Salamun alaykum,
End of Lockdown 2:
The shopping centres, roads and homes are adorned with Santa Claus, sparkling tinsel lengths, twinkling lights and festive decorations. With the end of the Lockdown 2, more people can be seen out and about in the city. A major activity during this time is shopping for gifts and food for celebrating Christmas holidays.
More for a lesser price:
All around businesses have set up glitter and twinkling lights displays for drawing attention to special items: # because it’s Christmas! In the various stores / supermarkets, as one walks the aisles between the shelves stacked with mince pies, puddings, food and fruits, it has become common to see attractive posters announcing budget offers, multi buy savings, buy one - get one free, or roll over, prices reduced notices.
What is the effect?
These colourful displays announcing figures of reduced prices do attract one to buy the items on offer. Not to mention the psychological impact due to the background jingles / music prompting one to shop. Without a further thought as to whether there is need for the item or need for purchasing the larger quantity, the shopper picks up several items on offer and places them in the shopping trolley. All this is under the impression of saving money and getting more food or fruits for a lesser cost. Delighted at the bargain in the trolley, the shopper walks to the checkout.
Later at home, after some days it turns out that a number of the food /fruit items bought are not consumed. Having reached the best before / expiry date these foods are then thrown as waste in the bin.
Have you sometimes found yourself in this type of situation?
Huge Food Waste:
The UK's Institution of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE) reported that between 30% and 50% or a 1.2-2bn tonnes of food produced around the world never makes it on to a plate. This means that as much as half of all the food produced in the world – equivalent to 2bn tonnes – ends up as waste every year.
Do you realise that this is food that could be used to feed the world's growing population – as well as those in hunger today. It is also an unnecessary waste of the land, water and energy resources that were used in the production, processing and distribution of this food.
In an analysis by IMechE, some of the reasons for this enormous figure of waste are due to unnecessarily strict sell-by dates, buy-one-get-one free deals and Western consumer demand for cosmetically perfect food, along with other reasons.
Sheikh Fazle Abbas Datoo
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Resident Alim
Wessex Shia Ithna Asheri Jamaat
What has one done?
By taking up the attractive sales offers one has contributed to wasting –asraaf- of the food. To do asraaf is strictly prohibited in Islam.
“....and eat and drink, but do not waste; Indeed, Allah does not like the wasteful.” Sura al A’araaf 7:31
Reflect: The shopping urge:
Do you ‘live’ by this verse?
How will you put into practice the above verse when you go shopping next time?
Is prohibition for asraf only with regards to food?
In addition to food and water do you apply the above verse for other items such as clothing, shoes, furniture, kitchen appliances, electronic gadgets and other personal items?
Wa ma tawfiqi illa billah.
With salaams and duas,