The environmental file occupies a significant space on the global agenda of urgent issues, pushing itself day by day to the center of international and local concerns. This is due to the accelerating deterioration of environmental conditions and the blatant corruption caused by humans. The simplest sources of human life on Earth, such as rivers, seas, and animal and plant resources, are in imminent danger either due to pollution or depletion.
The unfortunate outcomes primarily in the environmental file have occurred due to human actions themselves. Since the onset of the Industrial Revolution in the eighteenth century, policies have been dominated by a frantic desire to achieve material profit, often overlooking any costs paid in the process. Factories operated at full capacity to achieve production surpluses, and advertising campaigns urged everyone to consume, as rising consumption rates were the only guarantee for increasing production and, subsequently, higher profit margins.
The results of the industrial revolution gradually became evident, particularly in the environmental file, affecting all living creatures on the planet. Today, we find a world suffering from global warming, the evaporation of rivers, and forest fires. Pollution rates have increased in all its forms, leading to the extinction of a large number of living beings. Massive areas of forests have disappeared due to deforestation and the use of wood in manufacturing. Diseases and epidemics have spread due to pollution, and hundreds of gas, oil, and mineral wells have been depleted as a result of their unsustainable extraction from the earth, disregarding the legacy for future generations.
The major industrialized countries – either out of neglect or unwillingness – did not pay attention to the gradual deterioration they had caused to their surrounding environment until very late. After three full centuries of the industrial revolution, the United Nations, specifically in 1972, began to take an interest in the environment for the first time, using the word "environment" for the first time in the title of a conference held in Sweden. The United Nations Environment Program was launched, prompting the world to begin its first attempts to address the crimes and sins committed against the ecosystem due to industrial capitalist civilization. The term "sustainable development" began to be used, which mandates that countries consider environmental factors when planning for economic development.
Islam... and the Concept of Environmental Kindness
Islam presented a comprehensive vision for development that does not overlook any of its factors, with the surrounding environment at its core. Just as Islamic law has instilled the virtue of kindness in the hearts of Muslims as a way of interacting with one another, kindness towards the environment is an essential pillar of the noble Islamic virtue of kindness. The Holy Quran and the prophetic tradition address Muslims with messages that constantly encourage the proper use of the environment and gentleness in its consumption.
Islamic kindness towards the environment is not driven solely by utilitarian and pragmatic motives; rather, Islam encourages love for that environment, which is a divine gift and a miraculous creation crafted by God for humanity. It is not merely a collection of resources and raw materials available for production and use, but rather divine signs that a Muslim reflects upon to strengthen their faith and love for the Creator who has fashioned this universe. Therefore, this universe, with all its animals, trees, and stones, is a "trust" that a Muslim carries on their shoulders to be passed on to future generations, generation after generation.
Corruption on earth.
This love for God's creatures and His creations in the universe was the foundation upon which the Sharia relied in its discourse to Muslims. As a result, the Quranic warning against corruption on earth is clear, criminalizing that act. (When he leaves, he sets out to spread corruption in the land, destroying crops and live-stock- God does not like corruption.)( Al-Baqarah:205) The destruction of crops, which refers to the place of planting, and the destruction of offspring, which refers to the increase of animals, are among the evils and corruptions that God has forbidden the believers from, considering them major sins that are hated by God Almighty.
The Islamic discourse has dedicated an important section to kindness towards animals, such as taking good care of them and treating them gently. It warns about a woman who was punished in hell for imprisoning a cat, and it mentions a man who gave water to a thirsty dog, leading him to paradise. In a hadith from the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), he says: “Indeed, the worst shepherds are those who are harsh” (narrated by Muslim), referring to a shepherd who burdens his flock of sheep and does not treat them gently and kindly. The Prophet (peace be upon him) also cursed those who use living beings as targets to throw at, which means he prohibited the entertainment of using animals for amusement and torturing them. In Islam, animals hold an important status because, according to the Quranic discourse:( are communities like yourselves)( Al-An'am:38) And they are servants of the Most Merciful like humans (though you do not understand their praise) (Al-Isra:44) Thus, the Muslim individual is obligated and tasked with taking good care of them and treating them kindly.
It was clearly evident in the rule of the caliphs after the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) that special attention was given to the environment. In the advice of Abu Bakr Al-Siddiq to his soldiers before the conquest of the Levant, he warned them: "Do not cut down a palm tree, nor cut down a tree, nor slaughter a sheep, cow, or camel except for food." In the famous saying of Umar ibn Al-Khattab: "If a mule stumbled in Iraq, Allah would ask me about it." And it is reported that Umar ibn Abdul Aziz, when the funds from zakat overflowed after being spent in various avenues, ordered the purchase of grains and scattering them on the tops of the mountains so that it would not be said: "A bird has gone hungry in the land of the Muslims.
Rationalization, asceticism, and sustainable development
Islamic compassion for the environment is evident in what the law has commanded regarding asceticism and rational consumption. Islam encourages avoiding extravagance in consumption in general, whether in food, drink, or clothing. The Sharia encourages refraining from desires and pleasures and emphasizes moderation with "a few bites that sustain one's body." And Muslims are commanded to:( Eat and drink, but do not waste. Surely, He does not like the wasteful.) (Al-A'raf:31)
In the story "Hayy ibn Yaqdhan," Ibn Tufail presents a highly progressive vision regarding environmental stewardship and sustainable development. The story's hero, "Hayy," who lives in isolation on an island, decides to purify his morals and elevate them by changing the way he consumes the island's resources. He does not eat a fruit without planting its seed so that it can grow again; he only consumes the fruits that are most abundant and highest in productivity; he only eats what satisfies his hunger so as not to waste the resources of his island; and he only consumes the animals that are most abundant on the island, refraining from exterminating any species altogether, thereby allowing it to reproduce and thrive
The centrality of environmental care in Islamic law is finally manifested in the Islamic concept of "planting," when the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: "If the Hour is established and one of you has a palm seedling in his hand, let him plant it," which is a significant reference to the continuous role of humanity in caring for the environment until the Day of Judgment, even if there are no future generations expected to benefit from that planted seedling. This is a clear indication of the absolute obligation to protect the environment without waiting for reciprocal benefits, and it complements the fundamental mission of humanity in Islam, which is to cultivate the universe. The primary task of a Muslim is to worship God and cultivate the earth, an entrusted responsibility placed upon Muslims by Islamic legislation from the emergence of the call to Islam until the Day of Judgment.
