By: Wael Salma

No one can doubt about the great excellence granted by Allah to the glorious month of Ramadan; no can doubt about the happiness and gladness spread all over the world by the arrival of this great month. The heavy preparations and arrangements are the best to prove such matchless excellence. Yet the target of Ramadan seems to be transformed from an opportunity for getting rid of the responsibilities and miseries and for going beyond the sensual desires and earthly pleasures to a month increasing the horrible financial headaches and burdens upon the family. One can notice that Ramadan has been changed, for many people, into a month of aggressive consumption. This matter, as I think, should be considered over and over due to the grievously bad effects caused by our misunderstanding of this holy month.

Ramadan, in fact, is considered an opportunity to economically re-structure the home, family and the whole society. The nature of fasting is supposed to help to do that, turning the nutrition system from three meals daily to just two ones. The limited time for eating breakfast, Iftar, is meaningful; it is an opportunity for decreasing the rate of consumption, particularly we have become a people of mere consuming rather a productive one. Needless to say that the mania of purchasing leads to disturbances in the family economics, and resulting in financial and educational bad effects.

Oddly enough, there is a remarkable proportional relationship between Ramadan and the increase of consumption and spending, rather, of the overuse and extravagance the mass media still encourages by the persistent ads before and during Ramadan to the extent that the minds of many people are tempted to spend their money insanely.

The mania of purchasing and overuse are signs of shortcoming of our behaviors, requiring to be tackled properly. As a matter of fact, Ramadan is the vital opportunity to correct such behaviors if we regard it in the light of the prophetic guidance combining between the religious and economic dimensions. Additionally, the Islamic view towards the spending in the Muslim’s life is based upon the principle of sufficiency rather wasting or overuse.

On the other hand, benefiting from Ramadan in adjusting the rate of over-consuming can be attained through reasoning that a Muslim’ desires and needs can be satisfied morally not only materialistically. Ramadan can provide this kind of satisfaction if a Muslim make good use of its excellences. Reminding himself with the people suffering from starvation and rarity of water in different parts of the world, a Muslim will surely appreciate the unlimited blesses given by Allah, praying thankfully to Him and forbidding himself from wasting and felling the garbage containers.