Clarification that enjoying Allah's blessings does not imply extravagance, and that wastefulness is prohibited in Islamic law.

The Shaykh : ... In addition to the fact that he clarified that wealth, for the righteous man, is a blessing from among the blessings of Allah (Mighty and Majestic), but from another angle, he sets limits for enjoying this blessing so that it does not turn into a curse for its owner. For example, one should not be extravagant in using this wealth or place it in places other than those for which it was legislated. He (Mighty and Majestic) says, in some of the attributes of the servants of Allah: . Likewise, he (peace and blessings be upon him) prohibited in some hadiths a person from continuing to enjoy those blessings with which his Lord has surrounded him in a continuous manner; because that will lead him to a life full of comfort and luxury, and at that point, such a man who lived in this comfortable life may not be able to stand firm before events and calamities; rather, he will quickly submit and bow before them. Among this is his saying (peace and blessings be upon him): .
Some people may think that this noble Prophetic guidance = -- may Allah have mercy on you -- = contradicts some explicit verses in the Qur'an that state that the Muslim may enjoy what Allah has made lawful, such as His saying (Mighty and Majestic): . Some may think that that hadith contradicts this verse, and that this verse contradicts that hadith. The answer is: they do not contradict each other, and praise be to Allah. This is because the Messenger (peace be upon him) in that hadith only means that one should not exaggerate or that a person should not continue in this enjoyment to the extent of the danger we mentioned earlier. His saying: means: Beware of enjoyment and exaggeration in it. Rather, do it sometimes and sometimes, as he said in another hadith (peace and blessings be upon him). Or is it not a saying but a report of his saying? Some of the Companions said: "The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) prohibited grooming the hair except after a few days." Grooming the hair is combing the hair, and combing the hair -- as is not hidden from you -- is part of the adornment mentioned in the general verse mentioned earlier. But he does not want the Muslim to make his constant habit the care of his hairstyle and appearance, but rather sometimes and sometimes; he grooms and combs his hair one day and not the next, and so on.
In fact, in another hadith, there is something that may also be difficult for some people, namely his saying (peace and blessings be upon him): . "Simplicity is part of faith" means not caring about the design of one's clothes and appearance, and the like, and making that design one's life and constant habit. Rather, do it sometimes and sometimes, according to what the hadith of prohibiting grooming the hair except after a few days indicates. All of this is so that the Muslim can be able to proceed in his life within the limits described for the servants of Allah: . And it is not hidden from you that a man standing in the middle line between extravagance and stinginess is not an easy matter; especially for those -- as we mentioned at the beginning of this talk -- who have been surrounded by Allah (Blessed and Exalted is He) with abundant and plentiful blessings.
If it is known that advice is part of the religion, then I remind you on this pleasant occasion that I have seen in this country and in others, such as the UAE and others, that the matter does not spare many of our Salafi brothers, let alone others, from falling into some degree of extravagance. It may sometimes be obvious and apparent, and sometimes hidden; because many of those who study jurisprudence, let alone others, may be unaware of this type of extravagance. I give some simple examples regarding what concerns us, the Salafis, as for the general people, the gatherings they hold and then the food prepared for those gatherings is thrown in the trash; you probably know this better than I do, and it is known to all people. But I am speaking about those we consider to be among the special people, and they are our Salafi brothers. For example, when they sit to eat, they do not use the legal commands that came from the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) regarding not leaving leftovers in the plate. Rather, the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) commanded licking the vessel, and not only do they not do it, but they consider licking the fingers to be objectionable; even though the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) commanded that when he said in a hadith in "the two Sahihs" from Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him), he said: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: . And I know that the Western disbelieving current is sweeping through Islamic societies in a terrible way, and especially in the countries where money is available in abundance unlike in other countries. This abundance of money helps -- as we mentioned earlier -- to extravagance and wasting money. And we know that Allah (Blessed and Exalted is He) says = : "" The wasteful are brothers of the devils "" So we have become, and we...

The questioner : ... .

The Shaykh : Yes?

The questioner :

The Shaykh : ... were they? Pardon me, = . So we have become unaware that we are wasting our money and losing it, so we fall into this wastefulness, which is a characteristic of the brothers of the devils, and not a characteristic of the servants of Allah. In fact, the matter did not stop, as I hinted earlier, at us leaving the licking of fingers and the licking of plates due to the abundance of money. Rather, it has become for many -- even among our Salafi brothers, and I do not declare all of them pure -- it has become an objectionable matter. And in many countries, as I have noticed, a box or packet containing the paper called by us, and perhaps by you, "Kleenex" paper, is placed within the reach of every eater. He hardly eats one or two bites without taking a paper and wiping his fingers or mouth with it. All of this is a waste of money, and the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) says in some hadiths: . Is the blessing in what was eaten or in what was licked? These are matters of the unseen. If we are truly Salafis, we submit to the rulings of the Lord of the Worlds and do not use our material intellect, our customs, our desires, and our appetites. We submit to the command of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him), as is known to everyone. But as I mentioned earlier, I am only reminding, and the reminder benefits the believers. We must take advantage of the opportunity of this blessing and appreciate it properly, and not waste it wastefully. Perhaps in that is a reminder for whoever has a heart or lends an ear while being a witness.