The Perspective of Muslim Consumers on Extravagance: A Cross-Cultural Comparative Study in Turkey, Qatar and Indonesia

Abstract

Islam encourages people to earn halal - or lawful-and sets certain rules on spending. In Quran spending in the way of Allah is praised (57: 7) and besides this, eating, drinking and spending extravagantly is forbidden (6: 141; 4: 6; 7: 31; 17: 29). In Quran the term "extravagance" refers to various meanings (10: 12; 3: 146-147; 10: 83; 5: 32; 7: 80-81; 7: 31; 17: 29). In daily life it means excessive or unnecessary expenditure or outlay of resources. In this regard the viewpoint of Muslim individuals on such phenomena which is forbidden in Quran becomes more crucial. A survey is conducted in Turkey, Qatar and Indonesia to compare the viewpoint of individuals which are adherents of the same religion but from different cultures.