Islamic Environmental Stewardship: Nature and Science in the Light of Islamic Philosophy

The Proper Practice

Taking into consideration that the proper mindset needed in effectively solving the environmental crisis involves a turn to God, the religious establishments of today must be at the forefront of the solution. Followers of all sacred traditions must turn to their respective religions to answer the call to environmental stewardship.

This call is a universal one and is embedded in the origins of all the sacred traditions of today. In doing so, people of faith can address the environmental crisis in manners catered by and customized towards their own respective religions.

Doing so shall benefit not only the environmental cause, but the followers of the religion itself as well. Through this they would involve themselves in an important part of their faith that has probably been overlooked or underrated in the public sphere for far too long. This is especially so for the Abrahamic religions of today whose mention in the public sphere lacks any substantial connotation to the natural world or environmental stewardship, when in reality the essence of their respective tenets involves much of it.

In the Muslim world, diverse groups are coming out and taking initiative.

Examples, ranging from grassroots groups to private entrepreneurships to Islamic schools, include theDC Green Muslims of Washington , DC, the Islamic Foundation for Ecology and Environmental Sciences of the UK, the Wisdom in Nature group also of the UK, the Naqa’a Environmental Enterprise group of Saudi Arabia, the Ilmu Giri Pesantren Islamic environmental boarding school of Indonesia, and more.

An example of a collective Muslim response to the environmental issues of today is the Muslim Seven Year Action Plan on Climate Change; it is endorsed by Muslim leaders, scholars and civil society members from around the world, including prominent religious figures such as the Grand Mufti of Egypt and the Mufti of Palestine.51 The plan encompasses a number of goals intended to ameliorate Muslims’ impact on the environment, including the development of a “green” Hajj, in which the annual pilgrimage would be made an eco-friendly one. Moreover, different Islamic projects around the world are adding environmental features to their agendas. The planned**“Park51”** Islamic community center in downtown Manhattan, New York, for example, is slated to meetLEED green building standards.52

Also fundamental to an effective solution are responses from writers in both academia and the general public. Religious thinkers can help provide the impetus behind hands-on environmental stewardship by informing and educating people on the environmental aspects of their respective religions. In the Muslim world, writers such as Seyyed Hossein Nasr, writing since the 1960’s, have set foundations for others to explore and continuously develop a proper Muslim response to the environmental crisis. Writers of the past decade such as Mawil Izzi Dien and Ibrahim Abdul-Matin, author of Green Deen: What Islam Teaches About Protecting the Planet,53 have come to the fore to shed further light on the Islamic outlook and approach to nature.

Moreover, activists within the Muslim response to the environmental crisis are voicing themselves in new and more accessible ways. Their message is atavistic in meaning, yet innovative in delivery. The Internet has served as a platform in which Muslims from around the world have come to voice their opinions, especially within the blogosphere. A prime example of this is “A World of Green Muslims,” a blog that posts “Green Messages from across the Muslim blogosphere.”54

There are also blog-like news outlets such as the “Green Prophet,” which, though focused on Middle-Eastern environmental issues and not on the subject of Islam and the environment, reports on Muslim environmental activities.55 The wave of online Muslim responses to the environmental crisis is increasing, as apparent with the emergence of new hands-on groups and online entities such as the “Minnesota Ecological and Environmental Muslims (MEEM )” of Minneapolis, Minnesota.56

Muslims are responding to the environmental crisis, but much more has to be done, especially in addressing the paradoxes within this aspect of the Muslim world. Muslim countries like Iran have great reverence for Islamic gardens, but simultaneously exude critically high levels of air pollution in their capital cities. This paradoxical sight represents much of the Muslim world, and the only way to truly solve it is in a return to the essence of Islam. The Muslim world must revise its values-including its environmental values-and the consequences of its actions in the light of Qur’anic and prophetic teachings. From such sources, Muslims can derive that they must walk on the earth with gentleness and compassion, avoid abundance and waste in resources, affirm sacredness to nature, and work with people of all backgrounds in addressing the environmental issues of today.

Past the work of hands-on groups and academic writers, there is the need for a sacred science. The loss of the metaphysical sciences, and hence the studies of higher meanings of natural phenomena as well, has contributed greatly to the vulgarized view of nature today, which in turn has contributed to its ill treatment.

Since modern science sees nothing more than the physical in nature, it cannot but treat it as a physical resource alone. Thus, an affirmation of the sacredness in nature from the scientific community is needed. Given the current state of modern science, this goal might seem overly ambitious; however, it remains the reality of the situation.

If modern science is unyielding in its determination to study and collect information on only the physical, then it must at least let go of its claim as the only science and allow others to interpret such studies and information on a higher level. A revitalization of traditional and sacred sciences such as metaphysical cosmology and alchemy can help to give back nature its sacredness in the eyes of humanity. It is up to those with an understanding of natural theology or the sacred sciences to revitalize their fields in the public sphere. This can help break the cycle of modern humanity’s continuous mistreatment of the environment.

Even though modern science has inflicted much harm on nature, it has recently developed ways of amelioration. This is especially found in today’s conservational efforts and environmental engineering initiatives. These

efforts should not be ignored, but rather supported. They represent means to a potential peace and their development must be encouraged and promoted. It is an integral part to reducing the human negative impact on the environment.

With an understanding of the religious, activist, academic and scientific approaches to the environmental crisis, it is important that the methodologies associated with them are not undertaken in an individualistic manner. Instead, they must be addressed holistically. The only methodology sustainable for both short and long-term results in addressing the environmental crisis is a holistic and interdisciplinary one that integrates each of these approaches and whatever else that may contribute.

In brief, in order to better understand the natural environment and know it for more than just its physical properties, modern humanity must turn to nature’s sacred qualities. However, before the environmental crisis around us can be solved, we must solve the spiritual crisis inside ourselves, and in order to do so we must search both outwardly and inwardly for the Signs of God. In seeing the presence of God all around us, we recognize the sacredness of our surroundings. Thus, for  ultimate peace, we must reconcile with nature, our selves, all forms of phenomena and most importantly God.