Mercy (rahma) and to do beautiful things (ihsan)

“We sent you [oh Muhammad] not but as a mercy for all creatures.” (Al-Anbiya/ The Prophets [21] 107)

(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.)

According to Muhammad al’Mahdi, “Islam is not just about prayer, fasting and zakat — these are mercies that Allah has given human beings so that we do not forget Him and our true role as Khalifah of Allah, and so that we do not to forget to keep our hearts cleansed and our souls pure. Allah knows how forgetful we can be.” According to American Umar Faruq Abd-Allah Wymann — Landgraf (1948 — CE) “[t]he imperative to be merciful — to bring benefit to the world and avert harm — must underlie a Muslim’s understanding of reality and attitude toward society. Islam was not intended to create a chosen people, fostering exclusive claims for themselves, while looking down upon the rest of humanity like a sea of untouchables or regarding the animate and inanimate worlds around them as fields readied for wanton exploitation. Wherever Muslims find themselves, they are called upon to be actively and positively engaged as vanguards of mercy, welfare, and well-being.”

Similarly, when a man hurts any animal without just cause, he is denying one of the aspects God has ordained mankind should act on, which is mercy. When a man denies an animal (or vegetation) its right to mercy, then the right to mercy the man has from God is similarly withdrawn (see the case of the woman destined to hell-fire for not feeding a cat or letting it feed itself), and he will be punished. Furthermore, if a person intentionally performs a mercy to an animal, vegetation (or person), then God will reward him out of His mercy (see the case of the prostitute who was promised paradise after helping an animal survive). Such was the Prophet’s concern for animals that Martin Lings, a modern biographer of the Prophet , quotes thus: “During the march on one of these days (the expedition to conquer Mecca) the Prophet saw a bitch lying by the side of the road with a litter of recently born pups which she was feeding, and he (the Prophet ) was afraid that she might be molested by one or another of the men. So he told Juayl of Damrah (a disciple) to stand on guard beside her until every contingent had passed.”

Some people have understood the hadeeth “O Abu Umayr! What did the Nughair (a kind of bird) do?” to prove that it is acceptable for children to play with birds or to keep them in cages so they enjoy looking at them. Scholar Al-Maghrabi Al-Malki, Abu Ali Ibn Rahal clarified this issue saying: “The claim that it is acceptable to put a bird in a cage is true providing that it will not be exposed to any kind of torture, starvation or thirst even if one may neglect it through forgetfulness or by putting another bird that might stick its bill into its head as cocks in cages do to one another until they kill one another. By consensus, torturing animals is forbidden. It is to one’s advantage to put the bird in a cage alone to prevent harm that may touch it, or if need be, by putting a partition between them. Moreover one should care about the bird by feeding it just as one feeds one’s children! Place a perch (like a wooden perch) in the cage so it is not exposed to the cold ground. These instructions do not need verses from the Qur’an or hadiths to uphold as they are obvious. We have seen people that torture chickens in cages in different ways [see under food]. [..] The merciless only care about keeping the animal alive or if it loses weight. The merciless have no consideration for its spiritual torture. All this is forbidden and one wilt be punished for it in this life and in the Hereafter unless Allah forgives him.” He continued: “This is a serious matter of recompense and punishment. It is just like the overloading of beasts of burden with weights beyond their capacity under the pretext of its being customary. All of this reflects the fact that mercy has been plucked from their hearts.” Adhering to the regulations concerning taking care of animals should thus not only stem from the jurisdictions of governments, but the conscientiousness of individuals which should not allow negligence or disobedience.

Sayyid Qutb (1906–1966 CE) mentions that “God does not ask man to suppress his desires because God knows that it is not possible for him to do so. God simply asks man to control his desires and not let them control him.” And to have an idea what ‘controlling our desires’ means plus how seriously ‘need’ should be interpreted when considering taking from nature, we can learn from the first Caliph, Abu Bakr As-Sidiq , when he ordered his troops: “Do not cut down a tree, do not abuse a river, do not harm animals and be always kind and humane to God’s creation, even to your enemies.”

When thinking of doing good things, I remember reading about ‘peace parks’ (more formal name is transfrontier conservation area or TFCA). A Peace Parks Foundation was established in 1997 by the now late Prince Bernhard of the Netherlands (Founder and first President of Worldwide Fund for Nature, WWF), Nelson Mandela and the now late Anton Rupert (then President of WWF South Africa, then called the Southern African Nature Foundation). According to their website “Peace parks epitomise harmony between humans and nature by using resources to create prosperity. When this happens, peace usually prevails, as economic stability is a cornerstone of peace. Furthermore, the joint management of natural resources entails the protection of these resources, which, in turn, creates job opportunities for the people living in these areas. The joint management committees also strengthen good neighbourliness.” There are now seven Peace Parks in Southern Africa and more in the pipeline, God willing. In September 2007, MIT press published a book called Peace Parks: Conservation and Conflict Resolution, edited by Saleem H. Ali (Associate Professor of Environmental Studies at the University of Vermont’s Rubenstein School of Natural Resources, USA). The book examines the ways in which environmental cooperation in multi-country conservation areas may help resolve political and territorial conflicts. Its analyses and case studies of transboundary peace parks focus on how the sharing of physical space and management responsibilities can build and sustain peace among countries.

According to Akhtaruddin Ahmad (author, Islam and the Environment Crisis) the “perilous state of the environment is just one more indication of our remoteness from our Lord and our disobedience of his Messenger ” Taking care of Creation is not the same as worshipping it, but a means to show gratitude to our Creator. Doing beautiful things and showing mercy is good, no matter what the situation is: Abu Bakr , the first Caliph of Islam, even when having to send his army to Syria, warned the leader of the exhibition, Usamah bin Zaid, “do not injure the palm trees nor burn them with fire and do not cut fruit-bearing trees.” A recent positive example in the area of mercy and doing beautiful things, in November 2008 representatives of several faiths agreed The Uppsala Interfaith Climate Manifesto 2008, Faith traditions addressing Global Warming which includes the commitment: “As religious leaders and teachers, we want to counteract a culture of fear with a culture of hope. We want to face the climate challenge with defiant optimism to highlight the core principles of all major sacred traditions of the world: justice, solidarity and compassion. We want to encourage the best science and political leadership. We commit our communities to fostering a spirit of joy and hope in relation to the greatest gift given to us all — the gift of life!” Muslim signatories include Larbi Djeradi (Professor, University of Mostaganem, Algeria, and member of Inter-faith Action for Peace in Africa and Djanatu-al-Arif Mediterranean Foundation of Sustainable Development); Amina al-Jerrahi (President, Commission on International Relations of the Inter-religious Council, Mexico); M. Abdus Sabur (Secretary General, Asian Muslim Action Network, based in Bangkok, Thailand); Mawil Izzie Dien (Senior Lecturer in Islamic Studies, University of Wales, Lampeter, UK and collaborating with the Alliance of Religions and Conservation (ARC) to create a Centre for Islam and Ecology at the University).

Examples of action

1. The Prophet , as narrated by Abdallah bin Amr, said: “The Merciful is kind to those who are merciful. If you show compassion to your fellow creatures in this world, then those in heaven shall be compassionate toward you.” Have mercy even on the small creatures: Anas ibn Malik reported that a man cursed fleas in the presence of the Prophet , and the Prophet , said, “Do not curse them. A flea woke up one of the Prophets for the prayer.” So, as the Prophet said: “If you want to be loved by your Creator, love His creatures” Dedicate a session of your circle (halaqa) to mercy and doing good things for Creation.
2. Abu Hurayra said, “A fierce wind blew when the people were on the road to Makka while Umar was making hajj. Umar asked those around him, ‘What is the wind?’ They did not give any answer. I urged my camel forward and I caught up with him and said, ‘I have heard that you asked about the wind. I heard the Messenger of God , say, “The wind is from the spirit of God. It brings mercy and it brings punishment. Do not curse it. Ask God for the good of it and seek refuge from its evil.” Read about the potential of wind as renewable energy source (World Wind Energy Association, www.wwindea.org) and write to your political representatives to support it more (www.writetothem.com).
3. Worship God as if you see Him, as in Gabriel’s (Arabic: ‘Jibreel’) hadeethl when he said to the Messenger :“Ihsan is that you worship God as if you see Him and while you see Him not yet truly He sees you”. As Fazlun Khalid says: “[t]he earth then is a testing ground of the human species. The tests are a measure of our acts of worship (ihsan) in its broadest sense. That is living in a way that is pleasing to Allah [God], striving in everything we do to maintain the harmony of our inner and outer environments.” Do like Zahid Rafiq and Rashid Hamid, who initiated Cycle Relief (www.cyclerelief.com) which was set-up by a group of volunteers to organise sponsored cycle runs in an effort to raise money for a variety of humanitarian causes, including water.
4. Rev. R. Bosworth Smith stated in 1874 CE that Prophet Muhammad was the real upholder of the liberation of animals “nor does Muhammad omit to lay stress on what I venture to think is a crucial test of a moral code, and even of a religion, as is the treatment of the poor and the weak — I mean the duties we owe to what we call the lower animals. There is no religion which has taken a higher view in its authoritative documents of animal life and none wherein the precept has been so much honoured by its practical observance.” — can we still say that that is wholly true today? And can you do something to share correct knowledge of Islamic teachings, for example by contributing to internet forums or in dawah activities?
5. Amr ibn al-As, a Companion of the Prophet , once said: “It doesn’t take a judicious mind to tell the good from the bad, but it takes such a mind to tell what is good from what is better, and likewise to tell what is bad from what is worse.” According to Salman al-Oadah: of www.islamtoday.com: “One thing this entails is how we should apply our productive energies. For instance, there are many issues that we would like to address. We should give priority to the major issues that society’s welfare depends upon and put aside secondary matters that can only squander our energies and bring about pointless disputes.” Omar Faruk from London (UK) for example has done so by setting up EcoMuslim (www.ecomuslim.com) to “change behaviours on an individual, organisational, societal, national, regional and global level to preserve the Earth’s ecosystems, natural resources, beauty and environment. We are the guardians of the natural order, protecting the environment, working to reduce our individual and collective ecological footprints. We will pioneer change, lead by example and influence an eco-responsible existence of everyone who resides on our beautiful planet Earth.”

*links/ info may now therefore may now be outdated and/or no longer work.