In recent times, the practice of zuhd has lost its place and purpose in Muslim societies. This fall came despite its application in the life of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh), his companions, the rightly guided early Muslims (salaf), and its prevalence amongst notable Muslim scholars and muhaddith—transmitters of the sayings of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh). Amidst an ecological crisis driven by an unstoppable desire for material goods fuelled by capitalism, one must pause to reflect on how far our society has strayed from the path of our predecessors who embraced minimalism—a beautiful condition of life of a zāhid, or the one who observes zuhd.
To understand how observance of zuhd can help facilitate a life of minimalism, it is necessary to unravel the philosophy underlying this concept, and how early Muslims understood it. On one occasion, a companion of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh), Abdullah bin’ Umar said:
“Allah’s Messenger (pbuh) took hold of my shoulder and said, ‘Be in this world as if you were a stranger or a traveller.”
(Sahih al-Bukhari 6416)
Several Islamic scholars refer to this narration as the basis for zuhd. While there is no equivalent translation in other languages, this Arabic term has the following connotations in English: (voluntary) renunciation; indifference, especially to worldly things or zuhd fi-al-dunya, to renounce pleasure in worldly things; abstemiousness, abstinence; and asceticism.
Read More: Fasting from Consumerism: How to Embrace Minimalism
Definitions of Zuhd According to Scholars
Over time, several scholars have written about zuhd. As explored by Leah Kinberg, some scholars defined it as ‘asceticism’, while others preferred ‘abstinence’ as a more suitable term for it encompasses attitudes of early zuhhad (plural for zāhid) more appropriately. In his book, ‘Sufism: An Account of the Mystics of Islam’, A.J. Arberry examines the interpretations of early Islamic scholars and explains zuhd as a disciplined lifestyle of abstinence, marked by the pursuit of God’s pleasure and rejection of any attachment to worldly pleasures. In one account, Arberry shares an excerpt from the writings of a Persian Sufi (Muslim mystic) from Merv, Bishr b. al-Harith aI-Han (d. 227/84I):
Return to the course that is nearer to thee, namely to please thy Lord;
Let not thy heart revert to the applause or reproof of the people of thy time.
While these writings provide some understandings of zuhd, a more comprehensive definition is provided by the Encyclopedia of Islam as noted by Kinberg, “abstinence at first from sin, from what is superfluous, from all that estranges from God…then abstinence from all perishable things by detachment of the heart…complete asceticism, renunciation of all that is created”. Yet, other scholars have used the term ‘renunciants’ to describe the zuhhad who were also transmitters of narrations of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh).
Kinberg further argues that zuhd plays an important role in every Muslim’s life. And that it can be applied to Islamic communities at large rather than being confined to a specific sphere of Islam, notably Muslim mysticism, where it is often assumed that a lifestyle of zuhd must also entail neglecting one’s bodily needs. When once asked, “What is al-zuhd fi-al-Dunya?” Imam Al-Zuhri (d. 124/741) answered:
“It is neither being dishevelled nor living in squalor and neglecting your body. It is denying your soul all forms of desires.”
The Path of Zuhd and Renouncing Materialism
The emphasis on renouncing attachment to worldly pleasures and denying desires of one’s soul is found in the essence of being a stranger or traveller in this world—foreign and impermanent in this realm, awaiting the summoning to an abode of finality, permanence and native familiarity. The instruction is to live in this world in a manner where one is constantly seeking God’s pleasure and that is only achieved through orienting the heart to our eternal home. This necessitates a lifestyle of minimalism, where one seeks only what is needed for sustenance.
Without first aligning oneself with the foundational Islamic philosophy found in zuhd, one can never truly achieve the clarity and direction needed to adopt the correct lifestyle on Earth. By extension, rejecting attachment to worldly desires conditions the heart to seek fulfillment from the Source of contentment and peace, as-Salaam. This pursuit will always materialize in absolute harmony with everything in existence, promising a natural state of integrity stemming from within our souls and outwardly with God’s creation—a perfect balance of spiritual, physical, mental, and ecological well-being.
Our Waste Problem
Unfortunately, today’s picture is far from the one described above. Rather than living in minimalism, our world is grappling with a pervasive waste crisis, manifesting in various forms, including municipal solid, hazardous, medical, electronic, and waste generated from fossil fuel extraction and combustion. While some waste falls under the ‘managed waste’ category, handled responsibly by designated authorities such as municipal waste management facilities, a substantial portion remains ‘mismanaged’. This mismanaged waste permeates natural environments, contaminating air, waterways, soil, food supplies, and even remote glaciers. The consequences are dire, jeopardizing human health and the delicate balance of ecosystems.
The sheer volume of waste accumulating on Earth is staggering, particularly concerning non-degradable materials like plastics, which can persist for up to 500 years. Shockingly, an estimate suggests that a garbage truck’s worth of plastic waste finds its way into the oceans every minute, paving the way for a projection that by 2050, the quantity of plastic in our oceans will surpass that of fish. Plastic waste stems from various sources, including the fast fashion industry, which contributes significantly. Annually, approximately 11.3 million tons of textile waste are discarded in U.S. landfills, accounting for roughly 85% of all textiles produced each year. Despite already having enough clothing to meet the needs of the next six generations, the fast fashion sector continues to surge, now producing 400 times more clothing than it did two decades ago.
Read More: Water Conservation in Ramadan and Beyond
Reclaiming Zuhd and Embracing Minimalism
Overconsumption fuels waste production. The mind-boggling quantities of waste generated globally every second indicate the alarming extent of human overconsumption. In a perfect scenario, humans would only seek what they need for sustenance and embrace minimalism, as Allah says in the Quran,
“O Children of Adam! Dress properly whenever you are at worship. Eat and drink, but do not waste. Surely He does not like the wasteful.”
(Al-A’raf, verse 31)
Moreover, as our sources of sustenance are no longer natural, such as plastics and genetically modified products, the waste generated from overconsumption leaves behind a harmful footprint. Whereas, in the natural world the waste from one organism becomes food for another organism, and everything exists in balance, known as Al-Mizaan in Quran.
The waste crisis plaguing our world is a symptom of our insatiable thirst for material possessions as we continue to seek fulfillment from sources that are inherently hollow and diminishing in their effect due to planned obsolescence. If material accumulation truly brought contentment, our landfills would not overflow, nor would the planet be suffocating under the weight of our excess. This sickness widespread in our societies is killing us and our planet. To steer away from this dangerous path, we must reintroduce the practice of zuhd into our lives. By rejecting material overconsumption and seeking fulfillment solely from the Divine, we can embrace minimalism and foster a healthier relationship with ourselves, our communities, and the Earth.
