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Broad Lines of the Islamic Approach to Environment Protection
Dr. Muhammad Yunus(*)
The protection of environment from pollution and the preservation of natural resources are one of the major issues that attract a great deal of attention today.
This interest has found its expression in the host of international conventions and local laws that aim at protecting the environment from pollution, halting the excessive exploitation of natural resources and preventing the extinction of species. This attention is even more justified now that this aggressive onslaught on nature and its pollution have reached dangerous levels that threaten the existence of 80% of the animal and plant life in temperate regions, in addition to the dangerous risks that beset man’s health as a result of the pollution of water, air and soil and which cause serious diseases, cancer included. However, these international conventions and local legislative texts have so far failed to curb the ongoing aggression against nature, thus creating the need to search for other ways and means, relating to man’s conscience and faith, to solve the problems of environment. Of such alternatives is reactivating the role of religion, most particularly Islam, in addressing environment and its issues.
It is therefore important to shed light on the role of Islam in facing up to environment problems, be it at the level of diagnosis or at that of remedy.
The present study seeks to tackle the above issues through the following three axes:
- The concept and components of environment and the development of man’s relation to this environment.
- The concept of environment in the Islamic perception.
- The Islamic way of preserving environment and protecting its components from pollution and any other form of violation.
To address the above, we have adopted a bibliographical documenting style in collecting information and data on the dimensions of environmental problems and Islam’s stance vis-à-vis this issue.
Concept and Components of Environment and Man’s Relation to this Environment
If the first conference ever organised on environment, held in Stockholm in 1972, summarised in a few words the definition of environment as “everything that surrounds man”, there is no doubt that this concept stands for much more than this. While ecology, the term adopted by Western scientists to refer to environment, was derived from the Greek word oikos, meaning abode, the root of the Arabic word ‘bayia’ is the verb’bawaa’ which means to take up and to occupy. “And we inspired Moses and his brother (saying): appoint houses for your people in Egypt” (Yunus verse 88), the injunction here being to set up house in Egypt. The term is also used to mean attaining a place and settling in it. Allah says: “Those who believe and do good works, them verily we shall house in lofty dwellings of the Garden” (Al ‘Ankabout, verse 58).
In the blessed tradition, the Prophet (PBUH) says: “To lie to me is other than to lie to any other person. He who purposefully lies to me shall take up his place in hell” (narrated by Muslim).
The word derived from this root is ‘bayia’, meaning place or abode. The term is also used to refer, figuratively, to the place where a man chooses to settle, such as his homeland.
In the science of ecology, the term environment is defined as: the environment or space where man lives, and which comprises the natural and human phenomena that impact on him but that are also influenced by him.
A common concept that environmentalists often refer to is the ecosystem. This system is a fully integrated ecological unit that is made up of (living) biological components that interact with other non-living components of environment according to a highly precise and balanced order that divine laws govern within an internal dynamism that enables them to play their role in the process of life regeneration.(1)
This ecosystem is composed of four categories of elements and constituents. These are :
1. Non-living organic elements : This category is composed of all natural non-living matters, since it consists of all substantially organic elements in life. Therefore, it is also called “organic category”, because what is consumed by the second category are substituted for in the fourth one: the category of biodegrading organic elements which make animal or vegetal decayed organic matters decompose into their elementary constituents.
2. Living productive organisms : This category consists of all green plants. These are autotrophs, as they produce and elaborate their own organic substances from elements of the first group; thus, they are called the “productive category”.
3. Consumer organisms: This category is made up of animal species that depend for their food on other creatures and is therefore called a consumer group. This category includes herbivores and carnivores as well as man. Man, in fact, is considered one of its major elements considering his tremendous power of impact on the other elements of the system, an influence that may be of a destructive nature as well as of a constructive one. Man is equally important because the natural environment, with all its components, was created and harnessed for him.
4. Biodegrading organisms: This category comprises microscopic living matter such as fungus and bacteria. Their role consists of breaking down or dissolving organic matter (animal or plant), hence their label as biodegrading agents. These elements interact with each other following a complex and intricate system, with each sub-group of this category depending on the other components in a miraculous complementarity and harmony that preserve the balance of nature. The failure or absence of an element of one of these groups alters the structure of the interaction, after which the whole system loses its stability and its innate capacity to create life, resulting in what is known as “environmental dysfunction”.(2)
Man’s Relationship with Environment
Environment is the vital space of the human being and of all the other creatures living on this earth. Allah created the components of environment and set them on a complex course the purpose of which is to help man fulfil his primary mission on earth, namely to settle and people it: “He Who hath produced you from the earth and settled you therein” (Hud, verse 61). The Creator- exalted be His name, designed all these elements to work in unison and in a spontaneous way to sustain the cycle of life. Allah says: “Who has made the earth your couch, and the heavens your canopy; and sent down rain from the heavens; and brought forth therewith Fruits for your sustenance; then set not up rivals unto God when ye know (the truth)” (Al Baqara, verse 22).
Therefore, all the components of life work spontaneously towards fulfilling this goal; thus, any alteration in the essence of one of the elements of the ecological order upsets the environment and causes it to lose its capacity to create and sustain life.
To explain how this loss of balance occurs and the ensuing dangers and problems, Dr. Zaine Eddine Abdulmaqsud presents the following example of ecological disorder and its impact on environment:
If we take the ecosystem of a forest that is subjected by man to rapid deforestation at a rate that exceeds its capacity of regeneration, trees, a major component of this ecosystem will inexorably dwindle and the habitat will undergo a diminution of many of the important roles played by trees. The degradation of such a vital element as trees can have the following repercussions:
- The overexploitation of trees will lead to a gradual extinction of the fauna that relies on these trees as a source of food, on the one hand, and as a place of shelter, on the other.
- Soil that was protected by these trees will be exposed to severe erosion, particularly the top layers which usually contain all the nutrients necessary for plant life, resulting in its impoverishment and the declining of its capacity to sustain the production of food.
- The oxygen/carbon oxide cycle will be disrupted. It is a well known fact that trees play a vital role in the release of large quantities of oxygen and the processing of equally large quantities of carbon oxides during the photosynthesis process. Based on this, ecologists consider that the excessive felling of trees aggravates the pollution of air with carbon oxides.
- The hydrological cycle will also be disrupted as a result of the imbalance that will occur in the quantities of evaporated water that rises into the atmosphere through the process of transpiration. Studies have proved that 60% of the rainfall in forest ecosystems are released back into the atmosphere through the process of transpiration.
The hydrological cycle will further be disrupted as a result of increased Albedo rates. The dwindling of the plant cover significantly heightens the Albedo phenomenon (rate of return of solar heat waves-short waves-towards outer space). The Albedo rate increases with the expansion of plant-impoverished surfaces and decreases in plant-covered expanses. Thus, the less plants there are the higher the Albedo rate and the fewer the waves that are absorbed by the earth, and, subsequently, the lesser the energy waves originating from the earth -long waves- and considered the direct source of warmth in the atmosphere. It was the will of Allah, exalted be His name, that short solar energetic waves be able to travel through the atmosphere without the latter absorbing any of their energy, and reach the earth where they are absorbed and transformed, by the power of the Almighty, into long energetic waves with a new and different composition that allows the elements of the atmosphere, (carbon oxide in particular) to absorb them and diffuse them all around. These earth energetic waves remain prisoner of the atmosphere and never cross into outer space contrary to the solar ones that bypass the atmosphere and travel into outer space. As a result of the deforestation and the deterioration of the forest cover, the Albedo rate is on the increase; whereas that of the concentration of heat in the atmosphere is decreasing, resulting in a clear stagnation of heat at these levels and reducing the chances of rainfall.
This means that the relationship between the Albedo and the changes of rainfall is one of opposition, while the relationship between the plant cover and rainfall is one of cause and effect, hence the importance of plant life in the stability of the hydrological cycle.(3)
Scientific studies place the first signs of environmental imbalance to the beginning of the industrial revolution. Black smoke hung over many European cities as a result of the smoke released by the coal used in their mills, and resulted in many deaths.(4) In his famous novel ‘Hard Times’, Charles Dickens eloquently described the pollution that accompanied the industrial revolution. Man’s aggressive activities towards nature, since then, have been increasing at the same pace as industrialisation(5). Though the first stirrings of awareness about the dangers of these aggressions started as early as the beginning of the 14th century ad., man has never refrained from these environment polluting activities.
The increase in pollution rates had led to a gradual depletion of the ozone layer in the atmosphere and caused a hole in this layer over the south pole of the earth. This engenders an increase in the temperature of the earth atmosphere, which may cause the glaciers of the Arctic and Antarctic regions to melt and, subsequently, cause a rise in the water levels of seas and oceans and result, ultimately, in the disappearance of many coasts off the face of the of the earth.
Pollution has also direct effects on man’s health as it may cause such diseases as asthma and cancer.
This relationship between man and environment has other negative impacts, namely the overexploitation of natural resources and the destruction of wild life. Scientific reports published by the United Nations Environment Programme affirm that 80% of animals and plants living in temperate regions in Asia and the countries of the African south are endangered and that, in fact, 90% of the earth’s creatures have already become extinct.
This extinction is the result of man’s interference and attempt to change the course of nature. Today, we are witnessing a surge in the extinction process of a magnitude that has only been experienced once in the three million years that make up the age of the earth. This trend will rise in the coming ten years to frightening levels that could be as high as a thousand times the normal rate.(6)
Environment specialists maintain that half a million living species are already endangered. Of these, 25, 000 are plant species, more than one thousand are vertebrates, and the remaining are invertebrates, mostly coral reefs.(7)
In addition to pollution and the extinction of wild life, a third environmental problem is confronting the world, namely the phenomenon of desertification which impacts on all the components of the ecological system.
Man’s irrational practices have resulted in a tremendous expansion of deserts and wasteland. In 1982, the rate of deserts and wasteland reached 9.4% of the earth’s total surface, only to increase to 22.2% in 1992. While natural deserts that result from normal geological conditions cover 48 million kilometres, equalling 37% of the earth’s dry surface area, it is unfortunate that the progress of desertification has added another ten million kilometres to this percentage. What is even more worrisome is that this rate is constantly on the increase. Statistics of the UNEP indicate that the annual desertification rate has reached 15 million acres, while the world’s population growth rate is doubling up at a geometrical rate. Since 1800, the world’s population has doubled up once in one century and six times in two centuries. Forecasts predict that this population will double 12 times in one century and a half and that the earth inhabitants will reach 11.9 billion by 2050.
On the other hand, scientists confirm that the earth’s present resources will not suffice, in spite of the progress in the means of production, to sustain the life of more than 12, 000 million people, which is the number the world will have reached by the second half of the 21st century(8)
The Concept of Environment in Islam
If western environmentalists define environment as the milieu or space in which man lives, including the natural and human components that influence him and are influenced by him, the Islamic definition of environment is much deeper in that it links environment to the Muslim’s faith and his belief in the oneness of the creator of the universe and the source of the Glorious Quran.
The Quran and the prophet’s Sunnah abound with texts that clearly define man’s relation to the environment in which he lives.
These texts all intimate that Allah created the universe with all its creatures and components and harnessed these to serve man as he attends to the duties of peopling this earth and worshipping Allah. To man Allah sent messengers, to guide him, give him glad tidings and convey Allah’s commands and the ways He willed for life on earth. Islam was sent as the seal of all divine religions, and thus contained the Way and the balance that governs the relationship between men on the one hand, and between man and his environment on the other hand.
According to the Islamic vision, this relationship between man and environment has three bases:
First: Subjugation
This refers to the subjugation by Allah of all the components of environment to help man in discharging the task of settling the earth. Allah says in this respect: “It is God Who hath created the heavens and the earth and sendeth down rain from the skies, and with it bringeth out fruits wherewith to feed you; it is He Who hath made the ships subject to you, that they may sail through the sea by His command; and the rivers (also) hath He made subject to you. And He hath made subject to you the sun and the moon, both diligently pursuing their courses; and the night and the day hath he (also) made subject to you.”(Ibraheem, 32-33), and: “It is He Who has made the sea subject, that ye may eat thereof flesh that is fresh and tender, and that ye may extract therefrom ornaments to wear; and thou seest the ships therein that plough the waves, that ye may seek (thus) of the bounty of God and that ye may be grateful” (Annahl, verse 14 ). He also says: “Do ye not see that God has subjected to you (use) all things in the heavens and on earth, and has made his bounties flow to you in exceeding measure, (both) seen and unseen? Yet there are among men those who dispute about God, without knowledge and without guidance, and without a Book to enlighten them!” (Luqman, verse 20).
Second: Moderation
Moderation here refers to the quality that should mark man’s benefiting from Allah’s subjugation of the components of environment harnessed for him by Allah to him, true to the moderation and spirit of the middle way that distinguish Islam from all other religions. This moderation springs from the status itself that man holds within the universe. In Islam, man is ‘a master in the universe” and not a “master of the universe” as claimed by Western thinkers. Therefore, man’s actions and behaviour vis-à-vis the environment are defined by the set of teachings, principles and values contained in the Quran and the Sunnah, and by the guidelines of the Islamic way in life and in the universe. Moderation, being one of the main components of this way, is a principle that distinguishes Islam from all other doctrines, philosophies and creeds. Allah says: “Thus, have We made of you an Ummat justly balanced, that ye might be witnesses over the nations” (Al Baqara, verse 143). This middle way is what governs, or should govern, man’s relationship with environment.
Closely associated with moderation is the condemnation of waste and squandering. Allah says: “..And eat and drink, but be not prodigal. Lo! He loveth not the prodigals” ” (Al Araf, 31).
Third: Admonition of Mischief in the Land
There is no doubt that the majority of environment problems arise from man’s irrational behaviour towards the environment. As previously described in detail, this causes the disruption of ecosystems through the pollution of soil, water and air, the destruction of lands, the felling of trees, and the extinction of many a living creature. The Quran warns against this plundering of the earth: “Do no mischief on the earth, after it hath been set in order, but call on Him with fear and longing (in your hearts): for the Mercy of God is (always) near to those who do good”.(Al Araf, 56). The concept of environment in the Islamic perception thus means more than the simple enumeration of its components or those of the ecological system, and transcends this to establish a link between these components and the human element. The Islamic Shariah, in fact, does not confine man within the realm of the material life, but makes the latter no more than a means to achieve the sublime goal of purifying the soul and remolding it in a richer and purer form. This is unique to the true faith of Islam, to the exclusion of all other creeds and statute laws which, though they dominate the body, have no sway over the heart(9). Allah says: “Truly he succeeds that purifies it and he fails that corrupts it!” (Ashams, 9-11).
In the Islamic perception, environment is a living entity, the earth is not a mere globe on which man treads and where he behaves as the whim strikes him. The mountains are not dead mounds but living entities that have feelings and emotions(10), for Allah says: “The Seven Heavens and Earth, as well as whoever is in them, glorify Him. Nothing exists unless it hymns His praise; yet you do not understand their glorification. Still He has been Lenient, Forgiving.” (Al Israa, verse 44), and: “We gave Judgement and Knowledge; it was Our power that made the hills and the birds celebrate Our praises, with David: it was We Who did (all these things)”. (Al Anbiaa, verse 79).
The Prophet, peace be upon him, says: “Whoever heard the voice of the muezzin, be it a jinn, man, a stone or an earth clot, shall bear witness to him on the day of judgement’ (narrated by Ibn Majjah and Malek in the Muattae).
Islam’s perception reflects a profound approach to the concept of environment. Islam enjoins man to treat nature on the premises that it is collective property and should be preserved in order to sustain its existence. The Almighty says: “and do no mischief on the earth after it has been set in order: that will be best for you, if ye have Faith”(Al Araf, verse 85).
The Quran abounds with verses that stress the oneness of Allah as the creator and regulator of the universe, as well as the One who set the rules and laws that ensure its preservation. In one of these verses, Allah says: “Who has made the earth your couch, and the heavens your canopy; and sent down rain from the heavens; and brought forth therewith Fruits for your sustenance; then set not up rivals unto God when ye know (the truth)” (Al Baqara, verse 22)
And says: “Do they not look at the sky above them?- How We have made it and adorned it, and there are no flaws in it? And the earth- We have spread it out, and set thereon mountains standing firm, and produced therein every kind of beautiful growth (in pairs)- To be observed and commemorated by every devotee turning (to God). And We send down from the sky rain charted with blessing, and We produce therewith gardens and Grain for harvests; And tall (and stately) palm-trees, with shoots of fruit-stalks, piled one over another;- As sustenance for (God's) Servants;- and We give (new) life therewith to land that is dead: Thus will be the Resurrection.” (Qaf, verses 6-11)
In the same vein, the Almighty says: “And the earth We have spread out (like a carpet); set thereon mountains firm and immovable; and produced therein all kinds of things in due balance. And We have provided therein means of subsistence,- for you and for those for whose sustenance ye are not responsible. And there is not a thing but its (sources and) treasures (inexhaustible) are with Us; but We only send down thereof in due and ascertainable measures. And We send the fecundating winds, then cause the rain to descend from the sky, therewith providing you with water (in abundance), though ye are not the guardians of its stores.” (Al Hajar, verses 19 to 22).
Everything created in environment was created in specific quantities and with distinct features that contribute towards guaranteeing a suitable life for man and the other creatures that share this environment with him. The Quran summarises this miracle in the following verse: “Verily, all things have We created in proportion and measure” (Al Qamar, 49).
The Almighty knows that this measure and this proportion ensure that every component of the environment plays the specific role designed for it in a highly elaborate harmony and cohesion. Everything in the universe evolves within a balanced and intricate life cycle designed by the Sublime Creator. Life follows a perpetual movement through a series of reproduction, death and transformation processes. When animals die, their carcasses decompose and dissolve in the soil, plants absorb the nutrients from the soil and turn them into leaves, fruits and seeds that men, birds and animals use for sustenance. The dance of life, death and transformation goes on following the great design of the Creator, exalted be His name(11). True is Allah’s word: “it is He who created all things, and ordered them in due proportions.” (Al Furqan, verse 2).
In the Islamic perception, environment is divided into two main categories: the natural environment, and the human environment. We shall address these two components as follows:
Natural Environment:
The natural environment refers to everything that surrounds man in terms of natural -living or dead- aspects and phenomena created by the Almighty and represented in the components of the earth’s surface such as mountains, hills, valleys, rivers, rocks and soil, the various elements of the weather such as temperature, pressure, winds, rains, wild life, be it plant, animal or aquatic, in addition to fresh and salt water resources. This environment was masterfully created by Allah, exalted be His name, whether in its quantity, quality and functions. “(such is) the artistry of God, who disposes of all things in perfect order” (An Naml, 88).
Allah then subjugated this environment to serve man whom He delegated on this earth.
Allah says: “It is He Who has made the earth manageable for you, so traverse ye through its tracts and enjoy of the Sustenance which He furnishes: but unto Him is the Resurrection” (Al Mulk, 15). There is no doubt that the elements of the environment, though they may seem independent, are truly not so in the reality of their functions. These elements are permanently moving within themselves, as well as in a harmonious interactive movement among each other within an highly elaborate scheme that divine universal laws govern. This, in fact, is what we refer to today as the ecological order.(12)
There is no more eloquent proof of the mastery of the creation and the might of the all-knowing Creator but the fact that whenever change occurs in one of these elements, be it in its quantitative or qualitative attributes, a host of problems result from this alteration.
Dr. Zain Eddine Abdulmaqsud gives an example of this aspect when he says: “If we take air as an example of the complexity of the creation, we will find that it is made up of a large number of elements of which a hundred are already identified. Two of these known elements have the lion’s share and account, together, for almost 99% of the air’s mass. These are nitrogen, an inert gas that represents 78.7% of the air, and oxygen, an active gas that accounts for 20.95%. The remaining 1% is made up of many other gases such as Argon (0.94%), carbon oxide (0.03%), hydrogen (0.01%), carbon monoxide, sulphur dioxide, helium, ozone, neon, xenon and others. It is a sign of the divine miracle that Allah made nitrogen, a rare gas, the one element that lightens oxygen to a large extent (78%), an exact figure which, had it been inferior, and in the event where an electric sparkle were to travel from outer space towards the earth (as it sometimes happens), would cause everything on the surface of the earth to ignite and burn.(13)
Human or man-made (civilizational) Environment
This environment is represented by man and the diverse human phenomena that he triggered through his interaction with his natural environment in the quest to cater to his basic and accessory needs. Allah, exalted be His name, did not create anything at random. It was His will and wisdom that man be His representative on earth, that he enjoys certain capacities and bounties to the exclusion of all other creatures, even the angles. Allah says: “We have honoured the sons of Adam; provided them with transport on land and sea; given them for sustenance things good and pure; and conferred on them special favours, above a great part of our creation” (Al Israa, verse 70).
Allah honoured man by bestowing reason on him and instructing him to put his brain to the best use. Man is often addressed in the Quran as the recipient of this divine gift(14): “but none will grasp the Message but men of understanding.” (Al Baqara, verse 269).
Allah, exalted be His name, defined the role and functions of man in the universal scheme.
Some of these functions are:
1- Representation: Allah appointed man as His representative on earth and made it his abode and source of sustenance for a temporary period when he said “On earth will be your dwelling-place and your means of livelihood - for a time." (Al Baqara, verse 36). The Prophet; PBUH says: “This world is beautiful and green and Allah has made you His representatives on it” (narrated by Muslim and Annissaii). The matter of representation determines the role of man and his task within the environment. Being delegated presupposes that man is the custodian of this earth (environment), not its owner, and that he is delegated to manage and develop it. It is placed in his trust and this entails that he deals with it in the way the worthy trustee behaves. It is a known fact that there is no absolute ownership in Islam, and that no individual can claim the right to deal with his property as the whim strikes him. Ownership in Islam is regulated by conditions and terms set by Allah, and one of these conditions is the obligation to develop and enhance this property and preserve it from any deterioration or harm.(15)
This delegation is also temporal in nature. The environment, with its various natural resources, is not considered as the property of one generation, but rather as the heritage of successive generations. This duty of representation entails that we preserve nature for future generations to inherit as a healthy environment that is capable of giving and in the condition in which Allah, exalted be His name, created it. The mismanagement of natural resources and their overexploitation for the benefit of one generation at the expense of future ones is an abomination that Islam proscribes and is a distortion of the meaning of representation.
2- Worship: Allah, exalted be His name, says: “I have only created Jinns and men, that they may serve Me.” (Ad Dhariyat, verse 56). Worship is a spiritual and physical act that brings man well-being on this earth and in the hereafter. The duties of the true Muslim who appreciates the essence of worship consist of adopting positive practices vis-à-vis his environment and establishing with this environment a sound and balanced relationship that would enable him to satisfy his needs and wishes while protecting and preserving the environment. These sound practices can only ensure the well-being and prosperity of man on earth as well as in the hereafter(16).
Islam’s Approach to the Issue of Environment
Islam provides a comprehensive approach to the issue of solving environment problems. This approach is based on the peaceful co-existence of man and his environment, and on urging people to preserve natural resources through their rational management, far from any form of waste and squandering. Islam’s approach relies on people-based mechanisms for the protection of environment and is linked to Islam’s perception of man, the universe and life. It constitutes an internal impetus for the Muslim in his endeavour to preserve his environment and protect it from pollution.
The approach of Islam to solving the environmental issues is based on three main mechanisms that aim at protecting the environment from pollution and preserving wild life and natural resources.
To achieve the desired objectives, these mechanisms spread over three levels. The first of these springs from man’s conscience and is linked to his religious convictions. The second one relates to the legislative aspect of environment protection, while the third one consists of presenting a permanent practical model of the protection of environment and wild life that can be followed by people everywhere in the world.
1- Linking the protection of environment to Islamic faith
The issue of the protection of environment in general and its protection from pollution in particular is linked in a particular way to the Islamic faith and is considered part and parcel of the Muslim’s faith. Islam considers the protection of nature from pollution as a form of faith, as is embodied in the hadith of the Prophet (peace be upon him), narrated by Abu Huraira: “Faith is seventy-plus or sixty-plus forms, the highest of all is to profess that there is no God by Allah, and its lowest is to remove a source of nuisance from the road. Prudence is a form of faith” (narrated by Muslim).
There is no doubt that removing a source of nuisance from the road refers to a confrontation of environmental pollution under all its forms, and cleansing the environment where the Muslim lives from all kinds of filth and impurity.
If religions were sent to bring about the happiness of people, one form of happiness is for man to live in a clean environment. Therefore, Islam urges its followers to observe cleanness as a form of faith, and calls for the protection of environment in response to this faith.(17)
This purity is linked to the set of faith and aesthetic values addressed and advocated by the Quran in many of its verses. In this respect, Dr. Muhammed Sayyed Tantaoui, the Sheikh of Al Azhar says: “The lover of aesthetic values and of an environment that is free of pollution and of any indecent aspect, will find in the Sharia of Islam what will nurture in him the sense of beauty, cleanness and proper taste. Allah, Exalted be His name, described the sky as beautiful in many verses. Of these His saying: “And we have, (from of old), adorned the lowest heaven with Lamps, and We have made such (Lamps) (as) missiles to drive away the Evil Ones”. He described the earth as beautiful in the Quranic verse: “And We have spread out the (spacious) earth: How excellently We do spread out”, and also the plants as beautiful in: “Do they not look at the sky above them?- How We have made it and adorned it, and there are no flaws in it? And the earth- We have spread it out, and set thereon mountains standing firm, and produced therein every kind of beautiful growth (in pairs)- To be observed and commemorated by every devotee turning (to God)”.(Qâf, verses 6-8)
In fact, Allah showed us in many of these quranic verses that everything in this universe is beautiful, well designed and orderly. He says: “(such is) the artistry of God, who disposes of all things in perfect order”(18).
In order to face up to the pollution of the environment, the Islamic approach addresses the concept of purity, and this concept covers the requirements of cleanness in addition to a set of other conditions that prepare the environment and its components to play specific roles in man’s spiritual and worldly life.
Purity acquires particular importance in Islam, being closely associated with one of the most important religious rites of the Muslim, namely praying. The subject of purity and cleanness occurs in 31 instances in the Holy Quran. Cleanness, as the concept of rising above impurities and dirt, occurs in more than half of these instances(19) such as Allah’s verses: “For God loves those who turn to Him constantly and He loves those who keep themselves pure and clean” (Al Baqara, verse 222), and : “And thy garments keep free from stain! And all abomination shun!” (Al Muddathir, verses 4 and 5).
Purity occupies an elevated position within the Islamic religion reaching the extent where it is considered as accounting for half of man’s faith, as the Prophet (PBUH) said: “Cleanness is half the faith” (narrated by Muslim), it being a condition for the proper conducting of the rite of praying, the backbone of the religion of Islam.
This purity, considered half the faith, is one of the basic principles of Islam. It lasts throughout his life and surrounds him from within and from his environment, thus becoming the opposite and the counterbalance of pollution at all its levels. Allah, exalted be His name, created the world and surrounded it by beauty and it is the duty of men to reflect that beauty through purity and cleanness, and consequently through fighting pollution. The Prophet, says: “Allah is beautiful and loves beauty” (reported by Attirmidi on Ibn Massoud).
Fighting the pollution of the environment starts from within the person himself whom Islam ordains to be clean in soul and body. The Prophet, peace be upon him, says: “Be clean for Islam is clean” (narrated by Ahmed, Abu Daoud and Attirmidi), and associates purity and cleanness with faith in many of his hadiths, such as “Cleanness calls for faith, and faith accompanies its partner into heaven” (narrated by Attabarani).
For the Muslim to be clean in his body, the Islamic Sharia has decreed that he makes his ablutions prior to praying; Allah says: “O ye who believe! when ye prepare for prayer, wash your faces, and your hands (and arms) to the elbows; Rub your heads (with water); and (wash) your feet to the ankles.” (Al Maida, verse 6).
The cleanness of the Muslim is a permanent requirement in Islam. Many texts stipulate it such as the hadith that calls upon Muslims to make use of all the attributes of the fitrah like: trimming the moustache, plucking the hairs from the armpits, pubic shaving, clipping the nails and circumcision” (narrated by Abu Huraira).
A clean environment in Islam is also reflected in the cleanness and good presentation of the clothes worn by the Muslim. “wear your beautiful apparel at every time and place of prayer” (Al Araf, verse 31).
Islam also advocates the cleanness of the space where the Muslim lives. The Prophet, peace be upon him, says: “Allah is good and loves the good, generous and loves the generous, charitable and loves the charitable, pure and loves the pure, so, unlike the Jews, clean your yards” (narrated by Attirmidi).
Clean premises comprise in addition to houses, marketplaces, mosques, meeting places and all other premises where man lives. Islam in general advocates the cleanness of the earth and its protection from pollution, making the cleanness of a place an essential condition for the performance of prayers there.
2. Legal Action to Punish Assault on Environment
Legal and legislative intervention constitutes the second level of Islam’s endeavour to protect and preserve the environment. Islamic fiqh has endeavoured to translate the texts of the Holy Quran and the Sunnah into rules that deal with environment in a way conducive to its better development and to benefiting from it in the most suitable way. For example, among the rules of Islamic fiqh is the prohibition of water squandering even when performing ablutions for praying. This is a most eloquent example presented by Islam of the need to preserve water as one of the most vital elements of environment(20).
This is the first level at which Islamic Sharia deals with the issue of environment. It can be labelled as preventive action that consists of the Muslim’s checking of all attempts to overexploit or over-consume natural resources. This level represents an introduction leading to the next method we shall tackle, namely legislative and legal intervention to punish those who undermine the environment.
This legislative intervention then moves on to a higher level of protection and preservation of nature, which translates in the banning or removal of all causes of water pollution, even if these sources were mosques(21).
Gauging the extent of the damage resulting from smoke depends on the source of this smoke. Malekite jurists divide this damage into two categories: an existing damage and a newly created damage. The existing damage can be either:
1- damage resulting from undertakings that had settled in a region before other premises. Jurists concur on maintaining these sources of nuisance because they are in their right having been first to settle in the area and “being intruded upon”.
2- Damage resulting from activities that were initiated in a residential area long after the neighbourhood settled and before the inhabitants of the area complained.
Two rules apply in this case:
First: It is possible to halt all pollution activities if these cause great damage and prejudice. Types of smoke specified by jurists in this case include the smoke emanating from public baths and ovens.
Second: To maintain the polluting activities if the damages resulting are minimal and may be adapted to, such as the smoke emanating from household kitchens(22).
Islamic fiqh contains cases where Sharia rulings prevented environment pollution causes. The advice of Ibnu Al Qasim (died in 191 a.h.) was sought on the rights of the neighbours of an individual who intended to build a public bath, an oven and a mill on an open land. The judge ruled in their favour since this act would have caused them great prejudice, according to the Malekite doctrine which urges for sparing neighbours all forms of harm.
Ibnu Al Qasim’s judgement was also sought in the case of blacksmith who wished to build a furnace and an oven for smelting gold and silver, dig a well or latrines, or build a mill near the wall of a neighbour. The judge ruled that it was his neighbours’ right to prevent him from doing so because of the damage such constructions may cause them.(23)
Muslim jurists also considered noise as source of harm that should be prevented. They based the Sharia’s argument against noise on the legal rule “Let there be no harm or reciprocating harm”, and the rule “Preventing evils is better than achieving benefits”.
Jurists divide the harm resulting from noise into two categories: harm that should be fought, and harm that can be borne. Of the first category is the noise and vibrations resulting from the movement of gates, since they can impact on the safety of neighbouring buildings.
In his book “Al I‘lan Biahkami Al Bunian”, Ibnu Rami (died in 179 a.h.) relates that a group of people erected for their street a gate of which the doors opened onto the wall of a neighbour. The man complained to a judge that the constant opening and closing of the gate disturbed him and deprived him of rest. Ibnu Rami made his investigations only to discover that, indeed, the wall vibrated every time the door was opened or closed, and ordered that the gate be demolished and the door removed.
The second category of harm is the one resulting from sounds that are unpleasant but cause no harm. Jurists differ in their rulings on this category.(24)
The muhtassib (censor of customs) used to prevent environment pollutants such as dust, smoke or offensive odours.(25)
Islamic legislative intervention reaches its highest level, namely punishing any one who pollutes the environment or undermines it through acts that vary from the smoking of a cigarette to the emissions of smoke from factories and all other pollutants considered so because they are detrimental to man, and in observance of the principle: “Let there be no harm or reciprocating harm”.
Dr. Nasr Fareed Wasel, the former Mufti of the Egyptian Arab Republic ruled out that it was possible to impose censuring sanctions on smokers, stressing that smoking was haram (forbidden) and that cigarette packs should carry the mention “Smoking is Haram”(forbidden) instead of the usual phrase “Smoking is harmful to health”(26).
Based on this, it is even more appropriate to impose censuring sanctions on those who pollute the environment since it is detrimental to man’s health, and true to the principle of: “ Let there be no harm or reciprocating harm”.
Since polluting the environment causes undeniably disastrous harm to man, the legality of imposing censuring sanctions becomes thus confirmed.
The Quran has set out sanctions for those who kill game in the following verse:
“O ye who believe! Kill not game while in the sacred precincts or in pilgrim garb. If any of you doth so intentionally, the compensation is an offering, brought to the Ka'ba, of a domestic animal equivalent to the one he killed, as adjudged by two just men among you; or by way of atonement, the feeding of the indigent; or its equivalent in fasts: that he may taste of the penalty of his deed. God forgives what is past: for repetition God will exact from him the penalty. For God is Exalted, and Lord of Retribution.” (Al Maida, verse 95).
The majority of jurists hold that as far as the penalty is concerned there is no difference between one who deliberately kills a game and he who does so forgetfully. Al Zuhri said: The Qur'an imposed a penalty only on the intentional killer of the game, while the sunnah includes those who kill a game forgetfully." It is clear that he who kills game with intent has sinned while he who kills out of forgetfulness or mistake is not to be blamed.
The holy verse “the compensation is an offering” means, according to Ibn Haneefa that one who kills a game must compensate it by sacrificing something similar to or equivalent in price to be decided by two just men. It may be a domestic animal that is brought to the Ka'bah for sacrifice, or else one may feed the needy.(27)
Said Ibn Mansour reports on Ibn Abbas (May Allah be pleased with them) that he interprets Allah’s verse “the compensation is an offering” in the following way: ‘If the pilgrim hunts and kills game he shall be sentenced to its replacement. If he has the replacement he shall slaughter the animal and distribute its meat as charity. Should he not have the animal in possession, he should evaluate the value of the penalty and distribute it as food. Should he have no money to do so, he shall fast a day for every half measure. If the pilgrim kills game he shall be sentenced to pay its equivalent, for example if he kills an gazelle he shall sacrifice an ewe that shall be sacrificed in Mekkah. If he finds no ewe then he shall feed twenty poor people, if not the he shall fast twenty days’(28).
The era of the second Rightly-guided caliph, Omar Ibn Al Khattab witnessed the setting up of the first court of environment issues in the history of mankind. Abdul Malik bin Qurair reported from Mohammad bin Sirin that a man came to 'Umar bin Al-Khattab and said: "A friend of mine and I ran after a wild game while we were in pilgrim garb. We killed a deer. What is our atonement?" 'Umar told a man next to him: "Come, you and I must judge together." Then he gave his verdict and told the man to sacrifice a goat in compensation." The man left saying, "This is the prince of the Faithful, who cannot pass by himself a judgement concerning the killing of a deer!" 'Umar heard the man's remark, and he called him back and asked him: "Have you read the Al-Ma'idah Surah (of the Qur'an)?" The man said: "No." 'Umar asked further: "Do you know this man who participated in the judgement with me?" The man said, "No." 'Umar said: 'Had you told me that you have read the Al-Ma'idah surah, I would have made you ache from beating." Then he added: "Allah, the Exalted One, says in His Book: 'If any of you doeth so intentionally, the compensation is an offering, brought to the Ka'bah, of a domestic animal equivalent to the one he killed, as adjudged by two just men among you.' And this man (who judged with me) is Abdur-Rahman Ibn 'Awf'”(29).
This story is highly significant in that it shows Islam’s precedence in establishing a court to rule on matters related to environment, made up of Omar Ibn Al Khattab and Abdur-Rahman Ibn ‘Awf, may Allah be pleased with them.
3- Creation of Natural Reserves
The third mechanisms adopted in Islam to preserve environment and protect it from any assault is to declare certain regions natural reserves to serve as a model for the world to follow in protecting wild life.
Islam forbade the harming of wild life in Makkah Al Mukkarama when Allah said: “Lawful to you is the pursuit of water-game and its use for food,- for the benefit of yourselves and those who travel; but forbidden is the pursuit of land-game;- as long as ye are in the sacred precincts or in pilgrim garb” (Al Maida, verse 96).
For the first time in the history of mankind, Islam declared as natural reserves the precincts of Mekkah and Medina.
The Holy Quran clearly laid down the appropriate rules and laws for the protection of wild life in Mekkah Al Mukarramah in the verse: “O ye who believe! Kill not game while in the sacred precincts or in pilgrim garb. If any of you doth so intentionally, the compensation is an offering, brought to the Ka'ba, of a domestic animal equivalent to the one he killed, as adjudged by two just men among you; or by way of atonement, the feeding of the indigent; or its equivalent in fasts: that he may taste of the penalty of his deed. God forgives what is past: for repetition God will exact from him the penalty. For God is Exalted, and Lord of Retribution” (Al Maida, verse 95).
One of the hadiths that further clarify this is the one narrated by Al Bukhari on the authority of Ibn Abbas that the Prophet, peace be upon him, said on the day he conquered Mekkah: “Verily, this is a Sacred City, its thorns and its plants must not be cut, its wild game must not be frightened, and none is allowed to pick up lost articles unless one knows its owner (in order to return it to him)."' 'Abbas added, "Except (for the plant) Izhkher" (a sweet smelling plant) which is used by blacksmiths and burned in households." The Prophet (peace be upon him) excluded this plant, saying, "Except izhkher." (Bukhari)
It is well known that whether in ihram or not, a person is not allowed to hunt or frighten game or cut a tree in the holy precinct.
Each of these two natural reserves (Mekkah and Medina) have well delineated borders. The Meccan reserve has markers that delineate its limits from five directions. These markers are erected stones that stand on both sides of the road. On the northern front, the reserve is limited at “Attaniem”, six kilometres away from Mekkah, on the south by ‘Adhah”, located twelve kilometres from Mekkah, on the east it stops at “Al-Jaarana”, located sixteen kilometres from Mekkah, from the north-east by “Wadi Annakhla”, fourteen kilometres from Mekkah, and from the west by “Achamees” or “Al Hudaibiyya”, located fifteen kilometres away from Mekkah.
The borders of the Medinan reserve are set in the Prophet’s hadith which says: “The Medina is sacred territory between Eer and Thur”. Eer is a mountain close to al Miqat and Thur is another mountain near Uhud. Another hadith further specifies these limits saying: “The Prophet (peace be upon him) made the Medina consecrated land between the two labats of the Medina, and declared twelve miles around the Medina as a protected precinct” (narrated by Abu Huraira). The labat is a black rock, and the Medina is located between the eastern and western rocks, and the protected area was set at the twelve miles stretching between the mountains of Eer and Thur.(30)
Thus Islam took the first decision ever to create reserves, as if it wished these to serve as models for other natural reserves that aim at protecting wild life and ensuring the survival of its living creatures.
Conclusion
The present study reached a number of conclusions. These are :
- Environment is still suffering from man’s aggression through the pollution of water, air and soil, in addition to noise.
- These assaults on nature entail serious health risks for man, including exposure to many grave diseases such as cancer, asthma and deafness.
- The pollution and undermining of the environment expose 80% of the fauna and flora in temperate areas to the threat of extinction, in addition to the progress of desertification which advances at a rate of 15 million acres a year.
- Man is directly accountable for the pollution of the environment.
- International conventions and local legislation have so far failed to rein the pollution of environment or the excessive exploitation of natural resources.
- In its main sources (the Quran and the Sunnah), Islam has warned against the pollution and damage man will inflict upon the environment.
- Islam draws the attention to the reality of the environmental balance and urges people to preserve this balance.
The Glorious Quran and the Sunnah contain a number of conditions and instructions that govern man’s behaviour vis-à-vis the environment. These flow in three main directions:
- The first one enjoins man to observe moderation.
- The second one admonishes against waste and squandering
- The third one proscribes the plundering of the earth
- Islam presents a comprehensive approach to dealing with environment issues. This method relies on three mechanisms to preserve environment and protect it from pollution. These are :
a) Linking the protection of environment to the essence of the Islamic faith
b) Legal and legislative intervention to punish those who undermine the environment. The rule of the second caliph, Oman Ibn Al Khattab, was marked by the creation of the first court for environmental affairs in the history of humanity
c) The creation of natural reserves to protect the elements of environment that thrive in them, and to serve as a model of how to protect the environment.
(*) Lecturer at the Department of Mass Media - University of the United Arab Emirates.
(1) Zaine Eddine Abdulmaqsud, Environment and Man, An Islamic Perception, Kuwait, Dar Al Buhuth Al Ilmiya, p. 26.
(2) Ibid., pp. 27-28.
(3) Ibid., pp. 29-31.
(4) American Lung Association: Health Effects of Air Pollution, New York, 1989, p. 23.
(5) Sinchiachi: Protecting Life on Earth, translated by Anwar Abdelwahed, Cairo, International Press House, p. 10.
(6) US Environment Agency: The Toxins - Release Jmuentoty: A National Perspective, Washington D.C. Environ Printing Office, 1989, p. 18.
(7) Ibid., p. 22.
(8) “Al-Hayat” newspaper, London, 1/9/1995.
(9) Abdulhakeem Abdulateef Asseidi: Environment in Human Thought and Religious Reality, Cairo, Lebanese-Egyptian Press House, p. 103.
(10) Ibid., p. 104.
(11) Muhammad Abdulqader Alfuqqi : Environment : its Problems and its Protection from Pollution, Cairo, Dar Ibn Sina, pp. 20-21.
(12) Zaine Eddine Abdulmaqsud: Environment and Man: An Islamic Perception, Kuwait, Dar Al Buhuth Al Ilimiyya, p. 13.
(13) Ibid., p. 14.
(14) Ibid., p. 15.
(15) Ibid., p. 16.
(16) Ibid., p. 15.
(17) Ali Jumaa in a press report on: “How Islam Deals with Environmental Pollution”, Zahrat Al Khaleej Magazine, Abu Dhabii, issue of 26/8/1995.
(18) Muhammad Sayyed Tantaoui “Religions call for the Preservation of Environment and its Protection from Pollution”.
(19) Muhammed Abdulqader Alfuqqi : Environment : its Problems and its Protection from Pollution, Cairo, Dar Ibn Sina, p. 212.
(20) Muhammad Chahhat Al Gindi, a press report on “How Islam Addresses the Issue of Environment Pollution”, op. cit.
(21) Muhammad Sayyed Tantaoui: “Religions call for The Preservation of Environment and its Preservation from Pollution”, op. cit.
(22) Muhammad Abdulqader Alfuqqi, op. cit., p.48.
(23) Ibid., pp. 48-49.
(24) Ibid., pp. 85-86.
(25) Khaled Azab: Planning and Architecture of Islamic Cities, Doha, Ministry of Waqfs and Islamic Affairs, The Kitab Al Ummah Series, issue No : 58, 1997, p. 106.
(26) “Al Jumhuriyya” newspaper, Cairo, 25/3/1988.
(27) Ali Assukkari: Environment in the Islamic Perception, Alexandria, Munchaat Al Maarif, 1995, p. 23.
(28) Ibid., p. 31.
(29) Ibid., p. 32.
(30) Ali Assukkari, op. cit.
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