The economics of a Muslim home are based upon a group of values and foundations that distinguish it from any other home; and these are:

　　* Observance of the advice of the Messenger, , to not look longingly at those that are greater than us in provisions, for he, , said: "Look at those who are lower [in material wealth] than yourselves, and do not look at those who are above you; that is better suited for you such that you do not belittle the favor of Allah." [Muslim]

　　* Moderation in spending and household management. Allah The Exalted Says (what means): {And do not make your hand [as] chained to your neck or extend it completely and [thereby] become blamed and insolvent.}[Quran 17:29]

　　Abu Bakr, may Allah be pleased with him said, "I dislike that the members of a household spend the provisions of days in one day."

　　A righteous woman once advised her daughter, saying, "Do not charge your husband except what he can manage, in accordance to his circumstances; and help to elevate him from being placed in a state causing him to be weak or to [suffer] hardship; for to carry huge rocks is easier than to carry debts."

　　* Saving any surplus that remains of the basic needs, as this can be used afterwards, especially in times of need and hardship.

　　* Relying on consultation between family members in order to manage the budget, under control, as far as possible. For all the members of the family to join together in planning the budget results in each of them gaining a moral incentive and determination to render the budget successful, as they all share in the duty of making it work.

　　ـ Considering the ability of each individual family member.

　　* Knowledge of the quality and cost of the various available food products.

　　ـ Purchasing the basic needs in the required quantities without excess.

　　ـ Cooking food in required quantities and avoiding waste; and limiting the variety of dishes cooked for one meal.

　　ـ When setting meals on the table, place only the required quantity of food; Islam informs us that even a mouthful of food is a blessing that should be preserved. The Prophet, , said: "If a morsel of food should fall from any of you, then remove any harm that might have stuck to it and eat it, and do not leave it for the devil; then, after one has finished [his meal], he should lick his fingers for he does not know where in his food there is blessing." [Muslim]

　　ـ Purchasing materials that are leftover at bargain prices and selecting from them suitable color co-ordinations when designing children's clothes.

　　ـ Taking care of children's clothes so that they can be used again by a younger child; to save on purchasing new clothes, taking into consideration the psychological and educational aspects related to this practice; and taking care that not all the younger child's clothes are those that were worn by elder siblings to avoid any negative feelings that may result such as feeling that the parents are favoring the elder child. Such feelings can result in jealousy and hatred between siblings. When giving a younger child his elder brother's clothes, he should be persuaded into accepting them with no hard feelings; this can be achieved by the continual fostering of love between the siblings and clarifying that there is no favoring of one over the other and that his elder sibling only gives him his clothes out of love.

　　Our Highly Economical Home - II