Earthquakes,
Natural Disasters and Our Environment
By Dr Shahid Athar
Indianapolis
“Lo! in the creation of the
heavens and the earth , and the difference of
the night and the day and the ships which sail
in the ocean of use to men and the water that
God sends down from the sky, thereby reviving
the earth after its death and dispersing all kinds
of animals therein and the ordinance of the clouds
obedient between heaven and earth; are signs for
people who reflect”(Quran 2:164)
Natural disasters like Hurricanes Katrina and
Rita, Tsunami and now the earthquake in Pakistan
which affected thousands of lives, have demonstrated
how vulnerable we humans are and how equally we
suffer irrespective of our faith.
The earth has been given to us as a gift from
the Creator and we, the recipients of this gift,
must protect and preserve it. Even though Samuel
Huntington talks about “The Clash of Civilizations”
in his book in which he prophecies an inevitable
war between Islam and Christianity, the fact is
that Abrahimic religions and all religions have
much in common in view of a natural world. In
the scriptures there are similar stories and ethical
concepts for the preservation of the earth.
The word earth or in Arabic, ard, appears no less
than 485 times in the holy Qur’an and the
word shariah - Islamic law - literally means the
source of water. No wonder green is the color
of Islam.
Environmental statistics are well known to everyone
interested in the subject. There are many websites
and organizations which are dedicated to highlight
them. There is little doubt that global warming
IS taking place. An increase in global warming
leads to increased water vapor and abrupt changes
in the climate precipitating hurricanes. Global
warming will also lead to more infectious diseases
like malaria The United States which has 4% of
the world’s population produces 25% of the
world’s carbon dioxide. Besides global warming,
there are other threats to the environment posed
by the use of chemicals, fertilizers, herbicides,
industrial wastes and smoking. There is a shortage
of fresh water for human use as we use more water
for industries and less for agriculture. Added
to this is the question of economic injustice,
the North/South divide, poverty and lack of health
care for people who are underprivileged not only
worldwide but even in our own country.
God has created everything in this universe in
due proportion and measure both in quantity and
quality. In the universe, there is enormous diversity
and variety of form and function. In it and in
various elements there are fulfillments of man’s
welfare and evidence of the Creator’s greatness.
Man is a part of these universes, the elements
of which are complementary to one another: they
protect rather than being subservient to one another.
God has made water the basis of and origin of
life. As He says in the Qur’an, “We
make from water everything.” When NASA sends
out missions into the universe they are looking
for water as proof of life on other planets. The
Qur’an says “And we send down pure
water from the sky, thereby bringing life to dead
land and quenching the thirst of that, we have
created cattle and man in multitude.”
The message of Islam is “Mercy to Mankind”.
That includes not only to fellow humans, but also
plants as well as the animal kingdom. It is mentioned
in accounts of the life of Prophet Mohammed (PBUH)
that once he saw a companion remove a baby pigeon
from a nest. Prophet Mohammed confronted that
person and gently returned the bird to its nest
saying, “For charity shown to each creation
with a soft heart, there is a reward.” It
was said by an Islamic scholar that all living
things are partners to man in existence and they
deserve their own respect.
Coming back to the preservation of water, Islam
forbids the wastage of water and usage thereof
without benefit. The industrial pollutants going
through the waterways and oceans that will pollute
the water and threaten marine life, are forbidden
in Islam. Islam also considers the earth as our
first mother and all mothers have their rights.
Their right is that they not be violated and be
respected. The animals also have rights and Islam
forbids Muslims to kill an animal just for play.
It is said that if someone kills a bird just for
amusement, the bird will demand justice from that
person on the Day of Judgment. Prophet Jesus (peace
be upon him) instructed us to “Love Thy
Neighbor”. In Islam, the neighbor is defined
not only as a fellow human but as all living beings
around us. Thus when a Muslim saint Imam Alhilaly
was seen throwing bread crumbs to ants outside
his house, he explained his action by saying,
“They are my neighbors and I have a duty
to feed them.”
How does all of this affect our health? God has
given us clean, healthy lungs and we destroy them
by smoking or inhaling second-hand smoke. That
is not the will of God. He has given us healthy
livers and we destroy them by drinking alcohol.
That is not the will of God. We Muslims are not
supposed to harm ourselves or anyone else but
we forget that. Religion should never be confined
to acts of worship in a place of worship. The
place of worship is at home and outside the Churches
and Mosques, on the street where we go out and
take care of fellow humans who are also members
of our family.The Qur’an says, “Save
yourself and your family from fire.” Scholars
believe that the fire which is mentioned is not
just hell fire but the fires that we have created
from our own actions. Qur’an also says,
“Everything good that happens to you or
mankind is from God and everything bad that happens
to you is by your own actions.” Our own
actions here are our industrial growth, material
greed, and luxuries that drive us crazy and endanger
not only the environment but our own health and
the health of fellow humans as well as other forms
of life. “Do not create mischief on earth
after it has been set in order,” says the
Qur’an.
Effects of aerial bombing on environment:
There is no doubt that not only is the air polluted
with air bombing but this has long-term environmental
effect. During the Gulf War many oilfields were
bombed in the area and oil continued to burn for
several years leading to black rain in the region
which had effects on vegetation and also resulted
in respiratory illnesses among humans. Mountains
are described in the Qur’an as firm anchors
or pegs to stabilize earth ( 13:3, 15:19, and
16:15). It is my feeling that several years of
intense bombing of mountains in Afghanistan and
the NWP province of Pakistan destabilized the
mountains which could have contributed to the
severe earthquake on October 8, 2005.
The points of religious accord in environmental
ethics that I endorse are as under:
1) The natural world has value
in itself and does not exist solely to serve human
needs.
2) There is a significant continuity of being
between humans and non-humans, living beings,
even though humans do have a distinctive role
and responsibility.
3) Non-human living beings are morally significant
in the eyes of God and in the cosmic order. They
have their own unique relationship to God and
their own place in the cosmic order.
4) The dependence of human life on the natural
world can and should be acknowledged in the rituals
and other explorations and appreciation of attitudes.
5) Moral norms such as justice, compassion and
reciprocity apply in appropriate ways both to
human beings and non-human beings. The well-being
of humans and the well-being of non-humans are
inseparably linked.
6) There are legitimate and illegitimate uses
of nature.
7) Greed and destructiveness are condemned. Restraint
and protection are recommended.
8) Humans are obliged to be aware and responsible
for living in harmony with the natural world and
should follow specific practices prescribed by
their traditions.
It is well known that a high level of Ozone has
impact on our health in terms of bronchitis, asthma
and other respiratory disorder. Now the question
arises: “What can we do ourselves?”
There is pessimism that it is the government’s
or industry’s responsibility and we individuals
cannot do much ourselves. This is not true. Obviously,
we can lead a healthy life, eat healthy food,
give up smoking, drive less and use less gas guzzlers.
Whatever we can do to preserve nature and other
living beings, including plants, is an act of
faith and an act of worship to the God that we
profess to believe in.
Let me end with two stories to make my point.
There was a boat in the ocean with two decks.
The upper deck folks had all the provisions and
the lower deck folks had very little. In the middle
of the ocean the folks in the lower deck ran out
of drinking water. So they sent one person to
the upper deck to ask them for some water to share.
The self-centered folks in the upper deck refused
to share. The thirsty folks in the lower deck
had no choice but to dig a hole in the boat to
get some water. Well, when the boat sank, it drowned
the folks on both the decks. Friends! We are in
this boat of environmental mess together. Unless
we all do something to save our earth, we will
meet the same fate.
Finally, there is the story of a wise man who
had the correct answers to all questions asked.
A person became jealous of him and challenged
him. He took a small little bird in his fist and
closed his fist. He thought that he would ask
the wise man if the bird was alive or dead. If
the wise man said it was alive then he would kill
the bird and if he said the bird was dead then
he would open the fist and let the bird fly. In
either case, the wise man would be proven wrong
for the first time. The wise man was wise enough
to know the trick of this wicked man. So he replied
in response to the question asked, “The
fate of the bird is in your hand.”
My friends, the fate of the Earth is in your hands.
(Presented on October 8, 2005 at the 5th Annual
Earth Charter Summit in Indianapolis. Dr. Athar
can be reached via email sathar3624@aol.com ,
www.islam-usa.com)
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