Black Friday and Cyber Monday - Yuck

Listening to the news the last few days is very depressing. I was at my mom's house watching some 6:00 news when a story came on about the disaster in Bangladesh.. they were talking about how people were hurt and starving and sick and how horrible it was. In the very same breath it seems the newscaster started talking about Black Friday! How disgusting?!?! How horrible must we seem as a country when its actually newsworthy that millions of people woke up at 3:00 Am to go shopping and buy decadent unnecessary things while people half way around the world are in such need. They actually showed a clip of a woman saying that there was no room left in her car she has so many gifts in it...

And now there is something called cyber Monday, where the highest volume of online shopping is done. Where does it end??

This is not an Anti-American rant. I just can't imagine I was ever like that (and I don't think I ever was). Getting a gift for someone is nice, but this wasteful excess is crazy. In Islam we are commanded by Allah not to waste money. Allah says, "...But spend not wastefully (your wealth) in the manner of a spendthrift. Verily spendthrifts are brothers of the devils...” {Surah al-Israa’ 17:26-27}. Islam is not only a religion, its a way of life. There are rules and guidelines for everything we do. If these rule are actually followed a balanced and just society is the result.