Trays and pots with leftover, but edible food, are emptied and the food is thrown away because people do not value the blessings of Allah Almighty. If anyone wastes even a morsel of food, it is necessary to repent and resolve never to do it again. Wasting wealth is forbidden and an act that leads to Hell.

Similarly, a Muslim’s clean, leftover water or drink in a glass should not be thrown away. It is reported:

سُؤرُ الْمُؤمِنِ شِفَاءٌ

“There is a cure in the leftovers of a Muslim.”^[1]

Not only is their hope of attaining cure from this, but it also strengthens love and brotherhood between people. It protects us from diseases of the heart like arrogance whilst developing the trait of humility. The beloved Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم said, “Drinking the leftover water of a Muslim brother is a sign of humility. The one who does this is raised by 70 ranks, 70 of his sins are forgiven and 70 good deeds are written for him.”^[2]

صَلُّوۡا عَلَى الۡحَبِيۡب                                       صَلَّى اللّٰهُ عَلٰى مُحَمَّد

Yellow-faced Cobbler

Sayyidunā Khuld b. Ayyūb رَحْمَةُ الـلّٰـهِ عَلَيْه states:

A worshipper from the Banī Isrāʾīl spent 60 years worshipping Allah Almighty on top of a mountain. One night, he had a dream in which someone said, “So-and-so cobbler is a greater worshipper than you and his rank is higher than yours too.”

After waking up, the worshipper thought about the dream and said, “This is just a dream, what consideration does it have?”