Religion as a Protector of Environment
By
Mushtaq Ul Haq Ahmad Sikander, New Age Islam
27
August 2021
Religious
Teachings Act As Saviour of Environment
Main
Points:
1. The
relationship between Islam and nature has been an under researched topic and
Green Mosques can help reduce water consumption and emission of Green House
gases.
2. The Green
Muslims can certainly play an active role in the water conservation by adopting
Wudu (ablution) method that consumes less water, which can later be recycled or
used in irrigating the plants.
-----
Green
Deen: What Islam Teaches About Protecting The Planet
By
Ibrahim Abdul Matin
England,
Kube Publishing,
Pp
232. ISBN: 9781847740403
-----
The concept
of nature as sacred has been prevalent in various Asian religions like
Hinduism, Buddhism. This sacredness and element of divinity has bestowed
nature, its resources and manifestations with transcendental temptation for
humans or believers of their creed. It resulted in animism, worship of nature and
its manifestations. Is there something divine about nature in monotheistic,
Semitic and Abrahamic faiths too, particularly Islam? What is the worldview of
Islam about nature, its resources and their optimum use? The present book under
review written by environmental activist and Green Muslim Ibrahim Abdul Matin
tries to answer these queries. The relationship between Islam and nature has
been an under researched topic and this book fills the void. Further the book
tries to address the fact that how faiths like Islam can help in protecting the
planet, reducing pollution and conserving natural resources.
In his
Foreword to the book, U.S Congressman, Keith Ellison writes, “Green Deen brings
faith communities into the environmental movement by changing the conversation
from the facts of global warming to the fact that we all live and work here
together and have a collective responsibility to keep this place clean and safe
for everyone”. (P-xiii)
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Also
Read: Environment And
Human Life Are Inter-Dependent in all World Religions
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While
praising the efforts of author and emphasizing the engagement of people in
environmental conservation, he further writes, “Ibrahim is a man of faith, as
many Americans are. In Green Deen, he talks to the same people Muslims,
Christians, Jews, Hindus, Buddhists, environmentalists and many others who all
see the value in the simple ideas that drove us to create a coalition in my
home state Minnesota. We learned that environmental advocacy is not only the
prerogative of the experts, politicians and the industry executives. Ordinary
citizens can impact environmental policy, and Ibrahim reminds people of faith
that their impact is important and very much needed. We the people can and must
shape environmental policy. We can make the connections”. (P-xiv).
In his
Preface, author Ibrahim Abdul Matin writes about the six principles that
according to him determine Green Deen and their application that will help in
practicing Green Deen in our lives. “I look at six principles as they apply to
our relationship to the environment: understanding the Oneness of God and His
creation (Tawhid), seeing signs of God (Ayat) everywhere, being a steward
(Khalifah) of the Earth, honouring the trust we have with God (Amanah)
to be protectors of the planet, moving toward justice (adl), and living in
balance with nature (Mizan). These principles are the rubric upon which
I am determining what constitutes a Green Deen-that is, living and practicing
Islam while also honoring the environmental ethos of Islam” (P-xix). Those
Muslims who practice these principles are known as Green Muslims.
The book is
divided into four parts and focused on Muslim Americans because Ibrahim is a
Muslim American, thus he quotes American examples but they have universal
appeal and application despite local context. Green Deen begins with self
reflection, evolves to expressing relationship between faith and environment.
These small facts of faith like eating a balanced diet, keeping the
surroundings clean, living with austerity have been analyzed in such a lucid
manner that their viability becomes self evident. The problems of
overconsumption, how it results in pollution and climate change have been
explained vividly.
Ibrahim explains
the conservation movement, Green Muslims and their contribution to the
environmental movement. Ibrahim then talks about Green Mosques, and how they
can help reduce water consumption and emission of Green House gases. He has
developed a unique terminology wherein he talks about renewable sources of
energy as Energy from Heaven and Non-renewable sources of energy like Oil and
Coal as energies from Hell. Ibrahim emphasis about consuming less plastic,
Styrofoam and energies from Hell. He is critical about oil spills and
mountaintop coal mining. He further talks about the initiatives towards
protecting environment, reducing toxic pollution of water, lakes, rivers, seas
and groundwater.
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The Green
Muslims can certainly play an active role in the water conservation by adopting
Wudu (ablution) method that consumes less water, which can later be recycled or
used in irrigating the plants. The kitchen and backyard gardens can certainly
be used for growing food that will decrease the dependence on organic,
genetically modified or hormone raised foods. Ibrahim further suggests that
through this environmental advocacy and activism interfaith dialogue has become
much easier, simpler and possible.
Overall the
book is a welcome addition to the field in which there is a dearth of literature
that seeks to emphasize the pragmatic utility of religion in preserving the
planet. Some of the inferences and examples will take time to be universally
applicable in all Muslim communities like Green Mosques but these examples do
depict that a cleaner, greener and less polluted world is still possible.
Ibrahim’s efforts need to be appreciated and lauded as he has depicted that
Islam is not a mere superstitious belief system but if practiced in its letter
and spirit it certainly can help in protecting our planet. The utility of the
book makes it eligible to be translated in major languages of the world.
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M.H.A.
Sikander is Writer-Activist based in Srinagar, Kashmir.
URL: https://www.newageislam.com/books-documents/religion-environment-protector/d/125285