FROM THE EDITORIAL DIRECTOR
Dr Farida Khanam is an author, editor, translator, public speaker and former professor of Islamic Studies at Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi. Among her books are ‘A Simple Guide to Sufism’ and ‘A Study of World’s Major Religions’. She has translated into English many books authored by Maulana Wahiduddin Khan. Currently the chairperson of CPS International, she is a regular contributor of articles to various publications. Dr Khanam has edited Maulana’s English translation of the Quran and has also translated his Urdu commentary of the Quran into English. She can be reached at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
SUSTAINABLE LIVING—AN ISLAMIC PERSPECTIVE
SUSTAINABLE living means to live in a manner without being a burden on the environment, and instead contributing towards improving the environment. In other words it refers to fulfilling one’s needs without infringing on the needs of others in our family, society, nation and the world, for the present as well as future generations.
Islamic Perspective
Before we embark upon an understanding of the Islamic perspective
on sustainable living, we need to understand a few fundamentals about
Islam.
• The supreme concern of Islam is the discovery of God.
• The Quran is God’s message to humankind presented by God’s
messenger Prophet Muhammad.
• The subject matter of the Quran is man.
• The objective of the Quran is to make man aware of the creation
plan of God.
• Islam being a religion of nature lays before man the principles of
success in this life as well as the Hereafter.
Coming to the topic of Sustainable Living—An Islamic Perspective, let us consider what Islam has to say about pollution.
We all agree that pollution adversely affects our environment and our quality of life, as it affects the very air we breathe. If the most basic need of humans, i.e the air we breathe is not of good quality, other things are not going to be of much help for us to be healthy. From the Islamic point of view, pollution of any kind is against the scheme of God the Creator. Islam tells man that it is his duty to maintain the purity of nature. Failure to do so is, in religious terms, a sin and in legal terms, a crime.
The Quran says:
Do not corrupt the land after it has been set in order. This is for
your own good, if you are true believers. (7: 85)
Corruption has appeared on land and sea because of the evil which men’s hands have done: and so He will make them taste the fruit of some of their doings, so that they may turn back from evil. (30: 41) In the above verses, the Quran refers to land pollution and water pollution by name but, in their general application, all kinds of pollution are included, such as air pollution, noise pollution and everything else which spoils the peace and tranquillity of the environment.
The message of these two verses is that God Almighty has created things in their best order and man is allowed to enjoy these things for his own benefit. But he is not allowed to destroy the balance of nature. Man was born as a free creature, but the test for him lies in not misusing the freedom. On the other hand he should use the freedom for contributing constructively towards society. Freedom is meant to bring out the creativity which benefits humankind.
Islam tells man that it is his duty to maintain the purity of nature. Failure to do so is, in religious terms, a sin and in legal terms, a crime.
Man can pollute nature, but he does not have the power to create another world. So, becoming sinful before God and depriving humankind of the only source of life, that is, nature, is a double loss for man. This state of affairs requires man to be very careful and cautious, otherwise he will be compelled to pay a heavy price for his negligence.
Islam—The Religion of Nature
Islam has its unique ways of drawing the attention of man towards
sustainable living. It gives a broad spectrum of principles and instils in man the capacity of finding creative ways for practical applications. For
instance the Quran presents nature as a model for human behaviour.
Everything in the universe submits itself to the will of God, which in
other words can be called as the law of nature. The whole world is
controlled by this law, and the crux of this law is submission. Therefore,
following Islam means living in harmony with nature. And this in turn
means that at all times and in every aspect of life man must unfailingly
do as God desires, bearing in mind that one day he will die and shall
have to give an account of his deeds to God. This natural model for
man is referred to in several parts of the Quran.
The sun supplies light and heat free to all living beings. Man must adopt the principle of selfless service. The stream runs its course around rocks and obstructions; man must live a life of avoidance and plan his life around obstacles without confrontation.
The honeybee enters the world of plants; along with the flowers it encounters thorns but it always ignores the thorns. Man must adopt the principle of ignoring the problems and availing the opportunities.
The cow eats grass and then converts it into milk, a wholesome food for humankind. Man should learn the art of positive conversion. Everything in nature serves as a model for man. Nature’s silent and impeccable behaviour shows man the right path. Therefore, man should always follow nature’s perfect models.
Everything in nature serves as a model for man. Nature’s silent and impeccable behaviour shows man the right path. Therefore, man should always follow nature’s perfect models.
One can discern from the above points that it is the attitude of human beings which is the most important factor in successfully implementing the good things on this earth. Likewise, it is man’s attitude that determines his position towards the ideas of sustainable living. “It is our attitude that determines our altitude”.
A Believer is Likened to a Tree
The Quran says:
Do you not see how God sets forth a parable that the good word is
like a good tree whose root is firm and its branches are in the sky, yielding its fruit every season by God’s leave? God gives parable to
men so that they become mindful. (14: 24-25)
In this verse, God has compared a believer with a fruit tree. A tree grows from a small seed, receiving food from the earth, water, air and sun. Sprouting from a seed, it becomes a plant and then continues growing until it becomes a full-grown tree; developing into a profitable existence in the full sense of the word. Its branches, its leaves, its flowers, its fruits, its shadow, in short, each part of it becomes beneficial to all around.
The same is true of a believer. When he sows the seed of belief that there is a Creator of this world to whom he is answerable, it starts growing step by step in a moral, spiritual and intellectual course, making progress in its development until it is able, like the tree, to become profitable for the whole of humanity. This capacity of a believer is so great that he receives positive sustenance even from negative happenings. He becomes beneficial for everything inhabiting this earth. A tree is a physical illustration of the spiritual life. Just like the tree, man must take spiritual food from everything. When he is angry and controls his anger, he is training himself in the art of anger management. When he faces a crisis and manages to keep his patience, he is building his capacity for positive planning. If he faces a violent situation and refrains from reacting, he is shaping his personality so that he can maintain his peace of mind, no matter in what condition he finds himself. This gives a person the ability to conserve his energies, so that he may devote himself to constructive work. It is as if he has enrolled himself in a course of intellectual improvement.
All situations, both pleasant and untoward, are like intellectual food. If you face these situations with a positive attitude, you will help yourself grow. You will enhance your creativity. You will develop your personality along positive lines. One who adopts this course will surely emerge, sooner or later, as a well-developed personality, standing tall, like a full-grown tree.
Need for Purification
Rain is a unique and natural phenomenon which is referred to several
times in the Quran. One such reference is:
And We have sent down from the sky blessed water with which We have brought forth gardens and grain to be harvested. (50: 9)
‘Blessed water’ in this verse means fresh water. This is purified water that comes down as rain, giving vital nourishment to all forms of life on the earth. Purified water means desalinated water. The original source of this water is the salt water stored in the seas and oceans that are spread over three-fourths of the earth’s surface. It is nature that initiates a global process of desalination through the formation of clouds. It is this blessed water, or desalinated water, that descends and fulfils the needs of humans, plants and animals.
It is a demonstration by nature of how we can purify ourselves. By following this natural pattern, we have to process events and things around us through contemplation, and then make this to serve as a tool for the purification of the soul.
We should learn the art of purification. We must learn to extract spiritual lessons from material events. How does this help in our goal towards sustainable living, you may ask? A purified person is a spiritual person; one who contributes constructively to the world. He not only refrains from harming the environment but actually contributes towards its improvement. He maintains the beauty which God created and granted to humankind to use beneficially.
Nature is silently calling upon man to mend his ways before he finds that he has no further opportunity to do so.
There are many teachings of the Prophet of Islam regarding sustainable
living:
• Simplicity is a part of faith.
• God is pure and loves purity and cleanliness.
• Whoever cultivates wasteland, for him is reward therein.
• There are heavenly rewards for any act of kindness to animals.
• It is considered as charity on the part of the believer if he plants a
tree or sows a field and, man and birds or beasts eat from them.
Global Warming
It is of great importance that we understand the seriousness of the issue
of Global warming in order to be more sensitive towards practicing
sustainable living.
A recent news report from the Independent says:
Enormous Antarctic glacier on brink of collapse could raise sea
levels by half a metre alone, scientists warn. (The Independent, 9th
July 2019)
Global warming is regarded as the greatest problem besetting humankind in the present times. Scientific investigations have revealed that the earth’s life support system dependent upon the balance of nature is fast falling apart. It is greatly feared that soon a time will come when nothing will be left on earth to ensure the survival of life.
The present age has been one of an explosion of divine blessings in the form of scientific discoveries leading to advanced technology, covering every aspect of our life. But the abundance of these blessings has only increased humankind’s arrogance. While making full use of these blessings, humankind is distancing itself to a great extent from the Giver of these blessings. Perversion in the name of freedom has become the general culture today.
In the 7th century, the Prophet of Islam made it clear that human beings were not being settled on earth for eternity; a time would come when the present inhabited world would come to an end and be replaced by another world where we will have to give an account of every deed, which will either make us deserving of the perfect world of Paradise or make us deserving of punishment. Evil will be separated from the good in that world of the Hereafter.
The phenomenon of Global warming is showing that perhaps the time for this to happen is nearing. Man has to change himself; he has to abandon the way of disobedience to God and opt for the path of obedience to Him. Nature is silently calling upon man to mend his ways before he finds that he has no further opportunity to do so. Nevertheless, the news of the end times being near is not to be considered as a loss of hope, for the Prophet of Islam said:
If the Hour (the end of this world) is about to be established and one of you was holding a palm shoot, let him take advantage of even one second before the Hour is established to plant it.
Dr. Farida Khanam
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