In Islam, there are many verses in the Quran and numerous hadiths on eating and matters associated with it. Food is seen as not only to fulfil one’s need or hunger, but also as something that benefits our physical, mental and emotional wellbeing. Additionally, food is also something that connects humans to The Creator through the sense of dependency, gratefulness and responsibility
But in some countries, a third of all food goes to waste. This has a negative impact on the environment and also goes against the teachings of Islam.
Allah command Muslims to avoid waste – “Eat and drink but waste not by excess, for Allah loves not those who waste.” (Quran 7:31) The Prophet (pbuh) encouraged people to avoid leaving leftovers, saying, “You do not know which part of your food carries the blessings.”
To avoid wasting food, Muslims must uphold the true teaching of Islam especially moderation in buying, preparing and eating food. In order to achieve that, planning what to buy and eat is crucial. We must have certain skills to manage our food. Thus, we should learn those skills in order to be a good consumer and to avoid wastage.
We must try our best not to waste food. Remember that it is not easy to produce food. There are people who endure hardship in order to provide the food on our table. Food is a blessing from Allah, thus do not waste it. Even more so in the glorious month of Ramadan, we must make an extra effort to avoid wasting food.
