Br. Mohammad Habib Ullah

“I don’t like this!” , “Mommy, this tastes nasty”,  “Just throw it out!” These are some of the things we hear in everyday life and even in the month of Ramadan and at the time of Eid. We act like it is nothing to commit such a sin. Are we that low that we disrespect what we have been blessed with? There are many really good reasons for not throwing out and wasting food, but there are 3 that stand out of them all. 

First and foremost, wasting food shows disrespect. Disrespect of money, oneself, and mostly of Allah. By wasting food, you are throwing away your money – the same money that you have earned after working long painful hours. So this means that you are disrespecting yourself, and if you disrespect yourself, how can anyone else respect you? Above all, you are disrespecting Allah, because he has provided and continues to provide all living beings with everything they have and need to live. So, by throwing away that food, you are upsetting yourself, and most of all Allah.

Obviously, when you upset Allah, there is always a price you have to pay. One of the greatest sins is to throw away and waste food, therefore it has one of the severest punishments. In Allah’s view, you have disregarded and disrespected his generosity towards you and have thrown it away as if it is of no value. This angers Allah, and that’s why he has established such a great punishment for people who waste food. If you have thrown out and wasted food, seek forgiveness and mercy from Allah and Inshallah you will be forgiven. 

Thousands and thousands of people are suffering and dying because they have nothing to eat or drink. Did you know that, according to a report, every 10 seconds a human being dies of hunger? Let’s see now; that’s at least 4 people dead since you started reading this report. In every one of our morsels, a person can survive for at least a day. But we throw it out instead of thinking about making less food or taking less. Just think: every time you throw out a dish of unwanted food, you are throwing away the life of a human being.

In conclusion, I want to leave you with the thought that we should plan ahead and organize things such as dinners and big gatherings so that they are better organized. Because it is in these gatherings and dinners that people throw away food, so try not to force a person to eat too much and if you are serving, don’t serve too much, because coming for a second time is better than wasting.