In the weeks leading up to Ramadan, there is usually a great sense of anticipation and enthusiasm among devout Muslims. Friday khutbahs (sermons) are dominated by advice from the pulpit to the congregation about how best to prepare for the month of fasting. Following the noble example of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), as part of rehearsal prior to Ramadan, many Muslims observe voluntary fasting in the month of Shaban. Some start reducing food or nutrient intake. All these are in preparation for Ramadan fasting and, in my opinion, are admirable practices.

Unfortunately, although I consider myself an observant Muslim, I have not been able to share the same feeling of excitement about Ramadan. Instead, I have been gripped by a sense of foreboding and disillusionment. For years, I have noted how many Muslims have forgotten the true spirit of this holy month. Instead of cultivating the beautiful teachings this month offers—such as patience, self-control, self-discipline and a sense of sacrifice—they seem to slip into the quagmire of both feasting and wasting food.

Other practices that have violated the spirit of Ramadan over the years include excessive use of disposable plastic for water bottles and food packaging. These contribute to waste that ends up in landfills, causing great danger to the environment. Mass consumption of plastic materials is also harmful to the oceans and marine habitats as well as the coastal areas and beaches. We all know about the ever-expanding, so-called Great Pacific Garbage Patch (GPGP) that is three times the size of France and is "rapidly altering and destroying the physical and chemical makeup of the planet." It is now common knowledge that the "buildup of plastic in the oceans and around the world threatens the well-being of nature's wildlife and future generations" (Kinsley Anderson, Synthetic Seas: The Great Pacific Garbage Patch, 2017).

While some Muslims give food to the poor, most throw lavish iftar parties which are a recipe for food waste. In such parties, the poor have little access and are often seen waiting outside for leftovers.

As for food wastage and plastic pollution among Muslims during Ramadan, what is more worrisome is that most people known as religious scholars or imams do not seem to understand the urgency of these issues. We rarely hear them address such environmental concerns when discussing the virtues of Ramadan fasting—what we often hear is the merits of certain rituals.

It is a great irony that, while Muslims are supposed to eat less for physical benefits and spiritual purification during Ramadan, most of them are seen eating and wasting more. Sumptuous food for iftar (fast-breaking supper) and sehri (pre-dawn meal) has become more common, especially among well-off Muslims. This is one of the reasons behind the price hike of necessary food commodities. This puts the poor at a further disadvantage as they have to struggle to buy daily essentials. What's more, such extravagant shopping leads to an increase in food waste, while the poor starve or become malnourished.

For religious people, food waste is one of the worst forms of showing ungratefulness to the Almighty and to those humans whose hard work brings food to the dining table. It is pure arrogance to assume that we own what we have, therefore we have the right to waste. For people who do not believe in God, food waste is also a sign of arrogance and disrespect to those who invest time and energy into cultivating land, producing food, processing and transporting it, etc.

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Who will restrain prices in the month of restraint?

Despite stern warnings in the Quran against food waste, it is unconscionable that, as research shows, every year there is an increase in food waste in Muslim-majority countries during Ramadan. It is bewildering that in a month when Muslims are supposed to connect with the divine in a meaningful way, they disobey the Almighty by wasting food.

It may strike a discordant note, but one reason for food waste during Ramadan is the misdirected generosity of Muslims. There is a statement attributed to Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), which says, "Whoever gives iftar to a fasting person will have a reward like his, without detracting from the reward of the fasting person in the slightest." This is a beautiful hadith (Prophetic tradition) that has the potential to strengthen human bond between the haves and the have-nots. In the spirit of this hadith, the rich should reach out to the poor and offer them food for iftar and sehri.

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Balancing faith and commerce during Ramadan

Unfortunately, this noble sense of food generosity has taken wrong turns and fallen into misguidance. While some Muslims give food to the poor, most throw lavish iftar parties which are a recipe for food waste. In such parties, the poor have little access and are often seen waiting outside for leftovers. Moreover, many Muslims use Ramadan days as occasions for socialising. They invite families and friends to iftar and, again, rich food menus are prepared to entertain fasting guests, which goes against the spirit of gastronomic restraint expected during Ramadan and has the potential to lead to waste.

At both iftar parties and family invitations, plastic water bottles and plastic food packaging are widely used. Being not a stranger to such occasions, I have seen many people take a sip of water from a plastic bottle and then leave it on the table. Moreover, not many people finish the food that is given in the plastic package, while many others take on their plates more food than they need or are able to consume. Eventually, what we see at the end of iftar parties are big piles of food waste and plastic pollution—not good for the environment or for the spiritual well-being of those who are involved in such practices.

On a final note, for months we have seen in the media how Palestinians have been victims of hunger caused by Israeli cruelty. We do not know whether Palestinian Muslims will have enough food for iftar or sehri this Ramadan. Even after knowing their plight, if we dare to waste food and get involved in irresponsible behaviour, we may have to admit that we have a dead conscience and are truly drifting away from the divine path.

Md Mahmudul Hasan, PhD is professor of English at the International Islamic University Malaysia. He can be reached at mmhasan@iium.edu.my

Views expressed in this article are the author's own.

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