Wastage galore vs Tough realities : Let this Ramadan be different

 



Pls read,act & forward .......

 

Dear All, assalamu alaikum

Wastage (of food, precious drinking water, clothes, electricity...... valuable time) is now an integral part of our habits. Seldom do we think what it takes to produce these things and how many of our fellow humans dream just to have enough of these basic necessities. Come the blessed month of Ramadan and the wastage multiplies manifold! Beginning with food and drinks it encompasses everything we can think of. Garbage containers overflowing with varieties of food and drinks, clothes in good condition etc is a very common sight. Lavish iftar parties at home and restaurants are now part of life where more food is wasted than actually consumed.

In some affluent societies philanthropists and welfare organisations arrange for the distribution of iftar meals for the have-nots. A good gesture, indeed. However, out of generosity and for the sake of ease, they order for the food packets from famous restaurants and kitchens on bulk purchase basis. The packets, most of the times, contain more food than a person can consume and having no provision to store the left-over at his place, the poor consumer has no option but to leave it there to be thrown in the garbage. A really painful phenomenon.

Little do we realise that

• more than 25,000 persons die everyday due to hunger; about 18,000 of them are children
  
• more than a billion persons in the world are undernourished - not getting enough energy from their food. Some 850 million people go to bed empty stomach everyday
• A great many people depend on food collected from garbage dumps (watch the documentary http://www.cultureunplugged.com/play/1081/Chicken-a-la-Carte )
  
• millions of Muslims around the world do not have enough food to break their fast during Ramadan and have to wait for gifts and donations from other countries
  

• About 1 billion people around the world – many of them children – don't have access to clean drinking water

Ramadan is also the month of expressing our love to our family members by treating them with expensive clothes, shoes etc irrespective of whether or not they need these. And what about the furniture, the carpets, curtains etc? They too need to be changed to express our pleasure and to show our respect to the blessed month. Can there be a better way of doing so?

As for the time, we can't think better than passing it in sleep, watching serials (specially produced for the blessed month) and shopping.

Let this Ramadan be different.

Resolve:

1. That there will absolutely be no wastage of food or drinks (including water) this ramadan in your home
2. To curtail the quantity of food you would purchase during the month and keep it to what you and your family actually need. (Consuming excess food is harmful to your health. Avoid fast food and food from outside as much as possible.)
3. To find out people not having enough food to eat - Muslims or non-Muslims - and reach out to them with some help
4. To look for reliable charities who send gifts of food to other places and donate something
   
5. To cut down on the shopping of clothes, new furniture etc and pass on the saving to those in need near you or far away
6. To cut down on more than enough sleep, watching TV, unnecssary surfing the internet, spending time in malls and shopping centres etc and similar unproductive activities. Spend more time in reading (the Quran, Seerah, other useful material). 
7. Take out your zakat, sadaqat, etc early so that it reaches the needy in time
   

and finally
    8.    To spread the word.

With these measures, we can be more sure that our fasting and worships during the blessed month are accepted by Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala.  Please recall what His words :

1. "and eat and drink but waste not by extravagance, certainly He (Allaah) likes not Al‑Musrifoon (those who waste by extravagance)"
[al-A'raaf 7:31]

2. " Those who squander are the brothers of Satan, and Satan is most ungrateful to his Lord" (Qur'an 17:27)

Wishing you a spiritually fulfilling and rewarding Ramadan. May Allah accept our fasting, worships and prayers. Ameen. Please remember in your prayers our brothers and sisters passing through difficult conditions in different parts of the world.

M H Zulqarnain

You may also like to watch Moral Vsion's film Miskeen in Urdu/Hindi :
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fADs2ue-O8c&eurl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.dalitmuslims.com%2F2009%2F07%2Fneed-your-precious-time-for-deserving.html&feature=player_embedded

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