Wasatiyyah-consumerism ethics in Al-Qur'an

Abstract

Wasatiyyah consumerism is a consumerism model that is balanced, prudent and follows the needs of the wasatiyyah concept. God or Allah SWT has bestowed natural instincts to humans which consist of wants and needs; however, these wants and needs are fulfilled in inappropriate ways. This leads to numerous socio-economic problems, such as wastage, bankruptcy and a culture of indebtedness. Hence, in order to nurture individuals and a society that possesses high moral values and discipline based on Islamic values, wasatiyyah-consumerism ethics are a basic requirement for overcoming issues pertaining to ghuluw-consumerism (consuming beyond bounds). This working paper aims to identify and analyse wasatiyyah-consumerism ethics found in al-Qur'an. Which verses are relevant to wasatiyyah-consumerism ethics? What do these verses state? What are the fundamentals found in wasatiyyah-consumerism ethics? In order to answer these questions, this working paper only used secondary data, which were analysed using the content analysis method. The findings showed that wasatiyyah-consumerism ethics in al-Qur'an contain three fundamental elements: moderation, fairness and benevolence.