and-so is very prosperous, I don’t know which sin I have committed that all the troubles and problems have afflicted me. Likewise, if someone suffers a little loss in his business, he does not feel calm and relax unless he expresses his troubles to many people. If someone has a motorcycle, so instead of giving thanks not only does he desire for a car, but sometimes he gets the car by impermissible and Haraam means. If someone is disabled, he falls prey to ungratefulness. If someone experiences starvation in poverty, he becomes impatient, whereas except food he possesses other thousands of Divine blessings. On such occasion, our pious predecessors رَحِمَهُمُ الـلّٰـهُ تَـعَالٰی used to reform people in a beautiful manner. Let’s listen to a parable:

Unique manner of reforming a complainant

Sayyiduna Sa’eed Bin ‘Aamir رَحْمَةُ اللهِ تَعَالٰی عَلَيْه has stated that a person came to Sayyiduna Yunus Bin ‘Ubayd رَحْمَةُ اللهِ تَعَالٰی عَلَيْه and complained about his poverty. So he asked him: Do you accept one hundred thousand dirhams for the eye by which you are looking? He humbly said: No. It was asked: Do you want one hundred thousand dirhams for one of your arms?” He said: No. It was further asked: So what about for the leg? He replied: No. The narrator stated: Reminding him of other blessings of Allah عَزَّوَجَلَّ he said: I can see hundreds of thousands of rupees with you and you are complaining of poverty.

Dear Islamic brothers! This is the condition of those who are ungrateful and impatient in poverty and those who Allah عَزَّوَجَلَّ has blessed with abundant wealth give no respect and importance to food and remain ungrateful in the way that instead of giving the leftovers to a Muslim they throw it away.

Alas! Like many other customary non-Shar’i practices of our society the tendency of wasting food is also rising. Everywhere heart-burnt scenes of disrespecting food can be seen. Whether it is a domestic function or the Niyaz for pious saints, a social gathering or a wedding ceremony the pathetic scenes of wasting food are everywhere. Many people did not have the mind-set to reuse the little left food that is in the trays, the leftover soup in the casseroles, the leftover gravy in the plates and the usable leftover corners and small pieces of bread. Likewise, lots of leftovers are thrown into the junk yard. It is a waste, therefore, whatever we have wasted we should repent of