Quran’s Warning against Wastefulness
Israf means encroaching upon the limits in everything. Islam considers legally utilizing the blessings of God on earth to be Halal (permissible) but Israf and extravagance is Haram and forbidden. This is because every Muslim is responsible before his society in accordance with his abilities and the facilities he uses.
Those who are wasteful cannot fulfil their social commitments and responsibilities and therefore harm the society.
The Holy Quran beautifully points to this fact within the discussion about social issues, warning believers: “Give money for the cause of God but do not push yourselves into perdition. Do good; God loves the people who do good deeds.” (Surah Al-Baqarah, Verse 195)
According to this verse, if money is not spent on the path of God, for the benefit of the society and for removing people’s needs, the fate of the society and nation is destruction and annihilation.
God also warns in Verse 31 of Surah Al-A’raf: “Eat and drink, and do not waste. He does not love the wasteful.”
Another word related to Israf is Tabzeer (squander), which only refers to economic wastefulness. It means wasting money for one’s own affairs and does not include spending too much in charity.
About Tabzeer, God says in the Holy Quran: “Give to the near of kin, the needy and the destitute traveler their rights and do not squander. For the wasteful are the brothers of satan; and satan is ungrateful to his Lord.” (Surah Al-Isra, Verses 26-27)
