Have you ever wondered why people don't feel guilty when they waste food, especially free food, with such carelessness? These are often the same people who savor every bite when they pay for their meals. They finish every drop of juice from a carton or scrape the last bit of ice cream from a tub. Yet, when it comes to leftover food at home, it either goes stale in the fridge or ends up in the trash, rarely reaching a needy person.
Pakistan is a developing country where, unfortunately, many people struggle to get even two meals a day. It wouldn’t be wrong to say that a large portion of the population goes to bed hungry. According to a report by the Ministry of National Food Security, around 26% of the country's food production is wasted, amounting to nearly $4 billion annually. But why does this happen?
Today, people have become so indifferent and insensitive that they seem to care for no one but themselves. Everywhere you look, long queues of children can be seen waiting outside bakeries for free bread. Sometimes they get it; sometimes, they return empty-handed, spending the day on an empty stomach.
I've seen elderly men and women begging for food, and it makes me wonder: wouldn't it be better to give them the food that's going stale in our refrigerators or that we're about to toss in the trash?
When people dine at restaurants, attend events, or participate in weddings, they sometimes behave as if they’ve never eaten such food in their lives. They rush to fill their plates, and if they don't like what they've taken, they leave it aside and grab another plateful. They sip from multiple bottles, wasting water. Even at training sessions where I’ve observed educated people, the wastage is just as rampant.
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Why can't we be mindful and take only what we can eat? Even though the leftover food on plates is still clean, the staff often throws it away. Instead, they could pack it in disposable containers and distribute it to hungry children.
At many weddings, I’ve seen children and housemaids gathering leftovers into bags. It breaks my heart, but I help them. After all, it's better if they take the food home than for it to go to waste.
In our society, there is a tendency to prepare excessive amounts of food during weddings to avoid being criticized for running out of food. Today, even food served at funerals is cooked in large quantities, only to meet the same fate—being wasted.
In the past, food wastage was almost nonexistent. Leftover food was shared with neighbors, fostering unity and blessings. As Muslims, we know that wasting food is a sin, yet we continue to do so.
We often hear elders say that cleaning your plate is a Sunnah (a practice of the Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him). A Hadith emphasizes that even a small morsel fallen from the dining table should be picked up, cleaned, and eaten.
As human beings, the next time you think about wasting food, consider the poor souls who yearn for a single bite. We must learn to value our food and encourage others to do the same. Those who are ungrateful for their sustenance will find themselves longing for every morsel. Remember, Allah tests us both by giving and by taking away.
