'Minimalism' – An Islamic Notion

The holy month of Ramadan gives us an ample opportunity to reflect on our lifestyle. In the year 2020 alone, when we are challenged with so many uncontrollable circumstances in our lives including the terrible economic meltdown due to COVID 19 pandemic, how about spending a few minutes to think through and reflect on how one can lead a much simpler and easier life?

Each morning, God gives us 24 hours to spend together with a certain supply of emotional and mental energy. This reminds us that each day is a container; and we cannot fit more into that day than the space we have. Also, we should understand that there truly is no such thing as “free time”. Our time with our family is precious, just as our time with our friends and colleagues at work.

Is Minimalism same as 'Less is More'?

According to Millburn and Nicodemus, Minimalism is not living with less; it is living more fully with less need for stuff. “Minimalists don’t focus on having less, less, less”, they say: “Rather, we focus on making room for more. More time, more passion, more experiences, more growth, more contribution, more contentment. More freedom. Clearing the clutter from life’s path helps us make that room.”

We are careful who we spend our time with, because both our time and emotional energy is limited and is spent with those we value, who in turn spend their time and energy on us Because we live with less, we leave room in our lives, our heart, and our day for the things that truly matter.

Minimalism, in the context, implies living with less. This is a tool to get rid of life’s excess in order to focus on what’s important. In today’s fast-paced world where everything is becoming more and more about consumerism, it is imperative that we address this dilemma. As we all know time is of the essence. Allah says in the Qur’an: “By time, Indeed, mankind is in loss.” (Al-Asr, 103:1-2)

Minimalism is about reclaiming our precious time. Our unrealized yet constant need to consume more, takes away our valuable time and energy to offer beyond ourselves. The approach of trying to live with less helps us free up our mind and space. When our mind is unburdened, we get the free time to contemplate and do more substantial work to make our life meaningful. This article discusses some of the ways to help us minimize the way we live and consume. This will help us break the trap of materialism and give us freedom to find happiness.

 Intention – ‘Niyah’ matters the most

Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) said: “Verily actions are only dependent on intentions and everyone will get what he intended.” (Saheeeh Bukhaari and Saheeh Muslim). It is very important that we start by having the right intention. As we know with the right intention any act of ours can become a way of earning rewards. 

Let’s take a look at some of the practical ways by which we can start living a minimalistic life:

1. No hoarding

The current COVID-19 situation is the most recent and a real classic example of hoarding, where most of us, without giving a second thought, have literally collected tons of household goods that has resulted in shortage in the market in some aspects.

One best way to start could be to get rid of the things that we haven’t used in a while and are of no use anymore. When we let go of the unnecessary things, it detaches our heart from materialism and helps us get a hold over the ever-increasing love of this world!

2. Share what we have in excess

This is an obvious point when it comes to minimalism. By getting rid of the excess, we can create more and consume less. This holy month of Ramadan primarily teaches us to share. So, lets share what we have in excess with those who need the most. Let’s learn the art of keeping our houses and hearts lighter and this can only happen when we share. 

3. Declaring the house, a clutter free zone

Having fewer options to choose from can save us some serious work time! Like when we have a wardrobe overflowing with clothing, it takes away precious time from us in the morning having to decide what to wear. Dress simply and modestly with less.

Let’s make it a habit and teach this to our children and firmly announce it within our families that we all will not retain things in our houses that we don’t need anymore. Rather, let’s go a step back. We will not buy anything that we don’t need in the first place. The current economic meltdown will anyways take away the luxury of using the fancy term “Shopaholic”. This way, we will end up getting more free space and free time to do what is important to us. When we have a clutter free space, we have a clutter free mind. Our mind frees up to do the things that really matter.

4. Travel light

You must have noticed the frequent travellers at the airports. They travel with light luggage, in most instances, hand carry only. They don’t take hours to pack their bags. All they do, keep miniature consumables in their travel bags in advance for repeat use. All they do before leaving for airports, pack a couple of suits and off they fly. This is minimalism... Keep it simple. Live in the moment. This allows us to grow as individuals.

5. Don’t stuff the body

A Muslim tradition says that Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) used to eat one third of his fill. His stomach would always be one third empty and one third would be water and one third would be the actual food. So that is Prophet’s minimalism in terms of consumption of food. 

And let’s see how do we do it? We tend to overdo it quite often, particularly, on Iftaars during Ramadan. This not only goes against the religious teachings and medical advice but also is unhealthy for us. Overeating leads to obesity and various health hazards. When we have simple and similar meals, it helps us to focus on our health even more.

Conclusion

I would like to draw my conclusion by stating that I have found the whole process of minimalism makes us less attached to the things we own and it comes down to the things that really matter. It helps us to break the shackle of materialism. We come with only a fixed period of time to live in this world. Therefore, we should strive to make sure our time is best utilized to please Allah and fulfilling the purpose of our life. Our journey towards a minimalistic life could just offer us a way to achieve that!

Learn how sometimes smaller things in our lives make huge impact and you can take some learnings on a personal and professional level by following me on LinkedIn and Evolve HR’s website.

Muhammad Sajwani is the Founder and Managing Director of Evolve HR which aims at transforming, enriching and evolving Human Capital of Pakistan. Evolve HR thrives in challenging assumptions that hinder organisational aspirations, by creating innovative solutions that yield maximum impact, scalability & benefit to a wider base of stakeholders. As a Business Coach and Organisational Consultant, Sajwani knows how to combine business insights with people insights to transform organisations and put them on the path to growth.