Islam and Environment

Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia

Faculty of Law
PHD Program in Law
P58462
Musbri Mohamed
DIL; ADIL ( ITM )
MBL ( UKM )

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• The concept of environment is broad
and is used in many different ways.
The environment is the medium in
which Man lives; the mother's womb
is a man's first environment; home is
an environment; school is an
environment; the place where we live
is an environment; the earth is an
environment and the whole universe
is an environment.

• Environmentalists arrived at a precise

definition of the environment when
they met in Stockholm in 1972 under
the auspices of the United Nations :
"The environment is the sum of the
material and social resources
available at a given time and place to
satisfy the needs and aspirations of
Man".

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• According to this definition, the environment includes natural resources such
as water, air and soil, energy resources, minerals, plants and animals.
Moreover any pollution of these resources will have an effect beyond the
borders of the country in which the pollution occurred.
• Perhaps it was the Chernobyl disaster in Russia - a nuclear reactor explosion
which alarmed the countries of Europe and other neighbouring countries
affected by the fallout - or perhaps it was the oil spills and leakages in the
waters of the Gulf threatening all the countries of the region with pollution
which gave impetus to international cooperation through the United Nations
and various scientific bodies in countering the problem of pollution.
• We live on a single planet and Mankind has a shared future, particularly at the
present stage in which the interests of the inhabitants of this Earth are
becoming evermore interlinked with advances in communications to the
extent that the world has become like a global village.

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• Land constitutes less than one third of the surface area of the
earth and of that, the part suitable for human habitation is
relatively small. This becomes even more significant when we
take into account the increase in population which we see
around us. As the earth is the source of our food, water and
clothing, it is imperative that Man fully appreciates the true
nature and value of the earth and protects it from all harm.

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• An important consideration in the ecological discussion is how the Earth and its
life forms are perceived. If nature is understood as having been created only to
serve human beings, its unlimited exploitation may be justified.

• However, most Muslims believe that this is not so.

• Allah s.w.t is seen as having created humans to be His rulers on His behalf -- to
look after the planet and manage it in the best possible way.
 
Surah 6:165, in a modern (loose) translation, states:

"It is He who has appointed you viceroys in the earth … that He may try you in
what He has given you. (Arbery)

Evidently, unlimited exploitation is not acceptable.

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• According to one Hadith, the
Prophet Muhammad saw described
the entire creation (including
humans, animals, and trees and
plants) as the family of Allah. He
declared that all should be treated
with compassion and sensitivity.

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• There is a story of a woman of disrepute who came to the
Prophet saw and said that she saved a thirsty cat from dying by
fetching water from a pit with the help of her socks. The
Prophet saw told her that because of what she has done Allah
swt will pardon all her sins, and that she will go to paradise.

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• Muslims are encouraged to follow green principles in many ways,
mainly by being aware of what they are doing, and by avoiding
waste and pollution.
• Everyday products should be used and recycled as much as
possible. Energy use should be minimized. Products such as ivory,
which are obtained by killing of rare or endangered species of
animals, should not be purchased. Products that have been tested on
animals captured or bred for this purpose should not be used.
• Muslims should use biodegradable products as far as possible,
prefer unleaded gasoline and detergents that do not pollute the water
supply.

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• The word earth (ard) is mentioned 485 times in the Qur'an. Shariah, the
word usually translated to mean "Islamic law" literally means "source
of water." The Shariah is the source of life in that it contains both
ethical and legal rules. 

In Islam, the conservation of the environment is based on the principle

that all individual components of the environment were created by God,
and that all living things were created by the Almighty Creator.

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• Islamic ecological ethics are derived from the belief that all
of creation belongs to God, and not to man, and to assume
that non-human animals and plants exist to benefit man leads
to environmental destruction and misuse. If, as in Islamic
belief, the component parts of nature are in continuous praise
to God, human destruction of these parts prevents the earth's
natural and subtle means for praising God. The Qu'ran
acknowledges that humans are not the only creature to walk
the earth. Muhammad s.a.w was once asked whether there
would be a reward for those who show charity to nature and
animals. He replied, "for charity shown to each creature with
a wet heart, there is a reward." 

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• Since the time of the prophet Muhammad, Islamic ethics have included the
concept of hima, protection of certain zones. The government requires
protection of certain plots of land which may not be built upon, or
cultivated in any way. This concept is still practiced in many Islamic
countries for the protection of wildlife. 

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• Even if the Messiah has come, plant the sapling you have in your hand,
the prophet Muhammad said, "when doomsday comes, if someone has a
palm shoot in his hands, he should plant it." This suggests that even
when hope is lost, planting should continue with us or without us, for
planting is good in itself.

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• We are on the brink of a frightening ecological disaster. The earth is
being destroyed at an alarming speed. It can no longer sustain the rate
of our use of its resources. So our relationship with the rest of creation
is seriously out of balance. The manifestations of this situation include
air, water and soil pollution through toxic, chemical and radioactive
waste, soil erosion and salinizaton, desertification, deforestation,
extinction of plant and animal species, global warming, exorbitant
energy consumption and nuclear obliteration. If this process is not
controlled effectively, the next generation of living beings will have no
livable earth to inherit. Also, as there is an organic link between
destruction of environment and socio-economic and political injustice,
even though all are affected by the ecological crisis, the life of the poor
and marginalized is further impoverished by it. Thus there has been a
growing concern, expressed globally, to address the issues of
environmental degradation.

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• In the Qur’anic perspective there is a definite relationship between
God and His creation. The doctrine of tawhid, the belief in the
oneness of God, is a cardinal principal in the Qur’an. Tawhid affirms
and acknowledges that God is one and the only Reality. Then
creation is part of the Essence of God and it manifests Him. It
"teaches that all life is essentially a unity as the creation which
proceeds from the Divine oneness".This affirms the wholeness and
holiness of the creation and thus it brings value to creation. It also
rejects all forms of dualism, which separates human beings from
nature, so nature is considered as evil and to be subjugated, that
have contributed to the ecological crisis.

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• According to the Qur’an, God made provisions for the sustenance and growth
of countless varieties of creatures from microorganisms to the largest animals.
These provisions are made available to meet their needs in every situation and
stages of life. As we have seen earlier, God created everything for a specific
purpose. So there is nothing that exists which does not serve some purpose or
other. It means that everything fits into one supreme scheme of life.
Everything is put together in wisdom and unity. It emphasizes that everything
has its value to life. Existence of each and every thing, whether it is small or
big, is important for the continuation of life. So each species is unique and
makes its own specific contribution to the totality of life. This negates the
superiority or importance of one species over against the other. Thus in the
holistic perspective human being is "not a supreme being but a part of the
web of nature coexisting with other denizens of the cosmos“ .

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• The developed countries have taken a position to defend the
environment : conferences have been held and theories and
research have advanced in every field to halt the damage to it,
calling upon people to stop acting with regard to the environment
as if Man were its absolute lord and master. In the past the earth
was able to absorb irresponsible behaviour which harmed the
environment because the number of people was small. But with an
increasing number of inhabitants, the earth is no longer able to bear
or compensate for, without permanent effects or sufficiently
rapidly, the accumulated consequences of activities which are
harmful to the environment.

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• One of the most important distinctive features of any environment,
whether large or small, is that it is in a state of flexible equilibrium
despite the multitude of internal and external factors and elements
acting upon it. Let us give an example. If for some reason the tall plants
were cut down or died in a given environment, the prevailing balance in
that environment would change : when bright light shone on places
where there was once shade, the small plants growing there would be
affected and die and other kinds of light-loving plants would grow in
their place. Animals which had lived there seeking shelter in the shade
would flee or die and other animals which were not troubled by the
light, or preferred it, would move into that environment. Many a time
environmental disasters have destroyed the balance in the constituents
of an environment. The balance in any environment is governed by
factors which define the environment and prevent one element in it
predominating over the others. Here the English proverb is
appropriate : A chain is only as strong as its weakest link.

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• The changes in the environment are periodic, and at times
disorderly. However, most of the time these changes do not
bring about a disturbance in the dynamic equilibrium of the
environment. Radical change takes place only in disasters and,
depending on the scale of the disaster, it is not long before the
environment has repaired the damage and returned to its original
equilibrium.

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• Islam cares for the environment in every sense of
the word and in all its aspects whether in relation
to the earth and the laws dealing with it or with
man's relation to it as its owner, custodian and
protector from the harmful consequences of his
vanity. As a consequence, Islam has encouraged
scientific environmental research. In addition, the
jurists of Islam have devoted much research and
efforts to the laws of collective and individual
ownership to arrive at the best use of the
environment and sustained interaction therewith.
The jurists have been concerned to define
ownership and how one may legally benefit and
profit therefrom. In the case of land, they stress
that both the land owner and the land itself are
covered by legal provisions.

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• Islam forbids the amassing of basic commodities and resources which
lead to the accumulation of capital. Islam forbids cheating people and
monopolizing basic resources to control their prices or to monopolize
commercial or industrial goods if this monopoly causes harm to Muslims.
In addition, Islam forbids the charging of interest, bribery and the misuse
of influence. Islam permits the seizure of property amassed illegally. It is
clear that all these provisions are to achieve balance and equality and to
eradicate major differences between individuals. Some jurists go as far as
saying that the Shari'a permits forcing a property owner to sell goods at
prices fixed by the Shari'a; his failure to do so would be considered a
crime punishable by chastisement. The reasoning here is that to do
otherwise would be of great detriment to the public interest and could
lead to speculation in the people's food in times of crisis.

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• Pollution of the land by constantly accumulating mineral, chemical
and radioactive waste has begun to affect the perfectly balanced
chemical composition of the soil. Botanical research has shown that
some plants are storing poisonous chemicals in their cells and
tissues which they have absorbed from polluted soil. These are then
transferred to animals and man where they collect and cause a series
of diseases which are transmitted to man through the consumption
of meats from animals and birds.

• It is Allah s.w.t 's mercy that mankind is not totally infected, as God
gave man's immune system the ability to counter the poisons caused
by his negligence of his environment, health, food and drink,
unaware that he is destroying himself and the coming generations.

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• The Sunna of The Prophet, Peace and Blessings be upon him, urge Man to
keep the environment clean and to avoid all acts of pollution. In a hadith on
the authority of Abu Hurayra : "The Messenger of God, Peace and Blessings
be upon Him, said : 'Avoid two things which are abominable'. They asked :
'What are these two abominable things, O Messenger of God ?' He replied :
'Relieving oneself on the public highway or in a shady place.'"
• The Prophet's warning, Peace and Blessings be upon him, to the people
despite their simple bedouin lifestyle which lacked any civilizational basics
in this field, was to show that such acts would deprive other people from
benefits.
• The Prophet, Peace and Blessings be upon him, also warned against
relieving oneself in sources of water such as the Nile, waterways and canals.
In a hadith on the authority of Abu Hurayra : "The Prophet, Peace and
Blessings be upon him, said : 'Let not one of you relieve himself in stagnant
water and then wash himself with that water.'"

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• The Prophet, Peace and Blessings be upon him, was
equally vehement against those who cut down trees for
no good reason or caused harm to the natural
environment. In a tradition on the authority of Abdallah
b. Halehi : "The Messenger of God, Peace and Blessings
be upon him, said : 'Whosoever cuts down a Lotus tree
will have his head put into the Fires of Hell by God.'"
• Abu Dawud was asked about the meaning of this hadith.
He said : "If there is a tree in an open space which
provides shade for wayfarers and animals, and someone
cuts it down, then God will put that person's head in the
Fires of Hell". (Abu Dawud : Vol. IV; p361.)

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• In addition, there is a hadith on the authority of Anas b. Malik, May God be
Pleased with him, which says that The Prophet, Peace and Blessings be upon him,
said encouraging people to plant trees and cultivate : "Every Muslim who plants a
tree or plants a crop from which birds, people or animals eat shall have a reward
for a beneficent act" (In the collections of Al-Bukhari, Muslim and Al-Tirmidhi.)
• There is another hadith in which The Prophet, Peace and Blessings be upon him,
says : "If the Final Hour is come, and one of you has a palm seedling in his hand
and it is within his power to plant it, then let him do so".
• In the same vein, removing harm from people's way, even by simply removing a
stone from the road, has its reward with God, to Whom be ascribed all Perfection
and Majesty.
• Another sound hadith says : "Every step taken on the way to prayer is a beneficent
act just as removing harm from the people's way is a beneficient act". (Al-Bukhari)

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• One of the most serious environmental problems is that of desertification.
According to some scientists, the area of partially or totally arid land makes up
thirty-six percent of the total land surface area of the earth. This proportion is
already high and desertification continues to increase. It is considered one of the
greatest causes of the famine affecting the people in Africa and other parts of the
world.
• Desertification was the subject of a UN conference which was held in Nairobi in
September 1977. Scientific reports presented at the conference show that in the last
fifty years the Sahara desert has swallowed up 650,000 km.sq. of the land and
pasture land at its southern borders.
• Similarly, satellite photographs show that the desert is spreading towards the fertile
Nile Delta at a rate of 13 kilometres per annum. Bearing in mind that the total
agricultural land is only 4% of the total area of Egypt, the extent of the disaster
threatening us is clear, particularly when we add the serious increase in population.

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• In the Sudan, once seen as the potential bread-basket of the Arab
countries, there is a shortage of food. And in Algeria the agricultural land
is threatened by desertification.
• In the Indian province of Rajastan, the desert has grown by 8% in
eighteen years.
• In Chile, formerly good grazing land has been turned to desert in which
all that grows are cacti and a few plants which are only good for feeding
goats. These are but a few examples of many of the greatest problems
threatening to kill and destroy the environment. Countries must combat
this problem by stopping desertification by all scientific means.

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• The problem of water is one of the most complex issues about which states are
currently in dispute. Water is extremely limited as most of it is saline and unfit for
use by man, for drinking, industry or irrigation.
• It is, therefore, imperative, that individual countries return to the basic principles
for the proper use of this resource on which all living things depend.
• Islam's approach to interaction with all kinds of life condemns profligacy and
waste. God, to Whom be ascribed all Perfection and Majesty, likens those who
are wasteful to the brothers of devils.
• In a hadith collected by Al-Darami on the authority of Safina : "The Prophet,
Peace and Blessings be upon Him, was doing his ritual ablutions and washing
himself with only the least amount of water necessary". Many ayats in the Holy
Qur'an talk of the creation of water, its importance in the life of the earth and in
bringing forth vegetation and how all living things were created from it. God, to
Whom be ascribed all Perfection and Majesty, says :

We made from water for every living thing

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• Islam links faith and belief (iman) to cleanliness. Some of the
pillars of Islam, such as prayer (salat) and the pilgrimage (Hajj)
can only be performed in a state of purity and washing in pure,
clean water, free of any contamination. This article of faith and
others teach us to protect sources of water from pollution and to
keep them clean. Islam's concern with science and scientists is
the clearest evidence of Islam's encouragement of progress in
scientific research into all environmental resources, including
water purification and desalination and the scientific means
involved so that water may be fit for man's consumption - Man,
whom God made His vicegerent, whom He has honoured on
land and at sea, to whom He has given everything necessary for
life so that his journey may continue until God, to Whom be
ascribed all Perfection and Majesty, inherits the earth and
everyone thereon.

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• There is a great bond between man and his environment, whether at the the
individual, the collective or the state levels. Cleanliness, as in washing and
ritual ablution either with clean water or sand, is of vital importance and a
requisite of Islamic belief and faith without which worship is invalid. Islam
enjoins washing for the Friday Prayer, washing for the Prayers of the Two
Holy Festivals and cleanliness of body and attire. Everything which could
cause offense to other people and the Angels is to be shunned.
• Muslim and Al-Tirmidhi relate a hadith of the Prophet on the authority of
Abu Malik al-Ash'ari : "The Prophet, Peace and Blessings be upon Him,
said : 'Cleanliness is half of faith, saying 'Praise be to God' fills the balance
(of good deeds), saying 'May God be Glorified' and 'May God be Praised' fills
what is between the heavens and the earth, prayer is illumination, giving alms
is proof (of your good intent), patience is a light and the Qur'an serves as an
argument for you and against you (on the Day of Judgement)'".
• In another hadith reported by Al-Tabarani, on the importance of washing and
faith, The Prophet, Peace and Blessings be upon Him, said : "Be sure to keep
your teeth clean, for cleanliness invites to faith (iman) and faith will lead you
to Paradise".

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• Protection of the environment does not have its rationale in still-born
conference resolutions or in the strident voices of scientists, which may
or may not be heard. Rather, it is the Divine Law which demands that
Man protect the environment and God, to Whom be ascribed all
Perfection and Majesty, will punish all who neglect its provisions. For,
above all, the environment, with all its various signs of God was made
by the Creator Who created all things in Perfect Measure.
• Thank You
• Musbri Mohamed

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