ENVIRONMENT AND ISLAM

Prophet Mohammed:
A Pioneer of the Environment

http://www.islamonline.net/english/Contemporary/2003/02/Article02.shtml

Francesca De Chatel

25/02/2003

“There is none amongst the believers who plants a tree, or sows a seed, and then a bird, or a person, or an animal eats thereof, but it is regarded as having given a charitable gift [for which there is great recompense].” [Al-Bukhari, III:513].

The idea of the Prophet Mohammed as a pioneer of environmentalism will initially strike many as strange: indeed, the term “environment” and related concepts like “ecology”, “environmental awareness” and “sustainability”, are modern-day inventions, terms that were formulated in the face of the growing concerns about the contemporary state of the natural world around us.

And yet a closer reading of the hadith, the body of work that recounts significant events in the Prophet’s life, reveals that he was a staunch advocate of environmental protection. One could say he was an “environmentalist avant la lettre”, a pioneer in the domain of conservation, sustainable development and resource management, and one who constantly sought to maintain a harmonious balance between man and nature. From all accounts of his life and deeds, we read that the Prophet had a profound respect for fauna and flora, as well as an almost visceral connection to the four elements, earth, water, fire and air.

He was a strong proponent of the sustainable use and cultivation of land and water, proper treatment of animals, plants and birds, and the equal rights of users. In this context the modernity of the Prophet’s view of the environment and the concepts he introduced to his followers is particularly striking; certain passages of the hadith could easily be mistaken for discussions about contemporary environmental issues.

Three Principles

The Prophet’s environmental philosophy is first of all holistic: it assumes a fundamental link and interdependency between all natural elements and bases its teachings on the premise that if man abuses or exhausts one element, the natural world as a whole will suffer direct consequences. This belief is nowhere formulated in one concise phrase; it is rather an underlying principle that forms the foundation of all the Prophet’s actions and words, a life philosophy that defined him as a person.

The three most important principles of the Prophet’s philosophy of nature are based on the Qur’anic teachings and the concepts of tawhid (unity), khalifa (stewardship) and amana (trust).

Tawhid, the oneness of God, is a cornerstone of the Islamic faith. It recognizes the fact that there is one absolute Creator and that man is responsible to Him for all his actions: “To God belongs all that is in the heavens and in the earth, for God encompasses everything [4:126].” The Prophet acknowledges that God's knowledge and power covers everything. Therefore abusing one of his creations, whether it is a living being or a natural resource, is a sin. The Prophet considered all of God’s creations to be equal before God and he believed animals, but also land, forests and watercourses should have rights.

The concepts of khalifa, stewardship, and amana, trust, emerge from the principle of tawhid. The Qur’an explains that mankind holds a privileged position among God’s creations on earth: he is chosen as khalifa, “vice-regent” and carries the responsibility of caring for God’s earthly creations. Each individual is given this task and privilege in the form of God’s trust. But the Qur’an repeatedly warns believers against arrogance: they are no better than other creatures. “No creature is there on earth nor a bird flying with its wings but they are nations like you [6:38]”; “Surely the creation of the heavens and the earth is greater than the creation of man; but most people know not [40:57]”.

The Prophet believed that the universe and the creations in it – animals, plants, water, land – were not created for mankind. Man is allowed to use the resources but he can never own them. Thus while Islam allows land ownership, it has limitations: an owner can, for example, only own land if he uses it; once he ceases to use it, he has to part with his possession.

The Prophet recognized man’s responsibility to God but always maintained humility. Thus he said: “When doomsday comes, if someone has a palm shoot in his hand, he should plant it,” suggesting that even when all hope is lost for mankind, one should sustain nature’s growth. He believed that nature remains a good in itself, even if man does not benefit from it.

Similarly, the Prophet incited believers to share the earth’s resources. He said: “Muslims share alike in three things – water, herbage and fire,” and he considered it a sin to withhold water from the thirsty. “No one can refuse surplus water without sinning against Allah and against man” [Mishkat al Masabih].

The Prophet’s attitude towards sustainable use of land, conservation of water and the treatment of animals is a further illustration of the humility of his environmental philosophy.

Sustainable Use of Land

“The earth has been created for me as a mosque and as a means of purification.” [Al-Bukhari I:331] With these words the Prophet emphasizes the sacred nature of earth or soil, not only as a pure entity but also as a purifying agent. This reverence towards soil is also demonstrated in the ritual of tayammum, or “dry wudu” which permits the use of dust in the performance of ritual purification before prayer when water is not available.

The Prophet saw earth as subservient to man, but recognised that it should not be overexploited or abused, and that it had rights, like the trees and wildlife living on it. In order to protect land, forests and wildlife, the Prophet created inviolable zones known as hima and haram, in which resources were to be left untouched. Both are still in use today: haram areas are often drawn up around wells and water sources to protect the groundwater table from over-pumping. Hima applies particularly to wildlife and forestry and usually designates an area of land where grazing and woodcutting are restricted, or where certain animal species are protected.

The Prophet not only encouraged the sustainable use of fertile lands, he also told his followers of the benefits of making unused land productive: planting a tree, sowing a seed and irrigating dry land were all regarded as charitable deeds. “Whoever brings dead land to life, that is, cultivates wasteland, for him is a reward therein.” Thus any person who irrigates a plot of “dead”, or desert land becomes its rightful owner.

Conservation of Water

In the harsh desert environment where the Prophet lived, water was synonymous to life. Water was a gift from God, the source of all life on earth as is testified in the Qur’an: “We made from water every living thing” [21:30]. The Qur’an constantly reminds believers that they are but the guardians of God’s creation on earth and that they should never take this creation for granted: “Consider the water which you drink. Was it you that brought it down from the rain cloud or We? If We had pleased, We could make it bitter” [56:68-70].

Saving water and safeguarding its purity were two important issues for the Prophet: we have seen that his concern about the sustainable use of water led to the creation of haram zones in the vicinity of water sources. But even when water was abundant, he advocated thriftiness: thus he recommended that believers perform wudu no more than three times, even if they were near to a flowing spring or river. The theologian El-Bukhari added: “The men of science disapprove of exaggeration and also of exceeding the number of ablutions of the Prophet.” The Prophet also warned against water pollution by forbidding urination in stagnant water.

The Treatment of Animals:

“If anyone wrongfully kills even a sparrow, let alone anything greater, he will face God’s interrogation” [Mishkat al Masabih]. These words reflect the great reverence, respect and love that the Prophet always showed towards animals. He believed that as part of God’s creation, animals should be treated with dignity, and the hadith contains a large collection of traditions, admonitions and stories about his relationship to animals. It shows that he had particular consideration for horses and camels: to him they were valiant companions during journey and battle, and he found great solace and wisdom in their presence as the following tradition reveals: “In the forehead of horses are tied up welfare and bliss until the Day of Resurrection.”

Even in the slaughter of animals, the Prophet showed great gentleness and sensitivity. While he did not practice vegetarianism, the hadiths clearly show that the Prophet was extremely sensitive to the suffering of animals, almost as though he shared their pain viscerally. Thus he recommends using sharp knives and a good method so that the animal can die a quick death with as little pain as possible. He also warned against slaughtering an animal in the presence of other animals, or letting the animal witness the sharpening of blades: to him that was equal to “slaughtering the animal twice” and he emphatically condemned such practices as “abominable”.

Conclusion

It is impossible to do justice to the full scope and significance of Prophet Mohammed’s environmental philosophy in this short article. His holistic view of nature and his understanding of man’s place within the natural world pioneered environmental awareness within the Muslim community.

Sadly, the harmony that the Prophet advocated between man and his environment has today all too often been lost. As we face the effects of pollution and overexploitation, desertification and water scarcity in some parts of the world and floods and violent storms elsewhere, it is perhaps time for the world community as a whole, Muslims, Christians and Jews, Hindus and Buddhists, atheists and agnostics, to take a leaf out of the Prophet’s book and address the current environmental crisis seriously and wisely.

Preserve Water, Preserve Life

By Shehnaz Toorawa

http://www.youngmuslims.ca/articles/display.asp?ID=103

How Much is Too Much?

“Get out of the shower!” your little brother shouts as he bangs on the washroom door. “You’ve been in there for twenty minutes!”

The 20 minutes you spend in the shower, use up 400 litres of water.2 The Prophet (pbuh) performed the ghusl, a complete bath, with one Sa’ of water—that’s just 1.6 litres. Abu Ja'far narrated,

“While I and my father were with Jabir bin 'Abdullah, some people asked him about taking a bath. He replied, ‘A Sa' of water is sufficient for you.’ A man said, ‘A Sa' is not sufficient for me.’ Jabir said, ‘A Sa was sufficient for one who had more hair than you and was better than you [meaning the Prophet].”’ (Bukhari).

The Current Picture

You may ask, “How is that possible? Taking a shower in six cups of water? The times sure have changed.” You’re right. The times have changed—the problem of water scarcity is worse today than during time of the Prophet (pbuh). The question of possibilities uncovers our passive acceptance of the luxurious North American lifestyle. While the average Canadian uses 335 litres of water per day, the average sub-Saharan African uses 10-20 litres per day.2 It may seem impossible for us in North American, but in today’s world, the level of conservation practiced by the Prophet (pbuh) is necessary. These statistics may explain why:

• Less than one half of one percent of all water on Earth is fresh water for human use. The rest is sea water or frozen in polar ice caps.1

• 1.4 billion people, that’s 20% of the world’s population, lack access to an adequate supply of clean drinking water.3

• Global water consumption is doubling every 20 years, more than twice the rate of human population growth.1

• 31 countries currently face water scarcity.1

• Women in Africa and Asia walk, on average, 6 km each day to collect water.

• More than half the world’s major rivers are either polluted or drying.3

• In developing countries, water causes 80% of illnesses. Each year 3 to 4 million people die of waterborne diseases.2

• By 2025, two-thirds of the world’s population will live in conditions of water shortage and one-third will live in absolute water scarcity.1

The Cause

The problem is not the amount of water. The amount of water on Earth remains constant—it doesn’t increase or decrease—and there is enough to meet everyone’s needs. The problem is unequal access and use.

Different regions of the world naturally hold different amounts of fresh water. India, for example, holds 20% of the world’s population but only 4% of its water.3 This natural division of water is easy for governments to overcome with the right technology. The problem of water scarcity arises when limited water is coupled with social inequalities and political agendas. Who gets access to a region’s water and how they use it is usually determined by who has power and money.

What we call man’s power over nature turns out to be a power exercised by some men over other men with nature as its instrument.

C.S. Lewis

Water for Sale

Water is increasingly privatized by large transnational corporations who own it and sell it like a commodity. Hungry for profit, these corporations drive the price of water out of reach of poor people and deliver it to those wealthy individuals and industries that can pay for it. Only the wealthy who can install plumbing systems receive subsidized municipal water, leaving the poorest in developing countries to pay the highest price for water. In Lima, Peru, for example, poor people pay private vendors up to $3 per cubic meter to collect contaminated water in buckets while the affluent pay 30 cents per cubic meter for treated water that pours out of taps in their homes. In India, some households spend 25% of their income on water. During drought, governments often reserve water for the elite who can pay for it.1

Industrial Giants

Industries, also hungry for profit, require vast amounts of water. It takes 400,000 litres of water to manufacture one car.2 Industries purchase access to a region’s water at subsidized rates from the government. Most of the world’s freshwater is naturally stored under the ground. Industries pump this groundwater faster than it can replenish itself, causing the land to collapse and permanently destroying its ability to store water. In the Arabian Peninsula, groundwater use is three times greater than recharge and at current rates of extraction, Saudi Arabia will reach total depletion in 50 years. In developing countries, industries dump 75% of their untreated wastes into local water bodies. When the environment is sufficiently damaged and water disappears, industries move elsewhere, leaving a region’s residents in scarcity.1

Political Power

The politics of power and money also determine which countries can secure water. Since most rivers and groundwater aquifers cross national boundaries, future conflicts in the world will likely involve water. In the early 1970s, Syria and Iraq almost went to war over the waters of the Euphrates when Syria built a dam at Tabaq, blocking a quarter of the River’s flow to Iraq. Ten African countries share the waters of the Nile and each wants a share of the River. To protect its Nile water supply, Egypt repeatedly threatens to use its size, wealth and power go to war against Ethiopia, a country where water flows abundantly but millions starve to death each year.3

Where Do We Fit In?

The problem of water scarcity is not confined to the developing world. Its roots are connected to us and the way we live in North American. North Americans are the worst hoarders of water. While millions go without water, North Americans use 1,280 cubic meters of water per person every year; Europeans use 694; Asians use 535; South Americans use 311 and Africans use 186.1

While North Americans can boast large water supplies—Canada contains one quarter of the world’s freshwater—our extravagant habits won’t save us from danger for long. Water levels in the Great Lakes reached record lows in recent years. The Ogallala groundwater aquifer in the U.S. High Plains is depleted eight times faster than nature can replenish it, causing the land to drop at least a meter each year. Americans have dammed, diverted and polluted the Colorado River until little or no water reaches its destination at sea.1

The extravagances of our North American lifestyle—lawn sprinklers, frequent car washes, sprawling golf courses, abundant swimming pools, dripping taps, and toilets that consume 18 litres of water per flush—fool us into believing we’re safe.1 They help us ignore the world’s water crisis or accept it with a shrug. The principle of “We have so it let’s use it now and think about the future later” prevails in most North American minds.

Consider Las Vegas, a city that receives 3.8 inches of rainfall in an average year—comparable to dry areas of Saudi Arabia and the Western Sahara. This desert city sparkles and splashes with the idea that water is limitless. The Hotel Luxor in Las Vegas boasts five-story waterfalls, shark tanks, a 1.3-million gallon dolphin pool and a miniature Nile River with a boat ride. A full-sized pirate ship sinks again and again into a man-made river that circles the Treasure Island Hotel. The Hotel Bellagio stands beside an eight-acre fake lake with hundreds of fountains spitting two hundred feet into the air. The city flaunts colossal fountains, golf courses, man-made lakes, swimming pools, and even a sailing club. According to Las Vegas Water Commissioner, Patricia Mulroy, each acre-foot of “decorative water” in the city generates 30 million dollars. Hence the saying, “Water flows uphill to money”.3

How Do We Respond?

We live in the world’s most technically sophisticated society, yet we are now right back where we were three thousand years ago, praying for rain.

Garrett Ward

Every person on the planet has a right to adequate water. The Prophet (pbuh) said,

“People are co-owners in three things: water, fire and pasture” (Abu Dawud).

Iyas Ibn Abd narrated that the Prophet (pbuh) forbade the sale of excess water (Abu Dawud).

Ideally, basic water needed for survival should be free, equally available to everyone and legally protected from waste and contamination. Current global practices and policies are obviously unjust.

For Muslims, natural resources are a trust from Allah and we are accountable for their care and use. The Prophet (pbuh) said,

"The world is green and beautiful and God has appointed you as His stewards over it. He sees how you acquit yourselves..." (Muslim).

We are also responsible for halting injustices we see around us, as the Quran outlines:

Let there arise out of you a band of people inviting to all that is good, enjoining what is right, and forbidding what is wrong: They are the ones to attain felicity (3:104).

Yet, as individuals we have little control over international water politics and policies. How then should we respond to the global water crisis? Here are ways to begin:

• Don’t lose hope—Although the situation looks bleak, don’t let it depress you. The Quran tells us that

Allah is the Creator of all things and He is guardian over all things (39:62).

You and I are only responsible for making an effort. Allah takes care of the results. He knows what’s best for us and He is the Most Just, whether that justice comes in this life or in the next.

• Be grateful—Allah granted North Americans an abundant supply of fresh, clean water without any effort from us. Allah asks us in the Quran,

Have you considered the water which you drink? Is it you that send it down from the clouds, or are We the senders? If We pleased, We would have made it salty; why do you not then give thanks? (56:68-70).

Say: Have ye thought: If (all) your water were to disappear into the earth, who then could bring you gushing water? (67:30).

Water is not simply “there” and it doesn’t “fall by itself”. As we read in numerous verses of the Quran, Allah “sends down water from the sky”. Allah is the only one that can continue our supply of water and if He wishes, He can remove it any time.

• Get involved— Raise awareness among your friends and family. Participate in efforts, such as letter-writing campaigns, to lobby the government over its international decisions. Join conservation groups in your area that protect local water sources. Many organizations look for volunteers to clean-up river-banks, monitor water quality, or educate school groups.

• Change your habits—Although we can’t always control the actions of governments, we can control our own use of water. Allah rewards us for every step we take towards change. Resist the North American habit to overuse and waste water. The Quran tells us:

…Do not squander (your wealth) wastefully. Surely the squanderers are the fellows of the Devils (17:26).

Eat and drink, but waste not by excess, for Allah loves not the wasters. (7:31).

Just because we have abundant water, doesn’t mean we should use it. The Prophet (pbuh) made this clear when he said,

“Excess in the use of water is forbidden, even if you have the resources of a whole river” (Tirmidhi).

Begin to fulfill your trust and responsibility towards Allah by conserving the water you use at home.

Ten Easy Ways You Can Conserve Water

1. Don't use your toilet as a wastebasket or flush it unnecessarily. Toilets consume a quarter of our municipal water supply and use 40% more water than needed.2

2. Turn off the tap when you brush your teeth or soap dishes.

3. Keep a bottle of drinking water in the fridge. Don’t run your tap for cold water.

4. Run your dishwasher and washing machine only when they are full.

5. Check pipes and faucets for leaks and get them fixed. Many homes lose more water from leaky taps than they need for cooking and drinking.2

6. Install low-flow shower heads and flow-restrictors on faucets. A 5-minute shower with a standard shower head uses 100 litres of water while a low-flow shower head uses 35 litres of water.2

7. Water your lawn every third day or less and water during the cool times of the day.

8. Sweep patios and sidewalks, don’t hose them.

9. Limit pesticides on your lawn to prevent them from reaching our water supply.

10. Drive less! It takes approximately 10 litres of water to produce a litre of gasoline. 2

It is He [Allah] who has placed you as viceroys of the Earth and has exalted some of you in rank above others, that He may try you by that which He has given you. Surely your Lord is quick in prosecution, and He is most surely the Forgiving, the Merciful (Quran, 6:165).