DISSIPATION1 -SAFAHAT
سفاهت
Literally: A being inconsiderately or ignorantly foolish; folly; especially, foolish expenditure. Idiocy. To be wastefully extravagant.
Derived from the word safah (سفه ), the meaning of which is fool and the plural of which is sufahâ (سفها ).
The opposite of safah is rushd, which means maturity, rectitude, right-judging, attaining the mental level to understand the orders and prohibitions of the religion and acting accordingly.
In his tafsir, Elmalılı Hamdi Yazır explained the word safahat as follows:
Safah (سفه ) is overindulgence in pleasure and entertainment. Literally, safah is imprudence in judgement and conduct that arises from a lack of intelligence. Its opposite is dignity and intelligence. In the Sharî’ah, it is to act contrary to the requirements of the mind and religion. Its opposite is rectitude and right-judging (rushd) and istiqâmah. Safahat is known in our language (Turkish) in this sense. In short, Safah and Safahat are, regarding opinions and judgements, following the nafs and desires and acting through pleasure, not with the mind.
(Hak Dini Kur’an Dili Tefsiri:234)
The explanation of Hanafi ‘ulamâ about safah regarding fiqh:
According to the âyah, (4:5) وَلاَ تُؤْتُوا السُّفَهَٓاءَ اَمْوَالَكُمُ2, one of the reasons for hajr3 is safahat. Although the property rights of such dissolute people (sufahâ) remain constant, it is mentioned in fiqh that they are not given the freedom to use their property as they wish.
Safah is to act contrary to the requirements of the Sharî’ah and follow the desires of the nafs. The foremost custom of a safah is waste (isrâf) and extravagancy in livelihood. It is to waste, without having any aim or purpose, in a way that religious people possessing conscience and mind cannot see any benefit in it, such as wealth wasted on the way of amusement and frivolous occupations. Being deceived in business is also included in safah.
(Please refer to the article on Frugality-Iqtisâd and the compilation on Dissipation-Safahat.)
1 (Since the word dissipation is used for the word safahat in the translations, the meaning of the word safahat in Islamic terminology should be known.) (Tr.)
2 (Do not entrust the sufahâ with your wealth…)
3 [Hajr is restraining a legally incompetent person from giving evidence, making a contract, etc.; also, sequestrating property. To prohibit the dispositions of a legally incompetent person with respect to all or some of his property. The causes of being legally incompetent are four:
1. Insanity (al-junun)
2. Minority (al-sighar)
3. Idiocy-Foolishness (al-safah)
4. Insolvency (al-'iflas)] (Tr.)