Say No to Wastefulness

As Islam is the perfect way of life, it enjoins its followers to maintain the world in perfect harmony without indulging in extravagance or wastefulness whether of some food or natural resources. It was but natural for Prophet Muhammad (may Allah bless and greet him) to attach great importance to natural resources like water besides having utmost concern for the welfare of mankind. He prohibited the excessive use of water even when taking the ablutions. Had he not taken so much care and not enjoined his followers to preserve water by avoiding its misuse, the world would have run out of this vital source of life decades and centuries ago.

It is due mainly to man’s forgetting of this Prophetic teaching and acting on his own that the planet is now facing the threat of water scarcity.

The Holy Prophet (may Allah bless and greet him) was also very much particular about pollution of water. He prohibited his followers to even bathe in standing water, not to say of making water in a water source. In a hadith reported in Sahih Bukhari the Holy Prophet said, “None of you should pass his urine or bathe in a water source.”

The Qur’an also lays stress on the importance of water cycle, the atmosphere vegetation, oceans, and mountains, in the life and well-being of humanity. As a result Muslims are enjoined to adopt an appreciative approach towards natural resources. They are taught to eat the fruits of trees without breaking their branches, and are encouraged to grow plants even if the Day of Judgment is approaching.