Religion

Respect of Nature and Natural Resources

By Dr. Muzammil H. Siddiqi

Children of Adam, dress well whenever you are at worship, and eat and drink but do not be wasteful: He does not like the people who are wasteful. (Al-A’raf 7:31)
It is He who made you trustees of the earth and raises some you above others in ranks, to test you through what He has given you. Your Lord is swift in punishment, yet He is most forgiving and merciful. (Al-A’raf 7:165)
The role of human beings is that they are Allah’s trustees, stewards and agents on this earth. We are not masters of this earth and its resources. Every thing belong to Allah and He has entrusted these resources so that we use them in the right way. As trustees we have to fulfill the wishes of our Master. We have no right to do whatever we wish. We are responsible and answerable for all our actions. All will question us about how we used or abused His creation.
The Word of God, the Qur’an tells us that the purpose of human life is to serve Allah, live with each other in peace and harmony and enjoy Allah’s creation in nature with gratitude, care and responsibility according to the rules laid down by Allah.
Islam holds a very positive view of nature. It calls nature the handiwork of Allah (sun’allah, al-Naml 27:99) and speaks often of its beauty, value and goodness. Nature was and continues to be the arena of God’s love and grace. Nature, according to Islam, is not fallen. It has not become bereft of value and there is no dichotomy between nature and divine grace. The Wise Creator has created everything for a purpose. The purposive- ness of the universe is highly emphasized in Islam.
We did not create the heaven and earth and everything in between playing (pointless) game. We created them for a true purpose, but most people do not comprehend.
(Al-Dukhan 44:38-39)
So set your face to the religion as a man of pure faith. This is the natural disposition of God upon which he created humankind. There is no altering of God’s creation and this is the right religion, though most people do not realize it. (Al-Rum 30:30)
There are religions that teach worship of nature. In Islam we do not worship nature but we are told that the nature is “muslim.” It submits to Allah and glorifies Allah.
The seven heavens and the earth and all beings therein glorify Him. There is not a thing but celebrate His praise, though you do not understand their praise. Indeed He is most forbearing, most forgiving. (Al-Isra’ 17:44)
The thunder repeats His praises and so do the angels with awe … To Allah prostrate all those who are in heaven and earth willingly or in spite of themselves and so do their shadows in the mornings and evenings. (Al-Ra’d 13:13, 15)
Worship imparts worth and value and so one can say without any hesitation that these statements are mentioned not only to emphasize Allah’s greatness and glory but also to create a sense of respect and reverence for nature among humans. Nature is in harmony with worshipping humans or one can say that nature is our fellow worshipper.
Islam teaches that Allah created the natural world a long time before the creation of human beings. Therefore, natural order does not depend on humans; on the contrary, it is humans who depend on the resources of nature. Our responsibility is then to appreciate and enjoy this beautiful nature in all its variety, not to abuse it, waste it or spoil it. We should be thankful to the Creator who gave us these gifts. As trustees of Allah we have to see that we, our future generations and all other creatures of Allah benefit from these resources.
Water is a source of purity and nourishment and so it has to be kept pure and conserved. Air also has to be kept clean and un-polluted because it is essential for healthy living. Trees and plants should be appreciated and should not be destroyed unnecessarily. We should rather cultivate the land with trees and flowers to make it more beautiful. Fish in the sea and all other water animals and land animals have their rights. They should not be destroyed and should not be killed for sport.
There are basically five points that come across as ethical concerns of Islam in our relation to natural resources and environment:
1. Enjoy natural resources and be thankful to Allah
2. Use natural resources but do not commit waste or indulge in extravagance
3. Improve but avoid corruption and destruction
4. Keep in mind other creatures who share this planet with humans
5. Keep in mind all human beings and future generations who also need these resources.
In the world today there is not only violence, aggression, injustice, corruption and immorality but there are also of waste of natural resources and pollution of the environment. The result is that now there are problems of global warming, acid rains, ozone depletion, deforestation, floods, draught and an epidemic of all kind of cancers and unheard of diseases. We must reform our ways to save us and to save the world.
Corruption has appeared on land and sea as a result of people’s actions and He will make them taste the consequences of some of their own actions so that they may turn back. (Al-Rum 30:41)

(Khutbah at ISOC – Safar 5, 1428/ February 23, 2007)

- DrSiddiqi@aol.com