109: Care for our Natural Environment
[b]وَسَخَّرَ لَكُم مَّا فِي السَّمَاوَاتِ وَمَا فِي الْأَرْضِ جَمِيعًا مِّنْهُ[/b]
[i]And Allah has subjected to you, what is in the heavens and on earth:Behold, in that are Signs indeed for those who reflect [/i][b][Qur’an 45:13][/b]
[b]Nature, the Environment and the Qur’an[/b]
There are more than 500 verses in the Qur'an dealing directly with nature, the environment and natural phenomena. In fact, numerous chapters (
surahs) are titled after either animals or natural phenomena.
There are more than 500 verses in the Qur'an dealing directly with nature, the environment and natural phenomena. In fact, numerous chapters (surahs) are titled after either animals or natural phenomena. These include ...
Al-Baqarah The Cow,
Al-An'aam The Cattle,
Ar-Ra'd The Thunder,
An-Nahl The Bee,
An-Noor the Light,
An-Naml the Ant,
Al-'Ankabut the Spider,
At-Toor the Mountain,
An-Najm the Star,
Al-Qamar the Moon,
Al-Buruj the Constellation of Stars,
At-Tariq the Night Star,
Al-Fajr the Dawn,
Ash-Shams the Sun,
Al-Layl the Night,
Ad-Duha the Morning,
At-Teen the Fig, and
Al-Feel the Elephant.
We are commanded [Q7:179] to use our sensory, conceptual and moral faculties to appreciate the realities around us and to be heedful of the signs we see and the lessons we learn. We are encouraged to reflect upon the [i]creation of the celestial and earthly spheres, upon the operations of nature, upon the alternation of night and day, upon the variety of life forms, upon the vegetation with all its variety and its tendency to decay and regenerate [/i][Q3:190, Q13:2-4, Q10:6, Q45:5, Q42:29, Q35:27, Q30:19, Q87:4].
[b]وَسَخَّرَ لَكُم مَّا فِي السَّمَاوَاتِ وَمَا فِي الْأَرْضِ جَمِيعًا مِّنْهُ[/b][i]Subjected/ of service to humanity is whatever is in the celestial spheres and the earth; Surely, in all these there are signs for those who reflect [/i][b][Q45:13].[/b]
[b]Natural Communities [/b]
As the human community is part of nature
so too do other creations form communities at their respective levels. Allah reminds us of this in the Qur'an [Q 6:38] The thought-provoking incident between the wise Prophet Solomon / Sulayman (pbuh) and the community of ants related in Surah an-Naml [Q27:16-19] serves as a great lesson in human consideration for other creation.
[b]Fitrah
فِطْرَةَ / Natural Disposition [/b]
The Qur'an and Prophetic traditions make constant reference to فِطْرَةَ
Fitrah /natural disposition. We are ...
[list][*] informed that كل مولودٍ يولدُ على الفطرةِ every person is actually born upon pure natural disposition [/*][*] instructed to فِطْرَةَ اللَّهِ الَّتِي فَطَرَ النَّاسَ عَلَيْهَا live according to the best of our nature [Q 30:30] [/*][*] made aware that وَلَهُ أَسْلَمَ مَن فِي السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالأَرْضِ طَوْعًا وَكَرْهًا every creation submits by virtue of its existence to a natural pattern [Q3:83] [/*][/list]
These references to the natural world around us aim at ...
- conscientizing us about the Creator of creations
- instilling in us a sense of respect for Allah's creation
- making us cognizant of our inextricable relationship with nature
[b]Do Not Abuse Nature Nor Destroy The Environment [/b]
We are commanded in the Qur'an [b]وَلاَ تُفْسِدُواْ فِي الأَرْضِ بَعْدَ إِصْلاَحِهَا[/b][i]not to cause disruption /corruption/ mischief/chaos on earth after it has been so well ordered/organized [/i][b][Q 7:56][Q 67: 3-4]. [/b]Wise ones have said that we abuse land because we regard it as a commodity belonging to us. When we see land as a community to which we belong, we may begin to use it with love and respect. Native Indian Chief Seattle of the Duwamish Tribe said: [i]"Whatever befalls the Earth - befalls the people of the Earth. Man did not weave the web of life - he is merely strand in it. Whatever he does to the web, he does to himself." [/i]There is an age-old native Indian saying: [i]"Reflect on the fact that the land belongs to a vast family of which many are dead, few are living, and countless numbers are still unborn."[/i]
[b]The Dangers We Face[/b]
The most comprehensive survey ever into the state of the planet concludes that human activities threaten the Earth's ability to sustain future generations, was drawn up by The Millennium Ecosystem Assessment consisting of 1,300 researchers from 95 nations over a period of four years. The report indicates that human abuse of the environment, through pollution, deforestation and indiscriminate exploitation of the natural resources has caused irreversible changes that are degrading the natural processes that support life on Earth. This will impact on hunger, poverty and healthcare.
[b]Facts and Figures[/b]
Scientific research indicate that
• 60% of world ecosystem services have been degraded
• Of 24 evaluated ecosystems, 15 are being damaged.
The World Conservation Union (IUCN) latest report species threatened with extinction…
- 25% of mammals
- 20% of reptiles
- 11% of bird species
- 34% of fish
- 12.5% of all plant species
If present trends continue one half of all species of life on earth could be extinct in 100 years. Nearly seven out of 10 of the biologists polled said they believed a "mass extinction" was underway and almost all attributed the losses to human activity, especially the destruction of plant and animal habitats.
The
UN World Water Development Report (WWDR) indicates …
- Currently over one billion people lack a reliable supply of water
- 2.4 billion people - or just under half the world's population - have no adequate water supply for daily needs.
- Human pollution is one of the main factors seriously undermining the quality and availability of freshwater, says the report. About 2 million tons of waste are dumped every day into rivers, lakes and streams. One gallon of wastewater pollutes about eight gallons of freshwater.
- As a result, more than 2.2 million people die each year from diseases owing to contaminated drinking water and poor sanitation.
- Everyday around 6,000 people, mainly children under the age of five, die from water-related diseases.
- The World Resources Institute predicts that by 2025, at least 3.5 billion people, or nearly 60 percent of the world's population, will face water scarcity.
[b]Care for World We Live in[/b]
Why should man expect his prayer for mercy to be heard by the One Above when he shows no mercy to what is under him?
- Prophet Muhammad reflectively said:
[b]ارحم من في الأرض يرحمكم من في السماء[/b]
"Have mercy for those on earth so that the One above
may have mercy on you.”
- Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) reminded us that
the best of Allah's creation are those most beneficial to his creation.
- The Prophet also advised us that …
[b]ان الدنيا خَضِرَة ٌ حِلوة ٌ و ان الله مُستخلِفُكم فيها فناظرٌ كيف تعملون[/b]
[i]the world is green and delightful and Allah has put you in charge of the world and is observing carefully how you deal with it. [/i]