Renunciation: Dealing With Clutter

This is the ninth in a series of articles on how to live simply and practice renunciation from the On Demand Course: Living Simply or How to Practice Zuhd in Complex Times. 

If one is left with a big pile, what does one do? The first place you might want to consider is a Muslim welfare center or a similar company that supports Muslims in need in your locality. 

Make sure the things are clean and packaged in a brand-new way. You do not want to give things in garbage bags. Make it so that the person is happy to receive those items. 

Another place to look is personal contacts. You may know people who are in need. They do not need to tell you they are in need, but you might know that they are. This could be single-income homes. Alternatively, you might realize from the number of children in that family or the house they live in, that they are in need.

Gift Those in Need

Support them as much as possible. You could give them items as gifts. Do not put it as, “I’m getting rid of stuff here, do you want it?” Rather, say, “I thought you would like this, so I brought this for you.” 

One could also consult online marketplaces. Take a picture and try to sell it at a low price, or you could even give it away for free. Often, a lot of those people are in need so they may turn to those types of purchasing places to buy.

One’s local donation center is another option. At least somebody else who needs it will be able to have access to that. Also, if you find that rich people shop in these places, do not let that be a reason that you do not donate to that specific place. Do not make that an excuse to keep hoarding things. 

Finally, the garbage. This may be where the item is one that nobody could use or benefit from. The item may be broken, for example. There may also be a community recycling center in one’s locality. 

Moving Forward

After you have gone through the whole of decluttering, making your house with, going forward, be careful about your spending. Know how much you own of things, so you do not excessively buy more. 

Beware of impulsive buying. It is a danger in today’s age. The internet is open 24-7. We can go online and buy anything we want and have it shipped the next day. You do not want to fall into that lure. 

Be careful of feeding your inner self by buying things on a whim. Be considerate and think about what you need before you buy. Think of others. 

Moving forward, allocate more to the people in need. So now that you are spending less and wasting less money, take that extra money and give it to people in need. Whether Muslim or non-Muslim. 

When you are buying your groceries, buy extra items, such as food staples and put them in that basket. Perhaps you might want to sponsor an orphan with that money. Furthermore, we can also donate to scholars. An example is the SeekersGuidance’s Islamic Scholars Fund,  One can donate to scholars who are putting in their time to teach people across the globe.

Do not forget the importance of contentment with what you have. After taking the above steps, if you do make a bad purchase, get rid of it immediately. Donate it to someone in need.