The Western capitalist system has extensively expanded consumerism, which depletes incomes and eats away at savings on things that humans can really do without.
Colonial powers helped spread this system and pattern in countries worldwide, continuing to make these countries markets for their products and directly occupying their markets.
The outbreak of this consumerist pattern and the failure to abstain from it lead to people becoming enslaved by their desires, which they cannot restrain, curb, or refine.
This pattern is ancient in human history, but now it is a widespread phenomenon in all countries, involving the vast majority of people; for example, you find the penniless poor owning the latest mobile phones.
However, the Quranic principle relies on balance in life and enjoying life’s blessings without excess or neglect, and among these principles are:
- “And eat and drink, but be not excessive. Indeed, He likes not those who commit excess. Say, 'Who has forbidden the adornment of Allah which He has produced for His servants and the good [lawful] things of provision?'” (Al-A’raf: 31-32)
- “And do not make your hand [as] chained to your neck or extend it completely and [thereby] become blamed and insolvent.” (Al-Isra: 29)
- “And [they are] those who, when they spend, do so not excessively or sparingly but are ever, between that, [justly] moderate” (Al-Furqan: 67)
Similarly, the Sunnah, both in words and actions, emphasized this balance and that enjoying life is required, as it is a gift from Allah to His creation. However, it should not be an end in itself, distracting people from Allah, the Giver of blessings, and turning them from being servants of Allah to slaves of desires and pleasures. The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said, “Eat, drink, give sadaqa and wear clothes but with neither pride nor extravagance, for indeed Allah loves to see the sign of His Bounties on his slave.” (1)
Thus, if you wear the finest clothes without arrogance towards others, and without excessiveness beyond necessity, then you are within the permissible range. This is a way of showing gratitude for Allah's blessings and acknowledging them.
But if your main concern is working to acquire the most expensive clothes, foods, and drinks, then you are enslaved to such a low goal. The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) invoked against such people and said, “May he be miserable, the worshipper of the dinar and dirham, and the worshipper of the striped silk cloak. If he is given anything, he is satisfied; but if not, he is unsatisfied.” (2)
If these people increase in the Ummah, it is an ominous sign, indicating its moral decline and its abandonment of noble pursuits, nourishing instead desires that draw it closer to the animals.
These people, immersed in such pursuits, are in great evil, as the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said, “There will be men from my nation who eat a variety of foods, drink a variety of drinks, wear a variety of clothes, and are boastful in their speech. These are the worst of my nation.” (3) This is because whoever follows their desires and lusts without any restraints will lead them to extravagance and other evils.
In summary, food and drink are a human animal necessity, but some people from every nation have gone astray in them either: the miserly and stingy, or those who indulge extravagantly in physical pleasures, making it the sole purpose of their lives. They indulge by eating before feeling hungry, drinking without being thirsty, and exceeding the necessary amount in both eating and drinking, just as they do in other aspects of life. (4)
Amir al-Mu'minin, Umar ibn al-Khattab, considered it extravagant not to restrain oneself from their desires, saying, “It is extravagance for a man that he eats everything for which he has an appetite.” (5)
This perspective is what he tried to apply to his subjects, and it's revealed by a conversation between him and Jabir ibn Abdullah. Umar saw meat hanging from Jabir's hand and asked, “What is this, Jabir?” Jabir replied, “I desired meat, so I bought it.” Umar asked, “Whenever you desire something, you buy it?!” (6)
Balance and saving were prominent traits among the companions, as evidenced by the words of Amr ibn al-Aas when he said, “There are four things I will never be bored of: my companion as long as they understand me, my garment as long as it covers me, my mount as long as it carries me, and my wife as long as she is good to me.” (7)
Chasing after the temptation of consumption and excess beyond necessity is bound to lead people into dissatisfaction with their incomes, which do not cover their extra needs. They find themselves living in constant hardship, possibly falling into debts they cannot repay, which may lead them to imprisonment, or, at best, they find themselves trapped in a cycle of never-ending debt.
Thereby, they overlook the blessings bestowed upon them by Allah, always aspiring to those higher than them and desiring to be like them, often burdening themselves beyond their capacity. Hence, the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) advised: “Look at those who are lower than you (financially) but do not look at those who are higher than you, lest you belittle the favors Allah conferred upon you.” (8)
The culture of consumption and extravagance squanders rights, as money doesn’t go towards its necessary expenses optimally, but rather, its owner indulges in self-pleasure, marked by excessive selfishness, forgetting others and their basic needs.
So, moderation is the solution, and restraining one's desires has its fruits in both this life and the Hereafter. Meeting one's desires will never satisfy them, and they will become the enemy within.
The seeker of wealth knows where to put their money and how to preserve it to spend it optimally, as they have strived to gather it and wouldn't squander it on non-beneficial avenues.
The golden prophetic rule says that the one who spends without extravagance or miserliness will not be impoverished. (9) Hence, it is said: “A man's true friend is economizing, and his enemy is extravagance.” (10)
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(1) Narrated by Ahmad in Musnad Abdullah ibn Amr (6708), and its chain was graded as Hasan (good) by Shu'ayb al-Arna'ut.
(2) Narrated by al-Bukhari in the book of “Ar-Riqaq,” no. (6435).
(3) Narrated by al-Tabarani in al-Mu'jam al-Awsat, Hadith No. (2351) from the narration of Abu Umamah, and al-Albani classified it as Hasan (good) in Sahih al-Targhib wa al-Tarhib, (2/232).
(4) Tafsir al-Manar, (8/ 343-344), summarized.
(5) Islah al-Mal by Ibn Abi al-Dunya, p. 101.
(6) Zaad al-Maseer fi ‘lm At-Tafseer by Ibn al-Jawzi, (7/ 382-383).
(7) History of Damascus by Ibn Asakir, (183/46).
(8) Taken from a hadith narrated by Muslim in al-Zuhd wa al-Raqa'iq, Hadith No. (2963).
(9) Narrated by Ahmad in Musnad Abdullah ibn Mas'ud, Hadith No. (4269), and its chain was graded as weak by al-Arna'ut.
(10) Al-Taysir bi-Sharh al-Jami al-Saghir by al-Manawi (682/2).
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