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Islam, the Religion of the Environment: the Need for Re-Education and Re-Training Dr 403 Islam, the Religion of the Environment: the Need for Re-education and Re-training Dr. Muhammad Abdel Haleem* One of the best functions of the U.N. is the working of its agencies, which bring people from different cultures to communicate and work with one another. The Qur’an addresses all people: People, We created you all from a single man and a single woman and made you into nations and tribes so that you should get to know one another.1 The Qur’an urges the believers to: Help one another towards what is right and good; do not help one another towards sin and hostility.2 Happily for the U.N. and all countries that promulgate environmental laws, their objectives were enshrined in the Qur’an and the traditions of the Prophet Muhammad from the beginning. Indeed, these laws make Muslims realise that the objectives and principles of such laws have all along been there in their religion. They refresh and sharpen Muslims’ awareness of these aspects that may have been pushed aside in place of other priorities. The title of this chapter is “Islam, the Religion of the Environment: The Need for Re-education and Re-training”. People began to pay attention to the environment only when they were faced with the dangerous consequences of violating it. Nevertheless, such attention is essential, even if it has come late, since one of the basic juristic rules in Islamic law is that harm should be removed. From the 7th century, Islam has had its eco-theology clearly and extensively expressed in the Qur’an and the Hadith, the two sources of Islamic teachings. The environment is related to the most fundamental belief in God, the Creator of everything. The Qur’an justifies all its teachings by giving arguments for them. It never simply says, “Do” or “Do not do” and stops there. Thus, what we see now around us in the environment is employed in the Qur’an as a basis for arguments supporting belief in God’s existence, His oneness, His power, His creation and His care. * Director of Centre for Islamic and Qur’anic Studies, School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London. 1 49:13. Unless noted otherwise, all references in this paper are to the Qur’an. 2 5:2. 404 Selected Documents We read in the Qur’an that: God created the heavens and the earth and everything in between for a true purpose.3 So nothing in heaven or earth was created in vain. God is rabb al-‘alamin (as expressed in the second verse of the Qur’an and repeated by practising Muslims in their prayers at least 17 times a day). This means that He is the Caring Lord of all the Worlds – the worlds of humans, plants, animals, insects, land, sea, and all those that exist in the heavens. This gives the believer an affinity with the rest of God’s creation.4 Humans are reminded in the Qur’an: All the creatures that crawl on the earth and those that fly with their wings are communities like yourselves.5 The Prophet Muhammad is reported to have said: I testify that all creatures are brothers. We also read in the Qur’an that: Our Lord is He who gave everything its form, then gave it guidance,6 Who created all things in due proportion; who determined their destinies and guided them,7 He created the earth and placed solid mountains on it, blessed it, measured out its varied provisions for all who seek them.8 This is the global food chain: cut down a forest, pollute the sea or the air, and you disturb the food chain and the habitats, which He measured out and balanced perfectly. This provision is called rizq in the Qur’an: There is not a creature that moves on earth whose provision is not [God’s] concern: He knows where it lives and its final resting place.9 Everything on earth is created by God to work together as a whole (al-‘alamin), and each creature has its place in the scheme. That is why we find Qur’anic verses presenting a whole vista: In the creation of the heavens and earth; in the alternation of night and day; in the ships that sail the seas with bounty for the people; in the water which God sends down from the sky to give life to the earth when it has been barren, scattering all kinds of creatures over it; in the change of the winds and clouds that run their appointed courses between the sky and earth: there are signs in all these for those who use their minds. 10 Have they not contemplated the realm of the heavens and earth and all that God created.11 Even in directing people to think of colours, there is a global perspective: Have you [Prophet] not considered that God sends water down from the sky and that We produce with it fruits of varied colours? That there are in the mountains layers of white and red of various hues, and jet black? That there are various colours among human beings, wildlife and livestock too?12 3 46:3. 4 17:44. 5 6:38. 6 20:50. 7 87:2-3. 8 41:70. 9 11:6. 10 2:164. 11 7:185. 12 45:27-8..
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