Climate Change: In The Light Of Quran and Hadith
By Mushtaq Ul Haq Ahmad Sikander, New
Age Islam
8 June 2023
Mausami Tabdeeli: Quran Aur Hadith Ki Roshni Mey
(Climate Change: In the light of Quran and Hadith)
Author: Maulana Anees Ur Rahman Nadwi
Publisher: K.A Nizami Centre for Quranic Studies,
Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh
Pages: 120, Price: Not mentioned
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Climate change became a reality since last
four decades. The depletion of natural resources and the threat of earth
becoming inhospitable due to the thinning of ozone layer, rise in carbon
dioxide, monoxide gases increasing the temperature of earth, resulting in rise
in sea water level, as well as burning of fossil fuels all have contributed
together for this process. This grave process threatens the living organisms
inhabiting the earth.
A concern was raised by the anti-climate change activists, world bodies and governments to educate the masses about the adverse impact of climate change. A lot of policies were framed, few executed and rarely implemented to put curbs on the negative climate change.
The human intervention against nature, its
norms, phenomena and processes has resulted in severe imbalances. The nature
has its own process of rectifying these encroachments and attacks. Floods,
Droughts, severe weather conditions can be constituted as the revenge of nature
against human violations of nature. Covid-19 too can be described as the
vendetta of nature against humans that brought the whole world to a standstill,
thus helping the nature to heal itself by reducing the pollution levels and
strengthening the ozone layer.
Do religious scriptures engage with climate
change? This is quite an intriguing question. Islam as a religion and
particularly its theology and narrative has been created in such a manner, that
it seems to answer and be a solution to every problem baffling mankind and
humanity at large. This narrative is based on mediocrity and superficiality
because Islam and its revealed book, Holy Quran does not have solutions to
every problem, no revealed or written book has the audacity to make such a loud
claim. Islam as well as Quran, offers some values, chalks out certain
guidelines and provides few directions, that can act as signposts for drafting
and forming a certain policy and finding a solution. '
It is for this reason that Ijtihad, has
been emphasized by Islam. The one who makes Ijtihad, is called Mujtahid. As
he/she is striving for providing a solution to a burning problem in accordance
with Quran and Sunnah. Even if his/her Ijtihad fails to provide a solution or
goes against the real teachings of Islam, still he/she is given the glad
tidings of reward, because at least he/she tried to benefit the humanity.
As climate change became a reality and
burning topic, Muslim scholars could not turn a blind eye without engaging with
this issue. So, we have Maulana Anees Ur Rahman Nadwi, coming out with this
book that deals with the issue of climate change in the light of Quran and
Hadith (Prophetic sayings). Maulana is involved with researching about this
topic and like scientists and anti-negative climate change activists, he also
believes that adverse climate change if not dealt pragmatically in time, then
certainly things can go in adverse directions and the life on earth will be
threatened.
There are changes due to greenhouses gases,
and even one, two or three degrees increase in earth’s temperature can create
havoc. Further, Ozone layer depletion and acidic rains can damage crops,
buildings and humans. So, these types of real problems and issues about the
havoc that climate change can bring in its wake, is least deliberated, engaged,
spoken or written about because they can unruffle a lot of elites. Even when
the climate activists put forth different reports about the adverse climate
change impact, they are rendered unauthentic or irrelevant by the vested
interests, groups and government. The media too downplays these threats,
because they have the power to give birth to rebellions and topple the regimes.
So, people are kept busy and engaged with other types of issues that certainly
make them forget about real burning problems. Hence, the Consent is
manufactured in this manner.
Maulana quotes a lot of prophecies about
climate change from Quran and Hadith. It
includes the verses of Surah Rum, that according to Maulana predict the climate
change, “Corruption has spread on land and sea as a result of what people’s
hands have done, so that Allah may cause them to taste ‘the consequences of’
some of their deeds and perhaps they might return ‘to the Right path.’ Say O
Prophet ‘travel throughout the land and see what was the end of those destroyed
before you-most of them were polytheists.” (30: 41-42) But does it really
predict climate change or we are exaggerating and reading too much in these
verses? Are they really meaning the same or it is just trying to fit those
meanings on these verses that are not there? But certainly, negative climate
change is corruption on the earth and sea, that has been created by humans.
Maulana, then like any other writer who
deliberates about the climate change issue, informs the reader about how
industrialization and human activity is responsible for the climate change. Forest
fires and how they create global warming, the need to preserve Amazon rain
forests, trees absorbing excess Co2 and they can also reverse the process.
Melting of ice caps, increase in sea level that will flood and gobble up the
habitable coastal lands, leading to the destruction of settlements and
displacement of humans.
The book has an additional feature of
having pictures printed on high quality photo paper that helps the reader
understand the variegated impact of climate change. It is a good read for the
Urdu knowing population, otherwise in English language we already have scholars
coming up with the works and projects like Green Deen, that emphasize on
reducing the carbon footprints, by rendering the masjids Green. It has been
implemented in few places particularly by Muslims in the West. Overall, Maulana
has done justice with this topic, while analyzing most of the contours of this
challenge that is threatening humanity.
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M.H.A. Sikander is Writer-Activist based in Srinagar, Kashmir
URL:
https://newageislam.com/books-documents/climate-quran-hadith/d/129947
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