KHUTAB III - 41. ISLAMIC BEHAVIOUR TOWARDS THE ENVIRONMENT

41. ISLAMIC BEHAVIOUR TOWARDS THE ENVIRONMENT

According to Islam, Allah creates the earth and its contents for human beings, as inheritors of them. Allah says in the Qur’ān,

هُوَ الَّذِي خَلَقَ لَكُمْ مَا فِي الْأَرْضِ جَمِيعًا ... (البقرة : ٢٩)

It is He Who has created for you all that there is in the earth…  (Q. 2:29).

So, the earth and its contents:  animals, plants, water, minerals, and so on, are created for human beings. They are here on this earth to inherit and to use them in order to get benefit from them. The Qur’ān mentions that human beings are made khalīfah (inheritors) on this earth. Allah said,

 وَهُوَ الَّذِي جَعَلَكُمْ خَلَائِفَ الْأَرْضِ وَرَفَعَ بَعْضَكُمْ فَوْقَ بَعْضٍ دَرَجَاتٍ لِيَبْلُوَكُمْ فِي

 مَا آَتَاكُمْ إِنَّ رَبَّكَ سَرِيعُ الْعِقَابِ وَإِنَّهُ لَغَفُورٌ رَحِيمٌ   (الأنعام :  ١٦٥)

He is the One Who has made you the inheritors of the earth and raised some of you in ranks over others so that He may test you in what He has given you. Surely your Lord is swift in retribution, yet, He is also very Forgiving, Merciful. (Q. 6:165)

The first inheritor of the earth was Adam a.s. When Allah was about to create Adam a khalīfah (a successor, a deputy, a vicegerent, an inheritor or a trustee) of this earth, He told the angels. Allah said,

وَإِذْ قَالَ رَبُّكَ لِلْمَلَائِكَةِ إِنِّي جَاعِلٌ فِي الْأَرْضِ خَلِيفَةً قَالُوا أَتَجْعَلُ فِيهَا مَنْ يُفْسِدُ فِيهَا وَيَسْفِكُ

الدِّمَاءَ وَنَحْنُ نُسَبِّحُ بِحَمْدِكَ وَنُقَدِّسُ لَكَ قَالَ إِنِّي أَعْلَمُ مَا لَا تَعْلَمُونَ . (البقر: ٣٠)

And (remember) when your Lord said to the angels: “Verily, I am going to place a vicegerent on earth.” They said, “Will You place there one who will make mischief and shed blood while we glorify You with praises and thanks and sanctify You.” He said, “I know what you do not know.” (Q. 2:30).

As inheritors of the earth and as the descendants of Adam and Eve human beings are responsible and accountable for their conduct towards themselves, towards other creatures on this earth as well as towards the earth itself. However, it does not mean that they belong to them. Allah says:

لَهُ مَا فِي السَّمَاوَاتِ وَمَا فِي الْأَرْضِ وَمَا بَيْنَهُمَا وَمَا تَحْتَ الثَّرَى (طه : ٦)

Unto Him belongs all that is in the heavens and all that is on the earth, and that is between them, and all that is beneath the soil. (Q 20:6).

Everything created by Allah is in perfect condition. He said,

الَّذِي خَلَقَ سَبْعَ سَمَوَاتٍ طِبَاقًا مَا تَرَى فِي خَلْقِ الرَّحْمَنِ مِنْ تَفَاوُتٍ

 فَارْجِعِ الْبَصَرَ هَلْ تَرَى مِنْ فُطُورٍ. (الملك : ٣)

The One Who created the seven heavens, one above another,

you will not see any flaw in the creation of the Compassionate.

Look once again, do you see any flaw?  (Q. 67:3)

As the earth is the only planet we know in our solar system on which Allah sustains life, every creature on it plays its role and lives in harmony with each other. There is a balance in everything, so that nothing is out of proportion. Allah said,

 وَالسَّمَاءَ رَفَعَهَا وَوَضَعَ الْمِيزَان. أَلَّا تَطْغَوْا فِي الْمِيزَانِ. وَأَقِيمُوا الْوَزْنَ

 بِالْقِسْطِ وَلَا تُخْسِرُوا الْمِيزَانَ. (الرحمن : ٧-٩)

And the heaven: He has raised it high, and He has set up the balance (or measure [for all things]) in order that you do not transgress the balance  (or measure). And therefore, establish the weight with equity, and  do not make the balance (measure) deficient. 

  (Q. 55:7-9).

 Since Allah creates everything in its proper balance, terrible misfortunes and violence take place on this earth from time to time because of man’s violating this balance. Allah said,

  ظَهَرَ الْفَسَادُ فِي الْبَرِّ وَالْبَحْرِ بِمَا كَسَبَتْ أَيْدِي النَّاسِ لِيُذِيقَهُمْ

بَعْضَ الَّذِي عَمِلُوا لَعَلَّهُمْ يَرْجِعُونَ  (الروم: ٤١)

Corruption has appeared on land and sea in consequence of man’s own misdeeds. That He may make them taste a part of that which they

have done, in order that they may return.  (Q. 30:41).

The above verse was revealed while the Romans from Eastern Roman Empire were waging war against the Persians creating disturbance and instability in that region. At present people are still fighting and killing each other, rather than settling their disputes peacefully, and people keep polluting the environment. Every machine that uses gasoline (petrol) for its engine to operate, from airplanes, to motorcycles, from factories to stoves all need oxygen (O) to work without which they will not function. Living things including humans need oxygen to breathe and to survive. In addition, these things emit poisonous gas called carbon monoxide (CO) whereas human beings and animals emit carbon dioxide (CO2). The cutting of trees that produce oxygen indiscriminately for logging such as in the jungles keeps going on resulting in erosion which in turn causes floods.

Many animals and birds are on the brink of extinction due to human abuse of environment. Their habitats shrink as people keep cutting trees where they live. Many of them are called endangered species, like the pandas of China, the snow tigers of Russia, and the orang-outang of Borneo/Kalimantan. Many birds can no longer lay eggs that can hatch because of the contamination of the water they drink or the areas where they live. For example, beside industrial waste, it happened many times that tankers carrying crude oil sank and polluted the water where many birds and other animals live. These birds have to be raised in captivity with human assistance. Many other animals and birds have already been extinct because of the polluted environment, and this is irreversible.

In Canada many lakes are dying because of water pollution from factories. The fish in these lakes cannot be eaten any longer, because these rivers are harmful, so that people who spent their vacation there just sit at their banks without touching their water.

Muslims are taught to join other creatures in glorifying Allah and to realize that each inhabitant on this earth has its own community, such as that of the ants. Muslims are taught not to pollute still water with impure things, and to pick and eat fruit without damaging its tree or branches. They are encouraged to plant trees disregarding whether they will get their fruits in their lifetime or not.

Muslims are not allowed to waste anything and to spend unwisely, as it indicates lack of one’s appreciation of Allah’s bounty. A person who is spendthrift is associated with devils as his brothers in ungratefulness. Allah said, 

وَآَتِ ذَا الْقُرْبَى حَقَّهُ وَالْمِسْكِينَ وَابْنَ السَّبِيلِ وَلَا تُبَذِّرْ تَبْذِيرًا. إِنَّ الْمُبَذِّرِينَ

كَانُوا إِخْوَانَ الشَّيَاطِينِ وَكَانَ الشَّيْطَانُ لِرَبِّهِ كَفُورًا  (الإسراء : ٢٦-٢٧)  

And give to the kinsmen his due, and to the poor and the wayfarer, and do not be spendthrifts. Verily, the spendthrifts are brothers of devils, and the devil is ever ungrateful to his Lord.  (Q. 17:26-27).

Wasteful extravagance is against conservation and preservation. It is reported by ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Amr ibn al-‘Ās. narrated that the Prophet was passing by Sa‘d who was making ablution for prayer, and said to him; “What is this waste, O Sa‘d?” He replied: “Can there be waste in washing for the prayer?” The Prophet said: “Yes, even if you are beside the flowing river.” The Prophet said that whoever killed an animal or bird wantonly, without any valid reason or purpose, he would be responsible for it in the Hereafter. He also said that whoever planted a tree and its fruits were eaten by animals and birds, they were considered charity. However, it should not be misunderstood, that our crops should be left totally to animals or birds.

Australia is a continent that lacks rain and water, especially in areas far away from its shores. The government urges people to save and use water wisely, especially in watering our gardens. We should not waste food and put in our plates more than what we need, so that the remainder will end up in the rubbish bins.

We have to conserve energy, and we have to stop indiscriminate logging, we should control the chemicals and gases from factories and stop them from polluting our environment, the seas, the rivers, the land and the air. We have to encourage people to plant trees, help the government and any non-governmental organization dealing with conservation and preservation of the environment.

          The earth is entrusted to us as amānah (trusteeship) to maintain and to take care of it and the creatures living on it. As Allah’s representative or vicegerent on this earth, it is our responsibility for maintaining the welfare and the safety and of everything on it: humans, animals, trees, the water of the rivers and the oceans, even the minerals under its soil. The earth is our home; it is for us to make use of all its resources without causing any damage to it. Think of next generations, as this earth is not only for our generation, but also for generations to come. By doing this, we are actually doing our devotion to Allah in obeying His command to keep this earth in a good shape and in carrying out His amānah.