5 Powerful Islamic Concepts to Confront Excessive Consumerism
The contemporary world today is witnessing
a dangerous and unprecedented rise in the phenomenon of excessive consumption,
a trend that moved from the West to Muslim lands after our countries became
vast consumer markets, abandoning their roles in production, manufacturing, and
exporting, and settling instead for being mere recipients of whatever comes
from there — whether material products that drain the wealth of Muslims on what
is unnecessary and produced by Western hands, or even the importation of ideas
and following them. As the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) described, on the authority of Abu Sa`id (may Allah
be pleased with him), the Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “You will follow the wrong ways, of your
predecessors so completely and literally that if they should go into the hole
of a mastigure, you too will go there.”
We said: “O Messenger of Allah, (do you mean) the Jews and the Christians?”
He said: “Whom else?” (Al-Bukhari and Sahih Muslim)
And in another narration from Abu Sa`id Al-Khudri
(may Allah be pleased with him): “You will indeed follow the ways of those before
you, step by step and span by span, to the extent that if they entered a
lizard’s hole, you would enter it too.” (Sahih Muslim)
The public sphere has become filled with
commercial advertisements for new daily products, and materialistic tendencies
have spread throughout most homes, threatening the morals of the new generation
— in fact, the generation is now born into it. At this particular time, the
importance of the Islamic moral framework regarding consumption becomes
evident. It sets limits on consumption and connects it to the principle of
moderation, forming a Muslim who is conscious and responsible before Allah and
society.
First: The Concept of
Consumption from an Islamic Perspective
Islam is the religion of human nature; it
does not clash with the human self, nor does it restrain it from what Allah has
created it upon. Consumption itself is not forbidden because it is an innate
behavior consistent with human nature. A person naturally loves to acquire
things — perhaps to use them for greater physical or emotional comfort. One
loves to have a good mount that transports him from place to place; it may be a
simple car, then he begins to wish for a more luxurious and comfortable one. One
loves to have a home of his own, perhaps a modest apartment within his means,
yet he does not stop seeking to turn that apartment one day into an independent
house surrounded by a lush garden.
He carries a phone to communicate with
others, yet keeps dreaming of acquiring the latest version. He wears clothes
sufficient for summer heat and winter cold, but his eye is always on what is
newer and more expensive. This is the human being in all his worldly affairs.
Some are content with moving from one goal to another within the bounds of law,
shariah, and social norms. Others are not content, and their greed pushes them
beyond these boundaries, compelling them to unlawfully acquire what their desires
demand.
Here Islam regulates the process of
consumption according to the shariah. The Quranic text clarifies this issue and
balances it: You as a human love adornment, good food, drink, elegant clothing,
and fine places. Acquire what you wish within the Islamic framework expressed
in the verse: “Eat and drink, but do not waste.
Surely He does not like the wasteful.” (Al-A`raf
7:31)
Islam does not prevent enjoying blessings,
but it rejects turning them into a psychological burden that pushes one to
wastefulness, deceptive appearances, and competition over worldly possessions,
or to fall into what is forbidden or doubtful. The aim of consumption in Islam
is sufficiency, not boasting; moderation, not indulgence; aspiration, not
greed.
Dr. `Abdullah Ma`sar says: “Reviewing the
juristic heritage reveals what the major Islamic jurisprudential texts contain
of opinions and interpretations regarding consumption, arising from
understanding the texts and applying fiqh to reality to keep pace with life’s
developments.”
Second: The Value of
Asceticism and Moderation in Confronting Consumerism
Across the ages — especially in the modern
era when people have abandoned the original foundations of religion until these
values became strange among Muslims themselves — some introduced distorted
concepts of asceticism that repelled the world from Muslims. The latest of
these conceptual innovations occurred in one of the well-known mosques in our
Arab world under what is called a Sufi or Bedouin tariqah, involving strange
clothing and actions contradicting the creed of tawhid, attracting millions of
followers under the banner of asceticism and mysticism. Yet true Islam is
innocent of these displays.
True asceticism lies in the believer’s
heart. He carries it while building the world with his religious principles,
spreading them, teaching them to others. The world is in his hand, not his
heart; he possesses its luxuries but is not enslaved by them. Otherwise, to
whom would he leave them? Leave them to those ignorant individuals who repel
people from religion and claim to represent it? They corrupt minds and deform
hearts with actions Allah has sent down no authority for.
The Prophet (peace be upon him) embodied this concept — the best of examples. Anas
(may Allah be pleased with him) said: “The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) never
ate on a table, nor did he eat thin bread until he died.” (Al-Bukhari)
This was not poverty nor forbidding worldly
blessings, but a chosen moderation showing that one lives by what he truly
needs, not by everything he desires simply because he desires it.
`Umar ibn Al-Khattab (may Allah be pleased
with him) represented these meanings brilliantly. As Commander of the Faithful
in a vast empire, his worth did not lie in what he consumed but in how he
governed that great empire without letting any part of it enter his heart. He
wore patched garments and ate bread and oil like the poor of Muslims. Jabir
(may Allah be pleased with him) said: ‘Umar saw meat in my hand and said: “What
is this, O Jabir?”
I said: “I desired meat, so I bought it.”
He replied: “Is it that whenever you desire something, you buy it? Do you not
fear this verse: ‘You ˹already˺
exhausted your ˹share of˺
pleasures during your worldly life, and ˹fully˺ enjoyed
them’ (Al-Ahqaf 46:20)?”
Consumption is a desire with no limit — it
must be disciplined and governed by religion.
Third: The Value of
Contentment as a Psychological Barrier to Wastefulness
Contentment is being satisfied with a
little, one of the greatest Islamic values that grants inner balance and peace
against material temptations. The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “Wealth is not in having many possessions, but
rather (true) wealth is feeling sufficiency in the soul.” (Al-Bukhari
and Sahih Muslim)
The content person never feels poor, for he
is sufficed by what he has rather than what others possess. His eyes are not
constantly wandering, as Allah says: “Do not let
your eyes crave what We have allowed some of the disbelievers to enjoy; the ˹fleeting˺
splendour of this worldly life, which We test them with. But your Lord’s provision ˹in the
Hereafter˺ is far better and more lasting.” (Taha 30:131)
Thus the believer is freed from endless
comparison with those who wander the earth consuming without need, following
the example of his Prophet and his Companions.
Fourth: The Value of Social Solidarity and Reducing Class
Divides
The Islamic economic system is founded upon
principles different from other systems — whether capitalism, concerned only
with the interests of the wealthy even if others perish, or socialism, which
undermines private ownership and leaves no motivation for work or striving.
Islam instead begins with:
“the need for social solidarity to achieve
justice in the distribution of income and necessities within the standard of
sufficiency that lifts individuals out of poverty.”
Islamic values do not stop at regulating
individual consumption; they link economic behavior to social responsibility.
Zakat, charity, and spending in the path of Allah are practical mechanisms to
reduce class disparities caused by excessive consumption. They are rights of
the poor, not favors. Allah says: “And in their
wealth there was a rightful share ˹fulfilled˺ for the
beggar and the poor.” (Adh-Dhariyat 51:19)
And: “The
example of those who spend their wealth in the cause of Allah is that of a
grain that sprouts into seven ears, each bearing one hundred grains. And Allah
multiplies ˹the reward even more˺ to
whoever He wills…” (Al-Baqarah 2:261)
And: “And
donate from what We have provided for you before death comes to one of you, and
you cry, ‘My Lord! If only You delayed me for a short while, I would give in
charity and be one of the righteous.’ But Allah never delays a soul when its
appointed time comes…” (Al-Munafiqun
63:10-11)
Here, consumption becomes a powerful social
value, when spending serves a social role unprecedented in history except in
the Muslim community.
Fifth:
Self-Accountability and Intention in Consumption
Among the mercy of Allah to Muslims is that
a good intention transforms ordinary actions into acts of worship. Spending has
been connected to worship until it became among the most beloved deeds to Allah
— if directed correctly to benefit Muslims, especially the poor. Thus
intentions must constantly be renewed whenever one extends a hand to help, even
with a little.
The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “Man's feet will not move on the Day of
Resurrection before he is asked about his life, how did he consume it, his
knowledge, what did he do with it, his wealth, how did he earn it and how did
he dispose of it.” (At-Tirmidhi)
Self-accountability is therefore required
daily, even with each earning or consumption decision. Allah is pure and
accepts only what is pure. Even if one were to spend the wealth of the whole
world from unlawful sources, it would be rejected.
In conclusion, confronting excessive
consumption cannot be achieved by economic or social measures alone. It
requires the reactivation of the Islamic value system once again.
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References:
[1]
President of the Dras Ibn Ismail Center for Approximating the Madhhab, Creed,
and Conduct — ar-Rabita Al-Muhammadiyya lil-`Ulama
[2] Al-Muwatta’ by Imam Malik, p. 936
[3] Ekhlaas Baqir An-Najjar, Iraq, University of Basra, College of
Administration and Economics, Department of Financial and Banking Sciences
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