Samin Shahryar
Frederick Law Olmsted
In Islam it is not acceptable to waste food. Allah hates when muslims around the globe waste food. People usually waste food by their choice, not eating or finishing a meal because of an issue, overproduction, and when a particular meal is left on a table or fridge and is left there for days. In the Quran it states that “It is not permissible to throw the food in the garbage. Doing so is considered as disregard for the blessings of Allah and a failure to comply with His orders.” Also the Awqaf officially stated that “…and eat and drink be not extravagant; surely [Allah] does not love the extravagant.” In Ramadan especially there is always a huge wastage in food because you will have family, friends, other family members, and distant relatives. The food should instead be devoured later or the next day, or even given to people who don’t have enough money for food like poor and homeless people. People who waste food shouldn’t be neglected, isolated, criticised, or get too harsh on. Instead you should advise them about this topic in an orderly manner. And I get it, it’s hard to see food being thrown into a trash can, but if you are respectful to the person who wasted food then Allah will love it and the person will hopefully understand your message. Shaikh Ahmad Al Qubaisi explained that one of the main conflicts stated in the Quran is extravagance and waste. In the Quran there is another line that states “Verily spendthrifts are brothers of the Evil Ones; and the Evil One is to his Lord [himself] ungrateful.” Wasting food is the same thing as living a life without food. Everything stated also goes for water and other liquid drinks we consume. Everybody in the world would die due to starvation because there is no food or water left. It’s better to finish a whole plate rather than wasting it because you should be grateful you are able to eat. There are thousands of people in the world who don’t have enough to eat or drink. So when wasting food, think critically about the outcomes.