Islam and Nature

Islam and NatureWhat can we do?

The divine responsibility

• What kind of corruption do people cause to the earth?

• What can you do as the khalifah of Allah to take care of it?

“And when your Lord said to the angels, ‘I

am making a khalifah on earth,’ they said,

‘Are you making (people) who will cause

corruption on it and shed blood, while we

glorify and praise You and sanctify You?’ He

said, ‘I know what you do not know.’”

(Qur’an, 2:30)

What aspects of Islam keep us in touch with nature?

• Salat times

• Qiblah

• Moonsighting

• “Looking at the ocean is worship.”

• The universe as a place of remembrance of Allah “In the creation of the heavens and the earth, and the alternation of night

and day, and in the ships which cross the sea, and which people benefit

from, and what Allah has sent from the heavens by which He enlivens the

earth after it has died, and in what He has sent in it of every animal…are

signs for those who think.”

The creation worships Allah“The seven heavens and the earth and everything in them glorify

Him – and every single thing glorifies His praise, but you do not

understand their glorification. He has always been patient and

forgiving.” (Qur’an, 17:44)

Prophet (S) - “Do not hit

animals on their face

because even animals

praise their Lord.”

What will the earth be like in the time of Imam al-Mahdi (A)?

Plants• Prophet (S): ‘When the Last Hour comes, if any of you happens to be

holding a seedling in his hand, then if he is able to, let him not stand

until he has planted it.’

• Prophet (S): ‘Every single Muslim that cultivates or plants anything of

which humans, animals or birds may eat from is counted as charity

towards them on his behalf..’

• Prophet (S): ‘Whoever plants a tree and patiently maintains it and tends

to it until its fruition, every single fruit consumed from that tree is

regarded by Allah as charity [on his behalf].’

• Imam al-Sadiq (A): Cutting down a palm tree is [religiously] detested.’

• In warfare: no cutting down trees, no burning palm trees or fruit trees,

no poisoning land

Animals• Don’t overburden them… “When the Prophet (S) saw a she-

camel, whose knees were tied up, carrying her load, he said, ‘Where is her owner? Tell him that he should prepare for the lawsuit tomorrow [the Day of Resurrection].”

• Hunting for fun is forbidden…Prophet (S): ‘No animal, including a bird or any other kind, is killed unjustly except that it will raise a complaint against him [the killer] on the Day of Resurrection.’”

• Imam al-Sadiq (A): ‘By Allah, the righteous have won indeed! Do you know who they are? They are the ones who do not even harm small ants.’

• Prophet (S): ‘May the curse of Allah be on the one who treats an animal harshly.’

• …Animals on the Day of Judgment?

Wasting

• Imam ‘Ali(A): ‘Woe betides the wasteful person, how far they are from self-improvement and from redressing their situation.’

• Imam ‘Ali (A): ‘Wasting leads to stagnation [of wealth] whereas thriftiness causes it to thrive.’

• Imam Zayn al-’Abidin (A) said in one of his supplications, ‘…hold me back from wastefulness, fortify my provision against ruin, increase my possessions through blessing them, and set me upon the path of guidance towards good causes in what I spend of it.’

“O Children of Adam! Put on your adornment on every occasion of prayer,

and eat and drink, but do not waste; indeed Allah does not like the

wasteful.”

• How can our religious communities care more for the environment?

• How can we raise awareness of this in our communities?

• What can we do individually?

Questionsfor Thought

Food• Respecting food – did the Prophet (S)

complain about food?

• Is it israf if you throw away something that isn’t good for you or pay more for something that is good for you?

• Imam al-Sadiq (A) said, ‘There is no waste in anything that improves the body…rather waste is found in all that squanders away wealth and harms the body.’

Food…where does it come from?• Buying locally

• Growing or raising our own – at home and at the mosque

• Artificial ingredients

• Prophet (S): ‘Eating everything that one desires is wasting.’

Water

• Islam came from the desert!

• “Water is the flavour of life.”

• Wudhu and ghusl

Clothing• Appreciating labour

• How will it be used

• What can you do with it before throwing it away?

• Changing social pressures especially on women

• Imam al-Sadiq (A) was once asked, ‘Can a believer

own ten shirts?’ To which he replied, ‘Yes.’ ‘What

about twenty?’ to which he replied, ‘Yes. And no,

that would not be wasting, for indeed wasting is

when you wear your formal finery as casual wear at

home.

Wasting (israf)

• We respect what we produce

• Recycling it and putting it in the bin is good, but not the end!

• Fuel and energy – “if you don’t do it yourself, the energy is coming from somewhere else”

• Packaging

• Non-bio-degradable things

• Transportation

• Maybe some of you will develop renewable resources?

How can we stay more connected to nature?

• Urban farming

• Religiously recommended sports such as archery and swimming

• outdoor sports such as hiking

• Underwater sports

• Reflecting on nature in our ritual calendar

• Looking upwards

Thank you!اللّهم صلّي على

محّمدمحّمد وآل

We’re

growing!