Consumerism addiction is nothing new but it has evolved into a complete normalization in today's society. We all have our own personal spending habits and perspectives on money. There are people in certain countries that work long hours of hard labor to make just a few dollars a day, while others toss a few bills in a fountain for fun luck. Whatever the case is, we must remain mindful of the Islamic perspective on overconsumption with the aim to live moderately in all we do. The negative effects of overconsumption are boundless from social media addiction, negative shopping habits, environmental degradation, and overeating. As years go by, consumption rates get worse. Between 1970 and 2021, U.S. consumer spending has increased by 400% while the global population has only grown 60% meaning individuals are consuming more than they used to (sentientmedia). 

If we remain ignorant of the negative effects with even our smallest choices of waste, we'll never improve as a society nor protect the future generations. Hence, consumerism inevitably affects our Iman, so it is important to find moderation for the sake of our Deen. Prophet Mohammad (PBUH) forbade extravagance in consumption or any other form of luxury as he urged moderation in all aspects of life. No Muslim should fall into the mindset of over-consumption, hoarding wealth, and being greedy or stingy with others. A Muslim should be moderate in all things we do from eating, spending, and overall how we consume. A moderate life is a blanched one; therefore, underconsumption is key (and demure). Now let's see what that looks like…

Social Media

The quran mentions the importance of time and the need to avoid wasting it. 

“O Children of Adam! Dress properly whenever you are at worship. Eat and drink, but do not waste. Surely He does not like the wasteful”. Surah Al-A’raf 31

As we scroll for hours on TikTok or Instagram, it is easy to lose track of time and waste it on 10-20 second videos. However, social media is a thief of your time, so don’t let yourself fall into the trap of wasting it. 

Shopping

Package hauls every week, credit card debt, and the constant need to get the new trendy clothes or products is not healthy nor Islamic. We should aim to de-influence ourselves from the capitalistic “for you” pages filled with “hot deals” that social media ingrains in us from the second we open the app. Until then, we’ll always cloud our minds with clutter instead of being content and utilizing the clothes and products we currently have to the fullest. So, if you have every single shade of a hijab or closets that can never fit all of your clothes, try limiting the amount of stuff you keep with quality, and not quantity in mind.

Environmental degradation

We waste as easily as we breathe. American overconsumption is a major contributor to environmental degradation. The quran highlights principles that emphasizes conservation and reverence for living creatures. 

“No Muslim plants a tree or sows a seed and then a bird, or a human, or an animal then eats from it but that it is a charity for him”. (Ibn Kathir 2012, vol. 11, p. 6436)

Food

Eating to the point of getting a stomach ache and having to take pepto bismol is by no means moderation. Instead, eat healthy and until you're content. As overconsumption of food can lead to long term health issues such as obesity, heart problems, digestive tract issues, etc. The prophet (PBUH) has advised in his sunnah to eat in moderation to maintain good health. The prophet (PBUH) said: 

“The son of Adam does not fill a container worse than his stomach. It is sufficient for him to eat a few mouthfuls to keep his back straight. But if he must, then one third for food, one third for drink, and one third for air." (Sunan Ibn Majah 3349)

Overconsumption promotes wastefulness, so let's do our best to live moderately through underconsumption in order to please Allah swt. The more we hoard and limit resources at the expense of others within our Ummah and those all around the world, the more we poison our iman and weaken our akhirah. This is exactly why we perform sadaqah (charity) in hopes to cleanse ourselves from greed and selfishness that is the byproduct of overconsuming subconsciously. Once again…

"Eat and drink, but be not excessive. Indeed, He likes not those who commit excess." (Qur'an, 7:31)