“Allah has devised for all things a measure,
So that you may never transgress the measure of what is right.
Weigh therefore your deeds with equity and cut not your measure short”
Surah Rahman 7-9
In this Surah, Allah tells us of the gifts He has given us and describes the balance He has placed in His creation. He then asks:
“Which of the favours of your Lord will you deny?”
I asked myself that question. And promptly answered that I denied none.
I then asked myself, which of the favours of my Lord do I acknowledge? And again I was confident in telling myself that I acknowledge the sun and the stars, the sea and sky. I am in awe of the birds in my garden and the animals in the TV documentaries.
I then asked myself, which of the favours of my Lord do I take for granted? And here the list was somewhat worrying. I get up for my Fajr prayer and mindlessly turn on the lights, I turn the tap on expecting hot water, the heating has come on and so the morning begins. I get into my car and press the button and it goes!! All these things I use as a matter of fact often without giving much thought. At a second look at this list, I realised that all the things I take for granted are all the things that the world leaders were discussing at the COP 27 meeting that very week. The world is now worried about the planet. Why now?!! The cynic in me feels that only now because there is a danger of shortages, danger of a change in lifestyle, danger of possibly having to do without. The need now to stop destroying nature is paramount as it will not serve our purpose if we don’t.
Allah says in the Quran in multiple verses that He has established man as a khalifa on this earth. However one chooses to translate this word, whether it be steward, guardian or caretaker, we are duty bound to take care of Allah’s magnificent creation.
In Surah Rahman, Allah clarifies the equilibrium He has placed in His creation and advises us in keeping things in measure so as not to tip the balance.
However, we have indeed tipped the balance.
King Charles in a lecture entitled “Islam and the Environment” says that “when we are destroying nature we need to remember that we too are nature. We cannot separate ourselves from the earth. And there is no separation between God and earth. What we are experiencing on earth is divine hospitality.”
Do we need to change the way we see the earth? Are we looking at the earth and its resources with a sense of entitlement rather that a sense of gratitude? In assuming that clean air and water are basic human rights are we forgetting that these are a gift and a mercy from Allah?
As long as we continue to look for efficiency and convenience rather than focussing on preservation and sustainability we cannot start to change.
Surely with rights come duties. We cannot sit back and expect the world leaders to fix this. If we can shift our own mindset and look at the earth and its resources as a privilege, would we be more inclined to show it respect and be more mindful of our footprint on it?
Allah says in the Quran that of His creation, the animals, birds, trees, water and rocks are in constant worship of Him. Admiring Allah’s creation is an act of worship, taking care of His creation is an act of worship. So then if we could keep this in mind perhaps we can change the way we look at Allah’s creation.
A Hadith in Sahih Bukhari states that The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ said, ”The whole earth has been made a Mosque and a means of purification for me, so wherever a man of my Ummah may be, when the time for prayer comes, let him pray.”
We wouldn’t throw rubbish in a Mosque or disturb somebody who is praying. If we could show the same respect to the earth and nature, we could be on our way to investing in our own little piece of paradise, on earth and in heaven. In sha Allah.
A final thought
Some plastics can take up to 500 years to decompose. So, the plastic box I didn’t bother to recycle because the indoor bin was full and it was cold outside could still be in the earth causing damage long after I have decomposed in my grave!! I wonder, with a tremble in my heart, if on the day of judgement when the earth is called to bear witness it will say, “You defiled me.”
By Tanu Bashir
