Islamic environmentalism

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Islamic environmentalism is a strand of environmental philosophy as well as an Islamic movement that employs environmental principles derived from Islamic scriptures and traditions to the environment and the modern-day environmental crisis. Muslim environmentalists believe in God's absolute sovereignty over nature and emphasize humanity's role as God's vicegerent, making it their duty to protect and preserve the environment. Islamic environmentalism encompasses Islamic ecological philosophy, Sharia-based environmental law, and Islamic environmental activism.^[1]

History

Islamic environmentalism began with the Iranian philosopher Seyyed Hossein Nasr and has evolved since the 1960s. A series of lectures delivered at the University of Chicago in 1966 by Nasr serves as an original point of reference.^[2] He was, in fact, among the early thinkers "to draw attention to the spiritual dimensions of the environmental crisis".^[3] Nasr draws on Sufism and the concept of the unity of being to emphasize the connections between environmental degradation and the modern world's spiritual and moral crises. The field of Islamic environmentalism developed further in the 1980s with the contributions made by contemporary thinkers such as Mawil Izzi Dien and Fazlun Khalid.^[2]

People

The Iranian-born philosopher Seyyed Hossein Nasr is considered the founding father of Islamic environmentalism.^[1][4] Other notable figures in this field include: Fazlun Khalid, Mawil Izzi Dien, Othman Llewellyn, Ibrahim Ozdemir, Syed Nomanul Haq and Mustafa Abu Sway.^[5][6]

Ideas

No human sovereignty

The concept of human sovereignty over nature and natural resources, referred to as "dominion" in religious contexts, lies at the center of religious and secular environmental debates.^[7] The Quran, unlike the Hebrew Bible and secular philosophy, does not recognize human sovereignty over nature, which has a significant impact on Islamic environmental debate.^[8] The Quran declares in seventeen different places that mulk or dominion exclusively belongs to God (Allah). Mulk is derived from the root M L K and means "ownership" or "possession." It appears forty-eight times in the Quran, and it refers to both the earthly kingdom or kingship, such as the kingdom of Solomon in 2:102, and to "the heavens and the earth", implying the whole of creation. It is always God who possesses mulk in every passage when "the heavens and the earth" as a whole is mentioned, rather than a specific earthly kingdom.^[8]

Mankind as Khalifah

The Quran defined mankind as a Khālifah, or a representative or successor on the earth, rather than having dominion over or possession of it.^[8] The idea of khalifah (stewardship) is arguably the most important concept in Islamic environmentalism.^[9] Proponents of eco-Islamic beliefs emphasize man's duty as God's vicegerent or steward (khalifah) on the earth. As such, he is responsible for acting in line with God's will and caring for the earth in the way He demands.^[10] It is vital to recognize that stewardship does not imply supremacy over other living beings. Humans must learn to live in harmony with nature rather than working against it in order to practice stewardship. Some Muslim scholars even consider this stewardship a divine test.^[9] Natural world, as God's creation, is a sign through which humanity can perceive God.^[11]

Oneness of God

The idea of oneness of God (tawhid) is another important principle that is frequently pursued in Islamic ecology. Within the context of Islamic environmentalism, the notion of tawhid has different levels of meaning. To begin with, it denotes monotheistic oneness of God, in contrast to the polytheistic doctrines and beliefs, and unity of God, in contrast to the Christian idea of the Trinity. It is an expression of God's transcendent unity with all of His creation. This unity with creation expresses the reality that everything in the world is a part of God's creation and is interconnected, making the entire world meaningful, valuable, and deserving of preservation.^[1]

Notion of mizan

The notion of mizan, which means "balance", is fundamental to an Islamic environmental perspective. This idea is employed to describe the complex eco-systems and physical laws of the cosmos.^[12] The most common verse used by Muslim scholars when discussing mizan is 15:19, which says, "As for the earth, We have spread it out, set firm mountains on it, and made everything grow there in due balance". In other words humans must "make the best use of reason and to maintain the balance and proportion God has built into his creation". In Arabic, the word mizan connotes both physical balance, and justice.^[12]

Other ideas

To address contemporary issues such as pollution, Muslim authors employ the Islamic juristic practice of Qiyas (reasoning by analogy). They understand ahadith regulating cleanliness, prohibitions against odour, and hygiene as prohibitions against contamination of land, water, and air.^[13]

Islamic environmental literature cites sayings of the Prophet emphasising the importance of conserving water during ablution and not being wasteful as instances of Islam's attitude on wasteful resource consumption.^[13]

See also

• Biocentrism (ethics)
• Deep ecology
• Environmental ethics
• Islamic Foundation for Ecology and Environmental Science
• Land ethic
• Resacralization of nature

References

Sources

• Foltz, Richard (2006). "Seyyed Hossein Nasr". in Taylor, Bron. The Encyclopedia of Religion and Nature. Continuum. ISBN 9780199754670. https://www.oxfordreference.com/view/10.1093/acref/9780199754670.001.0001/acref-9780199754670-e-608?rskey=42XobL&result=608. 
• Foltz, Richard (2013). "Ecology in Islam". in Runehov, Anne L. C.; Oviedo, Lluis. Encyclopedia of Sciences and Religions. Springer. ISBN 978-1402082641. 
• Hancock, R. (2017). Islamic Environmentalism: Activism in the United States and Great Britain. Routledge Advances in Sociology. Taylor & Francis. ISBN 978-1-134-86550-5. https://books.google.com/books?id=7sAtDwAAQBAJ. Retrieved 2021-10-03. 
• Hancock, Rosemary (2019), "Ecology in Islam", Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Religion, Oxford University Press, doi:10.1093/acrefore/9780199340378.013.510, ISBN 978-0-19-934037-8 
• Johnston, David L. (2012). "Intra-Muslim Debates on Ecology: Is Shari'a Still Relevant?". Worldviews 16 (3): 218–238. doi:10.1163/15685357-01603003. https://www.jstor.org/stable/43809777. 
• Koehrsen, Jens (2021). "Muslims and climate change: How Islam, Muslim organizations, and religious leaders influence climate change perceptions and mitigation activities". WIREs Climate Change (Wiley) 12 (3). doi:10.1002/wcc.702. ISSN 1757-7780. http://resolver.sub.uni-goettingen.de/purl?gldocs-11858/8602. 
• Ouis, Soumaya Pernilla (1998). "Islamic Ecotheology based on the Qur'an". Islamic Studies (Islamic Research Institute, International Islamic University, Islamabad) 37 (2): 151–181. ISSN 0578-8072. http://www.jstor.org/stable/20836989. Retrieved 2021-10-02. 
• Quadir, Tarik M. (2013). Traditional Islamic Environmentalism: The Vision of Seyyed Hossein Nasr. Lanham, MD: University Press of America. ISBN 978-0-7618-6143-0. 

Further reading

• Islam and Ecology: A Bestowed Trust. Center for the Study of World Religions, Harvard University. 2003. ISBN 9780945454397. https://books.google.com/books?id=bVTYAAAAMAAJ. 
• Ibrahim Abdul-Matin (2010). Green Deen: What Islam Teaches about Protecting the Planet. Berrett-Koehler Publishers. ISBN 9781605094649. https://books.google.com/books?id=U_c17d3bv_wC. 
• Odeh Rashed Al-Jayyousi (2012). Islam and Sustainable Development: New Worldviews. Gower Publishing. ISBN 9781409456490. https://books.google.com/books?id=fkwfDAAAQBAJ. 
• Anna M. Gade (2019). Muslim Environmentalisms: Religious and Social Foundations. Columbia University Press. ISBN 9780231549219. https://books.google.com/books?id=BWlvvgEACAAJ. 
• Fazlun Khalid (2019). Signs on the Earth: Islam, Modernity and the Climate Crisis. Kube Publishing Limited. ISBN 9781847740779. https://books.google.com/books?id=rk6MDwAAQBAJ. 
• H. Aburounia; M. Sexton (2006). Islam and Sustainable Development. Research Institute for the Built and Human Environment, University of Salford. https://www.irbnet.de/daten/iconda/CIB9051.pdf. 

External links

• Environmental Ethics and Islam — Research Center for Islamic Legislation and Ethics
• How Islam can represent a model for environmental stewardship — UN Environment Programme
• The environment in Islamic civilization: The concept of human Khilafah on Earth by Dr. Ali Gomaa — Al-Masry Al-Youm (in Arabic)

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