Creation care — love for the environment
In 2009 I self-published a book based on my years of research on islam and the environment (‘199 ways to please God, how to [re-]align your daily life with duty of care to Creation’ [out of print now; ISBN-10: 184426629X; ISBN-13: 978–1844266296]) … with an update in mind, am here going to first share the ‘old’ version bit by bit. As a first post: the introduction!
Introduction*
“And the servants of the Beneficent are they who walk on earth in humbleness; and when the ignorant address them they say, peace” (Al-Furqan/ The Criterion [25] 63)
When I was some six years old I moved into a ‘Shell compound’ in Dock Sud, Buenos Aires, Argentina (my father was in the oil business). Inside the compound we had a swimming pool with private guard, a decent house, large garden, lots of green, everything. I will never forget the road leading to the gated compound entrance, however: on the left side an empty, extremely smelly, disused harbour with heavy tar on all sides, on the other side of the road that was referred to as ‘villa miseria’ (misery village), people living on top of a garbage dump under some corrugated sheets. Though I was no Muslim at the time and too young to comprehend things, I believe this experience is the source for my jihad (struggle) for justice, for people and the environment. Writing this book is part of my humble attempts to raise awareness of the state of our environment and our duty to look after God’s Creation, especially amongst Muslims, and share some practical ways in which we can redress the balance of living in harmony with our surroundings.
As in the case of Lord Headley al-Farooq Churchward also known as Sir Rowland George Allanson (1855–1929 CE), “[i]t is possible some of my friends may imagine that I have been influenced by Muslims; but this is not the cause, for my present convictions are solely the outcome of many years of thought. My actual conversations with educated Muslims on the subject of religion only commenced a few weeks ago, and need I say that I am overjoyed to find that all my theories and conclusions are entirely in accord with Islam.”, though in my case the “few weeks” has now reached several years and that is where my parallel with Lord Headley probably ends.
Islam is a complete way of life. God (or Allah in Arabic, as also used by Jews and Christians in Arabic speaking countries), the Creator of humanity, has given us guidelines affecting many different aspects of our lives. The love of God is not something inert or lifeless. A believer in God has to make a good deal of effort with a view to pleasing God. He has to purify his soul from all evil thoughts (the ‘big jihad’) and fancies so that the love of God should reside in it.
A general misconception seems to be that of thinking of the shahada (proclamation of faith), prayer, fasting, zakat (purifying social tax, translation as suggested by Tariq Ramadan), hajj (pilgrimage) — the 5 religious pillars — to be good acts whereas the day to day activities hold little value of weight. Islam is not only limited to direct worship, however, it is a combination of both direct and indirect worship. Islam commands us to, as Joe Ahmed Dobson, youth and community development worker in London (UK), puts it “[…] when I make decisions about most things in life, from small things like whether I should do the washing up to big things like career decisions, I am guided by Allah.”
In life, Muslims are guided by Shariah, body of law based on Quran and sunnah. The very objective of the Shariah (which apparently literally means “path to the water source”) is to promote the welfare of the people in all times, not just current generation, which lies in the safeguarding of faith, life, intellect, prosperity and wealth. According to Al-Ghazali, whatever ensures the safeguarding of these five serves public interest and is desirable. The basis of the Shariah is wisdom and welfare of the people in this world as well as the hereafter. According to Ibn al-Qayyim Al-Jawziyya (1292- 1350 CE) this welfare lies in complete justice, mercy, well-being and wisdom. Anything that departs from justice to oppression, from mercy to harshness, from welfare to misery and from wisdom to folly, has nothing to do with Shariah.
When speaking with Muslims about environmental matters I was surprised at the frequency with which I seemed to encounter what Abdal-Hakim Murad, also known as Timothy Winter refers to as ‘Mallarmé–effect’: “It is said that the 19th century French poet Mallarmé can only be fully understood by those who are not French, because they read him more slowly. Converts to Islam, the subject of this essay, can perhaps claim the same ambiguous advantage in their reading of the Islamic narrative.” I am of course not claiming any superiority in knowledge, but referring to how different we all sometimes interpret any verse from the Quran. Having been an environmentalist for far longer than a Muslim, I would perhaps naturally read about Islam through ‘green lenses’ as opposed to perhaps a more inherited Arab or Asian cultural experience. And there are now several things coming together: immense population growth, direct destruction of the environment (illegal logging etc), peak oil and the effects of climate change. As the UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon stated after visiting Antarctica in November 2007: “I’m not here to frighten you, I’m not scaremongering […] But the world is changing, the glaciers are melting … the change is now progressing much faster than I had thought. It’s alarming.”
Regularly our excuse not to try better is because “we are busy” or “society does not support us”. However, when I hear this response or I want to relax myself, I think about how busy could we ever be, or how much opposition do we really face compared to the Prophet? As Karen Armstrong states in her biography of the Prophet : “to create a literary masterpiece, to found a major religion and a new world power are not ordinary achievements. But to appreciate his [Prophet Mohamed] genius to the full, we must examine the society into which he was born and the forces with which he contended”. Against that, what excuse do we have left? And as the Prophet himself reminded us in his last sermon: “Beware of Satan, for the safety of your religion. He has lost all hope of that he will be able to lead you astray in big things, so beware of following him in small things.” So have we got it right about the small things? Do we live Islam? If so, then why do speakers/ authors regularly have to distinguish between Islam and Muslims, as for example mentioned by Safei-Eldin Hamed PhD on Seeing the environment through Islamic eyes: application of Shariah to natural resources planning and management for Texas Tech University: “It should be pointed out that there is a distinction between “Islamic” and “Muslim”, as used throughout this paper. “Islamic” refers to what pertains to Islam as a paradigm or a body of knowledge, an ideology and a system of life, while “Muslim” refers to the existing practices of societies that are conventionally known as Muslim people or Muslim countries. This paper deals with “Islamic” and not “Muslim”.” Let us change this, by our actions, by living Islam.
The book is arranged according to recognisable aspects of the faith of Islam and aims to give some useful righteous deeds per topic. A small deed that is continuous is better than a big deed that is not done regularly. Continuity in righteous deeds strengthens faith (iman). The Profeet was asked: “Which deed is most beloved to God?” He said, “The one that is continuous, even if it is little.” This book contains examples on how to do your bit to avoid catastrophe and please God because the Prophet said: “religion is very easy and whoever overburdens himself in his religion will not be able to continue in that way. So you should not be extremists, but try to be near to perfection…”. According to another report, he said: “be moderate, and you will reach what you want.”. What I personally found most helpful to avoid being overwhelmed by the task and opportunities is to make a list and every month or so pick one action from that list: change bank account to more ethical bank, subscribe to vegetable box, buy a bicycle, put a water saver in the cistern….
I am not a scholar, nor do I pretend to be one. This book is the result of my best efforts over several years, which has also been a tremendously useful learning experience for me. I pray it will be also of some use and interest to the reader. As this book is aimed at a non-Arabic speaking readership (and that includes myself in this respect) I have used English equivalents of Islamic terms and simplified spelling of Arabic names. As this is not a scholarly work, I pray readers will forgive me the impossibility to thus be hundred per cent accurate as non-Arabic languages will always only be able to give an approximate version of the meaning of Quranic verses; I have used a variety of English translations. Many tips include relevant links and programmes. They are usually most relevant for those in the UK (where I am* based), though I would be surprised if there were no similar programmes in at least some other countries (and I have tried to include resources in several other countries too). Note though that especially with websites, addresses sometimes change. Also, I mention the ideas as ‘examples of action’ as I believe the opportunities are endless so this book could only scratch the surface. I am convinced readers can adapt the suggested ideas to best suit their circumstances and knowledge.
By the way, some food for thought to start of with: poverty and wars are generally regarded as man-made problems, but equally man-made destruction and abuse of nature is generally referred to as an environmental problem, allowing us, by choice of words, to distance ourselves from our responsibility…. But as Elizabeth May, a committed Christian and Leader of the Green Party in Canada, clarifies: “it is an environmental issue, in the same way that drowning is a “water issue.” It surely is that, but it is much more.”
We may think that the earth cannot be as ruined as ‘the environmentalists’ say, because we surely would have been replaced…but “If God were to punish people according to what they deserve, He would not leave on the back of the (earth) a single living creature: but He gives them respite for a stated term: when their term expires, verily God has in His sight all His servants.” (Fatir/ The Angels [35] 45). According to UN Population Fund (UNFPA) in 2008, for the first time, more than half of the world’s population will be living in urban areas. This unprecedented shift could enhance development and promote sustainability — or it could deepen poverty and accelerate environmental degradation. So another reason to look after Creation.
Sometimes people are reluctant to take green action as “it’s something for sandal wearing hippies”. Well, firstly I believe we should first and foremost think what God would be expecting from us (show submission and work on our guardian role to, God willing, ‘earn’ Paradise), not what the ‘fashionistas’ or ‘the neighbours’ might think. Secondly, I believe it is a myth that many environmentalists are “unemployed lefties”: you have ‘green grannies’, ‘green corporates’, green IT security specialists, a World Business Council for Sustainable Development (www.wbcsd.org), and from green Sisters (US catholic nuns) to green Sisters (women in Greece) etc. Also, it is not just a Western fashion (to be replaced by a new fashion soon), but something that inspires people from all walks of life to take genuine action for the sake of pleasing God and/ or looking ahead at what we may leave for generations after us: Mohamed A. Shaban for example is an environmental activist based in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. In 2001 he launched ‘The Environmental Club’ (www.environmental-club.org), an online “environmental care club which aims to educate people about various issues on the environment”. Their motto is ‘For Sustainable Living and Development’. He is also the author of a book on the environment: ‘THE QUEST For a Greener, Cleaner, Better & Peaceful World’. Plus, he is an optician in his day job.
Those who stand to lose most from accepting climate change science are known to use ‘tricks’ with an aim to confuse us, for example by stating — untruthfully — that there is no scientific consensus (there is consensus amongst relevant scientists) or that we can solve it all with ‘business as usual’. But remember: “And do not follow (blindly) any information of which you have no (direct) knowledge. (Using your faculties of perception and conception, you must verify it for yourself. (In the Court of your Lord,) you will be held accountable for your hearing, sight, and the faculty of reasoning.” (Al-Isra/ The Night Journey [17] 36). Check www.lobbywatch.org or www.sourcewatch.org to see how companies use money and resources to lobby those in power to have their way (not the way in our collective best interest).
Jarir relates that the Prophet said: “Whoever initiates a good practice in Islam and is emulated by others in doing so will get the reward of it and the reward of all those who act upon it without their rewards being diminished in any respect. And whosoever initiates an evil practice in Islam and is emulated by others will bear the sin of it and the sin of all those who act on it without their burden being diminished in the least.” None of the narrations of this hadeeth give the identity of the man. This shows that he was likely not a prominent person in the community, though he took the initiative in the presence of Abu Bakr , Umar , and other pre-eminent emigrants. According to scholars this should make it clear to us that no one should see himself as too unimportant to set a good precedent. That man did not let the presence of those esteemed Companions keep him from being the first to do something good. Due to his taking the initiative, he received the reward of all those who followed his example, even those who spent far more than he did.
Though this book contains some frightening and disconcerting facts, it is not meant as a despairing book, because much is in our (albeit sometimes collective) hands. I believe we can change the world, starting with ourselves, today. Or as Aldous Huxley, the English novelist and critic, best known for his dystopian novel, ‘Brave New World’ put it: “there’s only one corner of the universe you can be certain of improving, and that’s your own self”. Or as the Profeet stated: “[e]very person goes forth in the morning trading in his own self. He either earns its freedom or consigns it to perdition.” And please do not just pray that the world leaders will make the right decisions and change the world: “when I was a young man, I wanted to change the world. I found it was difficult to change the world, so I tried to change my nation. When I found I could not change the nation, I began to focus on my town. I could not change the town and as an older man, I tried to change my family. Now, as an old man, I realise the only thing I can change is myself, and suddenly I realise that if long ago I had changed myself, I could have made an impact on my family. My family and I could have made an impact on our town. Their impact could have changed the nation and I could indeed have changed the world.” (anonymous)
According to the last verse of Chapter 99 of the Quran ‘Whoever does an atom’s eight of good will see it then, and who ever has done an atom’s weight of evil will see it then also’. Apparently early commentators of the Quran explained the phrase ‘an atom’s weight’ as a mosquito or a particle of dust which could be seen only when exposed to the light of the sun. So, as an African proverb goes: “If you think you are too small to make a difference, try sleeping in a room with a mosquito”. I pray that this book might in a small way inspire to contribute to what Idris Tawfiq mentions: “the best and fastest way of acquainting the world with the true image of Islam is to set a good example in real life.”
*Where I am copying the introduction/ text verbatim, some references may no longer work.
**As EU27 citizen I left the UK in 2017, a Brexit-induced/ accelerated move. I now live in NL.
