بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
In the Name of Allah, Most Merciful, Most Compassionate
Assalaamu alaykum
Dear Friends
I pray that you are well.
Water is a tremendous blessing from Allah. Like all blessings of Allah, we must not waste it. Wastefulness (israf) means to consume wealth, to squander it, and to spend it on that which entails no real benefit, neither religious nor worldly (of that which is permissible). It is unlawful, a disease of the heart, and a vile trait. Sufficient for you is Allah’s statement, Glorious and Exalted:
إِنَّهُۥ لَا يُحِبُّ ٱلْمُسْرِفِينَ ﴿١٤١
Allah does not love the wasteful (141) [Qur'an, Al-An'am 6:141]
and
إِنَّ ٱلْمُبَذِّرِينَ كَانُوٓا۟ إِخْوَٰنَ ٱلشَّيَـٰطِينِ ۖ وَكَانَ ٱلشَّيْطَـٰنُ لِرَبِّهِۦ كَفُورًۭا ﴿٢٧
Indeed, the wasteful are brothers of the devils, and ever has Satan been to his Lord ungrateful. (27) [Qur'an, Al-Isra' 17:27]
With one-third of the world's population living in countries which are experiencing water shortages, it is unforgivable that so little is done to preserve this invaluable and life giving resource.
Freshwater is the single most essential good for our well-being. Like a giant engine working day and night, the water cycle and inherent ecosystems are the life support of the planet. More than one billion people worldwide do not have access to clean freshwater. Three billion do not have adequate sanitation services and the annual death toll from water-borne diseases is estimated at more than three million.
As individuals seeking to implement the sunna of the prophets and messengers (peace and blessings be upon them all) in our lives, we have a great responsibility on our shoulders to increase awareness of this threat and encourage others, starting with your family, to conserve water, even if you live in areas where water seems abundant.
The Prophet sallallahu alayhi wassallam once passed by Sayyiduna Sa`d and rebuked him for wasting water while performing wudu' (ritual purification).
He replied:
“O Messenger of Allah, is there wastage in wudu?”
“Yes,” said the Prophet sallallahu alayhim wassallam, “even if you are performing wudu' in a flowing river.”
It is disliked to waste water while performing wudu' even if you are doing so on the seashore or a riverbank. The river or the sea will not be affected even if you use a lot of water, but you will be affected. If you are excessive in your use of permissible things you will fall into disliked and dubious things and this will lead to forbidden things.
The Prophet sallallahu alayhi wassallam said:
“The one who falls into dubious things falls into forbidden things, like the shepherd who allows his flock to graze around a prohibited area. His flock is likely to stray into it.”
If you were to be deprived of water, you would die of thirst. This is so obvious but what are you doing about it?
The Prophet sallallahu alayhi wassallam once performed wudu' and washed each body part three times. He said: “This is my wudu' and the wudu' of the Prophets who came before me. Whoever does more or less has done something wrong.” It is recommended to wash each body part three times. To wash a fourth time is disliked. It is also disliked to wash less than three times.
The Prophet sallallahu alayhi wassallam said: “There will be people that go to an excess in their purification and in their supplication.”
The Prophet sallallahu alayhi wassallam used around 500 ml for his wudu' and around 2 liters for his ghusl. Waste is defined as usage beyond the extent of need or benefit. When at all possible, take wudu' using water from a small bucket. This not only get you the reward of following the sunnah, you also avoid wasting water especially when you use the tap and run it high.
Just as we should not waste water in wudu', we should not be wasteful in other things. We should only take what we need of the blessings that Allah has bestowed upon us.
Imam Ahmad bin Hasan al-`Attas said:
“We do not ask for a large amount of provision or a small amount. Rather we ask for what we need—no more and no less.”
He built a large house to accommodate his many guests. Other people copied him and built large houses. He built his house since there was a need to do so but they built their houses when there was no need.
Sayyiduna al-Hasan al-Basri said that he would enter the Prophet’s apartments and touch the ceiling with his hand. The people of al-Madinah wept when these apartments were removed so that the mosque could be enlarged.
Sayyiduna al-Hasan said:
“I wish that they had left them as they were, so that people could see how the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wassallam lived.”
When it comes to spending money for Allah’s sake there is no wastage. It has been said:
لا سرف في الخير كما لا خير في السرف
“Just as there is no good in wastage, there is no wastage in spending on good things.”
May Allah help us follow the footsteps of His beloved Messenger sallallahu alayhi wassallam and protect us from wastefulness. Ameen.
Allahumma salli 'ala Muhammad wa 'ala aalihi wa sahbihi wassallam.
And Allah alone grant success. And Allah knows best.
Wassalaam
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