, “If a man were to spend all that he possesses in a righteous cause, it could not be termed as squandering; but if he spends even a small amount in a frivolous cause, it is squandering.”
Yet we should remember verse 17:29 “And neither allow thy hand to remain shackled to thy neck (like a miser), nor stretch it forth to the utmost limit [of thy capacity], lest thou find thyself blamed [by thy dependents], or even destitute.” Also verse 25:67 “[the servants of Most Gracious are] those who, when they spend on others are neither extravagant nor niggardly, but hold a just (balance) between those (extremes).”
Prophet said
1. “(God disliked that you) squander possessions”– H: Bukhari and Muslim. N: Mughirah.
2. The Holy Prophet passed by Sa`ad while he was performing ablution and asked, “Why this extravagance?” Sa`ad enquired: Is there any extravagance in ablution? “Yes” said the Prophet, “Even though you may be doing it from a flowing rivulet.”-- H: Ahmed and Ibn Majah. N: Abdullah-b-Amr-b-al-‘Aas
Conservation of resources is stressed in Islam even if a resource is in plenty, as can be seen by the above verses as well as Prophet’s sayings.
Today the world is crying for conservation of food, water and energy. Muslims are bound by their belief to take the lead and set an example, wherever they are. It is their religious duty.
1. “(God disliked that you) squander possessions”– H: Bukhari and Muslim. N: Mughirah.
2. The Holy Prophet passed by Sa`ad while he was performing ablution and asked, “Why this extravagance?” Sa`ad enquired: Is there any extravagance in ablution? “Yes” said the Prophet, “Even though you may be doing it from a flowing rivulet.”-- H: Ahmed and Ibn Majah. N: Abdullah-b-Amr-b-al-‘Aas
Conservation of resources is stressed in Islam even if a resource is in plenty, as can be seen by the above verses as well as Prophet’s sayings.
Today the world is crying for conservation of food, water and energy. Muslims are bound by their belief to take the lead and set an example, wherever they are. It is their religious duty.
