Imam (a.

Imam (a.s.) replied, “Between the two which are disliked.” I said, “I don’t know what those two are?” “Certainly Allah hates extravagance and He hates miserliness.” Imam (a.s.) then recited the ayat, “And (the people are) those who are neither extravagant nor miserly. They are the moderate (people).” [^4] Imam Ja’far as-Sadiq (a.s.) has said that if a person is extravagant and later becomes poor due to it, his invocations will not be accepted.

Then if he says “O Allah grant me health,” Allah (S.w.T.) says, “Had I not ordered you moderation?” The meaning of extravagance and its types Extravagance means crossing the limits or spending wastefully. It depends upon circumstances. For example, spending on something useless is Harām, even if it is only a single dirham. Spending unduly even for a proper ocassion is extravagance. If a dress of one hundred rupees is good enough one should not purchase a dress costing five hundred.

According to certain scholars spending at the wrong place is squandering and spending more than necessary is extravagance.

Hazrat ‘Ali (a.s.) says, “The extravagant have Three qualities; he eats more than required, he wears more than is suitable for him and buys things needlessly.”[^5] Imam Ja’far as-Sadiq (a.s.) says “If you wear a formal dress where it is not required, it is extravagance.”[^6] Extravagance depends upon the capacity of every person It is necessary to know that extravagance depend upon the honour and respect of different people, their health and sickness, youth and old age, poverty and affluence, income levels etc.

It is possible that an expensive dress may not constitute extravagance for a person who can afford the same and who holds a respectable position in society. Whereas for one who is not having the same position and income, wearing the same…