الوَعْيُ البِيئِيُّ؛ دُرُوسٌ نـَبَوِيـَّةٌ : Environmental awareness; Prophetic Lessons

أَعُوذُ بِاللّٰهِ مِنَ الشَّيْطَانِ الرَّجِيمِ۔

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ

In the name of ALLAH, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful

الوَعْيُ البِيئِيُّ..دُرُوسٌ نـَبَوِيـَّةٌ

Environmental Awareness... Prophetic Lessons

Praise be to ALLAH who has made the earth subservient to us with all its goodness and beauty; So that it may be a dwelling place for us and a source of stability, and we bear witness that there is no god but Allah, the One, without partner, the Generous, the Bestower, and we bear witness that our Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, is the servant of Allah and His Messenger, the bestowed mercy, may the blessings and peace of Allah be upon him and upon his family and his companions and those who follow him in goodness until the Day we meet Him. This is the recited verse and its translation from Surah Al Baqara:

أَمَّا بَعْدُ، فاعوذ باللہ من الشیطان الرجیم- بسم اللہ الرحمن الرحیم

إِنَّ فِى خَلۡقِ ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٲتِ وَٱلۡأَرۡضِ وَٱخۡتِلَـٰفِ ٱلَّيۡلِ وَٱلنَّهَارِ وَٱلۡفُلۡكِ ٱلَّتِى تَجۡرِى فِى ٱلۡبَحۡرِ بِمَا يَنفَعُ ٱلنَّاسَ وَمَآ أَنزَلَ ٱللَّهُ مِنَ ٱلسَّمَآءِ مِن مَّآءٍ۬ فَأَحۡيَا بِهِ ٱلۡأَرۡضَ بَعۡدَ مَوۡتِہَا وَبَثَّ فِيہَا مِن ڪُلِّ دَآبَّةٍ۬ وَتَصۡرِيفِ ٱلرِّيَـٰحِ وَٱلسَّحَابِ ٱلۡمُسَخَّرِ بَيۡنَ ٱلسَّمَآءِ وَٱلۡأَرۡضِ لَأَيَـٰتٍ۬ لِّقَوۡمٍ۬ يَعۡقِلُونَ

Verily! In the creation of the heavens and the earth, and in the alternation of night and day, and the ships which sail through the sea with that which is of use to mankind, and the water (rain) which Allâh sends down from the sky and makes the earth alive therewith after its death, and the moving (living) creatures of all kinds that He has scattered therein, and in the veering of winds and clouds which are held between the sky and the earth, are indeed Ayât (proofs, evidences, signs, etc.) for people of understanding.

Surah AL Baqara - 164

O servants of ALLAH: Fear ALLAH and Adopt piety and obey ALLAH۔ ALLAH says in Surah Aal E Imran

فَٱتَّقُواْ ٱللَّهَ لَعَلَّكُمۡ تَشۡكُرُونَ

So fear Allâh much that you may be grateful.

Surah Aal E Imran – 123-Part

Know, O servants of ALLAH, that our upright religion came with a complete system of values and morals that regulates the relationship of man with his Lord, and his relationship with himself, with other people, and with the universe around him. It left nothing, small or large, in the relationship of man with the universe without clarifying its path, outlining its features, and establishing for it the scale of justice and guidance, until it encompassed all of that. Details of the relationship between humans and the environment around them; Islam has raised its followers to protect and sustain its resources to the best of their ability, for their own benefit and that of future generations. For ALLAH Almighty, who created His servants, appointed them as His stewards on Earth to cultivate it. ALLAH Almighty says in Surah Hud:

هُوَ أَنشَأَكُم مِّنَ ٱلۡأَرۡضِ وَٱسۡتَعۡمَرَكُمۡ فِيہَا فَٱسۡتَغۡفِرُوهُ ثُمَّ تُوبُوٓاْ إِلَيۡهِ‌ۚ إِنَّ رَبِّى قَرِيبٌ۬ مُّجِيبٌ۬

He brought you forth from the earth and settled you therein, then ask forgiveness of Him and turn to Him in repentance. Certainly, my Lord is Near (to all by His Knowledge), Responsive."

Surah Hud – 61-Part

And He, Glory be to Him, says in Surah Al Baqara:

وَإِذۡ قَالَ رَبُّكَ لِلۡمَلَـٰٓٮِٕكَةِ إِنِّى جَاعِلٌ۬ فِى ٱلۡأَرۡضِ خَلِيفَةً۬‌ۖ قَالُوٓاْ أَتَجۡعَلُ فِيہَا مَن يُفۡسِدُ فِيہَا وَيَسۡفِكُ ٱلدِّمَآءَ وَنَحۡنُ نُسَبِّحُ بِحَمۡدِكَ وَنُقَدِّسُ لَكَ‌ۖ قَالَ إِنِّىٓ أَعۡلَمُ مَا لَا تَعۡلَمُونَ

And (remember) when your Lord said to the angels: "Verily, I am going to place (mankind) generations after generations on earth." They said: "Will You place therein those who will make mischief therein and shed blood, - while we glorify You with praises and thanks and sanctify You." He (Allâh) said: "I know that which you do not know."

Surah Al Baqara – 30

O Muslims: It is from the perfection of ALLAH's mercy upon His servants that He sent to them His noble Prophet, peace be upon him, who was the gentle teacher and the insightful role model. He taught people that worship extends to every action that is righteous and every behavior that is beneficial. Dealing with the earth's resources is a trust, investing them wisely is worship, and preserving them with mercy is a sign of faith. And piety. Indeed, among the signs of a sound heart is a good impact, and among the proofs of faith is the development of the land. The believer does not only reform himself, but also reforms what is around him, refrains from harm, sows goodness, and makes his impact on life a continuous charity. ALLAH Almighty, may His glory be exalted, says in Surah Al Araf:

وَلَا تُفۡسِدُواْ فِى ٱلۡأَرۡضِ بَعۡدَ إِصۡلَـٰحِهَا‌ۚ ذَٲلِڪُمۡ خَيۡرٌ۬ لَّكُمۡ إِن ڪُنتُم مُّؤۡمِنِينَ

and do not mischief on the earth after it has been set in order, that will be better for you, if you are believers.

Surah Al Araf – 85-Part

The Prophet, peace be upon him, explained that the lowest level of this reform is in the simplest of actions. On the authority of Seyyedina Abu Barzah al-Aslami, he said: The Messenger of ALLAH said: Remove the harmful thing from the road, for it is charity for you. On the authority of Seyyedina Abu Dharr al-Ghifari, that the Messenger of ALLAH said: The deeds of my nation were shown to me, the good and the bad, and I found among the good deeds, the removal of harmful things from the road. Every step a believer takes in the path of reform testifies to his faith, and every benefit he brings to people or to the universe is recorded in the book of his deeds. Hence, the care of existing things, the maintenance of facilities, and the wise handling of resources are all great acts of worship and noble objectives of Islamic law.

O servants of ALLAH: Among the things that the Prophet, peace be upon him, was keen to establish in the conscience of his nation was the love of planting and doing good on earth; The tree, in the guidance of the Prophet, peace be upon him, is a symbol of giving and a manifestation of development and piety. Therefore, increasing the plant cover is considered one of the ongoing charities for which the Muslim is rewarded even after his death. He said: “There is no Muslim who plants a tree or sows a seed, and a bird, or a human, or an animal eats from it, except that it is considered charity for him.” Rather, he ordered the protection of trees even in war, and forbade cutting them down or burning them except out of necessity. For the tree is life, and planting it with good intentions is a commanded act of worship; because protecting the manifestations of life is a sign of faith and an expression of the mercy that encompasses all time and place.

So fear ALLAH, O servant of ALLAH, and plant something good in your day… Prevent harm… Clean a path… Plant a tree… And do not be among the corrupters.

أقولُ مَا تَسْمَعُونَ، وَأَسْتَغْفِرُ اللهَ العَظِيمَ لِي وَلَكُمْ، فَاسْتَغْفِرُوهُ يَغْفِرْ لَكُمْ، إِنَّهُ هُوَ الغَفُورُالرَّحِيمُ، وَادْعُوهُ يَسْتَجِبْ لَكُمْ، إِنَّهُ هُوَ البَرُّ الكَرِيمُ

I say what you hear, and I ask forgiveness from ALLAH Almighty for me and for you, so ask forgiveness from Him and He will forgive you, for He is the Forgiving and Merciful, and pray to Him and He will answer you, for He is The noble righteousness

الحَمْدُ للهِ الَّذِي هَدَانَا لِهَذا، وَمَا كُنَّا لِنَهْتَدِيَ لَوْلا أَنْ هَدَانَا اللهُ، وَأَشْهَدُ أَنْ لاَ إِلَهَ إِلّا اللهُ، وَأَشْهَدُ أَنَّ مُحَمَّدًا رَسُولُ اللهِ صَلاةً وَسَلامًا دَائِمَيْنِ إِلَى يَوْمِ الدِّينِ، وَعَلَى آلِهِ وَصَحْبِهِ وَأَتْبَاعِهِ المُقْتَفِينَ آثَارَهُ وَخُطَاهُ

All praise is due to Allah, Who guided us to this. We would not have been guided had Allah not guided us. I bear witness that there is no god but Allah, and I bear witness that Muhammad, peace be upon him, is the Messenger of Allah. May peace and blessings be upon him and his family, his companions, and those who follow his example and footsteps.

O servants of ALLAH, fear ALLAH, and know that part of protecting the environment is that a person should not be wasteful in using its resources beyond what is needed. For the Prophet, peace be upon him, when passed by Sa’d while he was performing ablution, and he said: “What is this wastefulness, O Sa’d?!” He said: “Is there wastefulness in ablution?!” He said: “Yes, even if you are by a flowing river.” So the Prophet, peace be upon him, taught us that water is a vital element, a blessing that deserves gratitude and preservation. So what about those who waste water unnecessarily, exceeding the limits in its use to the point of extravagance? ALLAH Almighty says in Surah Al Araf:

وَلَا تُسۡرِفُوٓاْ‌ۚ إِنَّهُ ۥ لَا يُحِبُّ ٱلۡمُسۡرِفِينَ

but waste not by extravagance, certainly He (Allâh) likes not Al-Musrifûn (those who waste by extravagance).

Surah Al Araf – 31-Part

Among the forms of extravagance that the Prophet, peace be upon him, forbade to preserve biodiversity is the killing of animals without need or necessity. Abdullah ibn Umar, may ALLAH be pleased with him, once passed by some young men who had tied up an animal and were shooting at it. When they saw Ibn Umar, may ALLAH be pleased with him, they scattered. Ibn Umar said, "Who did this?! The Prophet, peace be upon him, cursed whoever does this." And in another narration: "The Prophet, peace be upon him, cursed whoever mutilates..." “With the animal,” and on the authority of Ibn Abbas, may ALLAH be pleased with them both, who said: The Messenger of ALLAH said: “Do not take anything that has a soul as a target.”

He instilled in all believers that kindness to creatures and justice towards them are at the core of the religion. And from the Prophet’s, peace be upon him, upbringing of people - in order to protect the environment from pollution - he explicitly forbade throwing harmful things into stagnant water, or in the road, or in the shade of people, so he said: “Beware of the two things that bring curses.” They said: What are the two things that bring curses, O Messenger of ALLAH? He said: “The one who relieves himself in the path of people or in their shade.” From this prophetic prohibition, we learn the principle of respecting public places and preserving their facilities and purity from everything that disfigures or harms them. The pure Sharia has established fundamental rules in this chapter, including: that maintaining public facilities is a duty for which collective responsibility is entrusted, that causing pollution is considered one of the prohibited forms of corruption, and that preserving the beauty and cleanliness of the place is part of showing gratitude for the blessing. Jurists have also established major rules governing this behavior, including: the rule of "removing harm" and the rule of "no harm and no retaliation". And let us not forget that public funds are as sacred as private funds. Therefore, any transgression against these landmarks and facilities is considered a violation of Islamic law that warrants accountability, due to the harm it causes to people, the pollution of the air, and the disfigurement of the land. This is why the condemnation of those who strive to cause corruption is clearly stated in the Book of ALLAH, where He, the Exalted, says in Surah Al Baqara:

وَإِذَا تَوَلَّىٰ سَعَىٰ فِى ٱلۡأَرۡضِ لِيُفۡسِدَ فِيهَا وَيُهۡلِكَ ٱلۡحَرۡثَ وَٱلنَّسۡلَ‌ۗ وَٱللَّهُ لَا يُحِبُّ ٱلۡفَسَادَ

And when he turns away (from you "O Muhammad SAW "), his effort in the land is to make mischief therein and to destroy the crops and the cattle, and Allâh likes not mischief.

Surah Al Baqara – 205

So fear ALLAH, O servants of ALLAH, says in Surah Al Anfal

يَـٰٓأَيُّہَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُواْ ٱسۡتَجِيبُواْ لِلَّهِ وَلِلرَّسُولِ إِذَا دَعَاكُمۡ لِمَا يُحۡيِيڪُمۡ‌ۖ وَٱعۡلَمُوٓاْ أَنَّ ٱللَّهَ يَحُولُ بَيۡنَ ٱلۡمَرۡءِ وَقَلۡبِهِۦ وَأَنَّهُ ۥۤ إِلَيۡهِ تُحۡشَرُونَ

O you who believe! Answer Allâh (by obeying Him) and (His) Messenger when he (SAW) calls you[] to that which will give you life,[] and know that Allâh comes in between a person and his heart (i.e. He prevents an evil person to decide anything). And verily to Him you shall (all) be gathered.

Surah Al Anfal – 24