A minimalist

I am becoming a minimalist.

Starting to learn and trying to be one only recently. 

Minimalism is a good thing, it is not only reduces spending on unnecessary items, produces less waste and encourage to focus more on what really matter, it also results in clutter-free and tidy home we live in. 

As a Muslim, this is what Islam teaches us to do. To be moderate, to prevent excessive consumerism and to love each other more instead of things we own. 

The prophet Muhammad peace be uppn him once told someone to use less water for ablution, even in a flowing river. This shows that we must not waste any sources even though they are abundant. 

And he also told us to live like a traveller. 

Our live is a journey, toward a better place, the hereafter. 

So as a traveller, we don't need to spend so much on stuffs. We would not buy everything that we want or that we can afford. We would only buy the necessary items just enough to get going and continue with our journey. 

Beloved prophet Muhammad peace be upon him was a minimalist himself. He lived in a very small house with little things in it. He didn't even has the best camel to ride. All this despite the fact that he had the high status among the people and the most important job is the history of human being. 

So me, becoming a minimalist is like turning to the opposite direction of where I was going. I was someone who enjoyed spending the hard earned salary on stuffs like superbike, latest flagship phone model, spent too much on almost anything I want like fancy dinner, overpriced coffee and lots more. All this came with certain convincing justifications like I 'need' them, I 'deserve' them, buying those things is a 'stress reliever' etc etc

So is having all these stuffs makes me happy? Will I be content after I purchased the stuffs that I wanted? Or there is always something else to buy next?

We know, there is never enough! And most of the stuffs we have, they are not as useful, important and meaningful as we thought. And some we don't even need them at all. 

The first step is to clean your crib. It is during cleaning and tidying the room we will realised how much stuffs we have and how much space these stuffs have taken up. 

There are DVDs that I kept in my room and I frequently have to put them back in order every time I clean up my room. These DVDs basically are of no use to me anymore. I have watched all of them and I know despite having this thought that I'm going to watch again later, I never will. So I offered them to couple of friends and I managed to get rid all of them in just a day. I felt lighter already. 

Then I put aside my clothes that I haven't wore more than 5 months, and the clothes that can no longer be worn. Now only a few shirts left and a pair of pants, though they are very few I know that is all I need. 

Now shopping for more clothes seems unnecessary. 

I also had two pair of sport shoes. I got rid one of them. 

Other than that, there were unused files, pens, newspaper, and so many junks I need to get rid of. 

Seeing a clutter free room brings peace to my mind. My computer table looks better with nothing on it except the computer. 

And by having less stuffs, we appreciate and optimise the usage of the stuffs we have more. And we can use the extra money and time that we have for something else or better for someone else.