Doha, February 18 (QNA) - The holy month of Ramadan is a blessed season during which Muslims seek generous reward through charity and good deeds, while deepening awareness of the rights of the poor and needy.

Islam urges that this blessed month should not become an occasion for extravagance, ostentation, or wasteful consumption of God's blessings, which the faith commands believers to safeguard and not squander or corrupt in any form.

During Ramadan, purchasing power rises across most Muslim countries, even amid price increases, creating a dual challenge: avoiding waste while meeting essential Ramadan needs without excess.

Many Muslim nations are enduring difficult economic conditions due to conflicts and crises that have led to daily hardship for their citizens.

Such pressures are likely to intensify during the holy month, when spending increases to meet the needs of the Ramadan table.

Extravagance, defined as excessive spending on permissible matters, and wastefulness, spending on what is unlawful or without benefit, are both condemned in Islam.

They are not acts of generosity but sins prohibited by God and warned against by the Prophet (peace be upon him), as they lead to squandering wealth and resources.

Ramadan often witnesses significant food and beverage waste, with lavish tables prepared in excessive variety and quantity without regard to actual need or moderation in spending.

Such practices contradict the true spirit and objectives of the holy month, which center on worship, drawing closer to God, compassion, and solidarity with the needy.

To maximize the benefit of surplus food during Ramadan and throughout the year, many countries, including Qatar, have established food preservation centers or food banks aimed at reducing hunger and poverty, enhancing food security, and redistributing safe, healthy surplus meals from hotels, farms, and social events to families in need and workers, while reducing food waste.

Such institutions operate independently or in partnership as bridges of social solidarity. They contribute directly and indirectly to sustainable development, promote volunteerism, and foster responsible consumption.

In this context, Ali Ayed Al Qahtani, Executive Director of the Hifz Al Naema Center, said in an interview with Qatar News Agency (QNA) that Ramadan is a month of values and moderation.

Islam calls for balance and forbids excess, citing the Qur'anic verse: "Eat and drink, but do not waste."

He noted that negative practices such as overpreparing and wasting food contradict the month's noble purposes.

Al Qahtani explained that the Center plays an active social and awareness-raising role aimed at instilling a culture of rational consumption, preserving the blessing of food, and transforming suitable surplus into a beneficial resource that helps meet the needs of vulnerable groups, thereby reinforcing social solidarity and community responsibility.

He stressed that gratitude for blessings lies in managing them wisely and avoiding waste, whether during Ramadan, social events, weddings, banquets, or in hotels.

He called on individuals and institutions to plan consumption carefully, assess actual needs, and coordinate with the Center to utilize edible surplus food instead of discarding it, noting the significant spiritual reward and positive humanitarian and environmental impact of doing so.

Responding to a question on how the Center contributes to food sustainability in line with Islamic values, Al Qahtani said it directly advances sustainability by reducing waste, maximizing surplus utilization, and linking these efforts to Islamic principles that call for stewardship of the earth and preventing corruption.

He added that the Center promotes public awareness of preserving food resources, achieving a balance between responsible consumption and social solidarity, and supporting sustainable development goals.

Regarding the volume of food redistribution over the past year and during the previous Ramadan, Al Qahtani stated that the Center intensified operations last year, especially during Ramadan, by receiving consumable surplus food and redistributing it to eligible families and individuals under an integrated system adhering to the highest food safety and quality standards.

He revealed that during Ramadan the Center received an average of 4,371 iftar meals daily, which were preserved, prepared, and distributed to beneficiaries, bringing the total number of fasting beneficiaries throughout the month to approximately 127,359.

Under the Zakat Al Fitr project, the Center also received about 66,839 kilograms of grains, distributed to 492 families and 10,416 eligible workers.

Additionally, 2,000 food baskets were distributed in cooperation with the Ministry of Endowments and Islamic Affairs, represented by the General Directorate of Endowments, as part of the annual "Food Basket" project, benefiting 2,000 registered and approved families.

Al Qahtani affirmed that these figures reflect the Center's humanitarian and social impact in reducing food waste, strengthening community solidarity, and ensuring efficient and sustainable delivery of food support to those in need.

He emphasized the need for religious, media, and community institutions to intensify awareness campaigns to curb extravagance and waste during Ramadan and social occasions, discouraging excess and ostentation.

The efforts of charitable institutions in Qatar and other Muslim countries to preserve surplus food and distribute it to the poor embody Islamic objectives and reflect solidarity and compassion among Muslims. Those engaged in such initiatives are rewarded for safeguarding blessings and delivering them to those in need.

Conversely, many religious scholars warn that excessive food preparation, unnecessary spending, extravagance, and waste are sinful acts contrary to Islam's call for moderation and are considered reprehensible traits.

Al Qahtani noted that the Center is keen to build an integrated network of strategic partnerships with government and private entities, including hotels, restaurants, catering companies, and shopping malls, to collect fresh or chilled surplus food under the highest food safety standards, preserve it, and redistribute it to eligible families and individuals year-round, particularly during Ramadan.

He added that the Center collaborates with the Ministry of Endowments and Islamic Affairs, represented by the General Directorate of Endowments, in implementing the annual Ramadan "Food Basket" project, now in its sixth year, distributing comprehensive food baskets to registered families in need.

This cooperation also includes logistical support, such as refrigerated transport to ensure the safety and quality of food supplies until delivery, enhancing distribution efficiency and maximizing social impact.

The Center also seeks to launch awareness programs and innovative initiatives targeting various segments of society to broaden and sustain its humanitarian mission.

Concluding his interview with QNA, Al Qahtani stressed that Ramadan is a valuable opportunity to reassess consumption patterns, manage family budgets prudently, avoid unnecessary spending, and direct surplus toward charitable causes.

He called for expanding social and solidarity efforts and strengthening compassion within the community, underscoring their great spiritual reward and their role in achieving the solidarity advocated by Islam.

It is clear that Ramadan embodies noble Islamic and social values as a blessed month of worship, spiritual closeness to God, good deeds, and mindful consumption, raising awareness of the rights of the poor and needy, rather than serving as an occasion for ostentation, extravagance, and waste of God's blessings, which Islam commands believers to preserve and protect in all forms. (QNA)