Islam has stipulated rules and restrictions that manage people affairs, guide them to live their life uprightly and spend on their needs moderately. Muslim is required to spend on his needs according to his financial capabilities with no excess or negligence.

Spending wastefully is considered as a deviation from the path that Allah has willed for humanity. The Almighty Allah said: “Indeed the wasteful are brothers of Satans” (Qur’an17:27) Spending wastefully has considerably contributed to the current condition of high living costs and has negatively affected human’s natural resources and human’s morality. 

Some people recklessly and wastefully spend on weddings, celebrations, brands and other luxuries for the purpose of show off. It is a wrong notion that person’s dignity and respect are measured by how much he spends. Before you spend wastefully and heedlessly, think many times about the future of your kids after you die. You would be more than wise to follow the Prophet’s advice which says: “For to leave your heirs rich is better than to leave them poor, begging of others.” 

We need to think about those who are in desperate need for something we all too often waste; such as wasting food, overuse of electricity, wasting water during car washing, dish washing, brushing teeth, or irrigating lands. The Prophet Mohammed (PBUH) instructed us the logical approach to sustainable use of water when he said: “Do not waste even if performing ablution on the bank of a fast-flowing large river.”  It is highly rewardable to preserve this water for a living thing; no matter a human or animal. The Prophet (PBUH) once said: “The best form of charity is to give someone water.”

To conclude, it is important to adopt sustainable practices of reducing consumption to preserve the natural resources for future generations. Remember that among the beloved servants of Allah are those who practice moderation and balance in their spending, as Allah says, “And those who, when they spend, are neither wasteful nor stingy, but choose a middle course between that.” (Qur’an 25:67)