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_-_A_General_Introduction_001.jpg) God has created everything in this universe in due
proportion and measure both quantitatively and qualitatively. God has declared
in the Quran:
“Verily, all things have We created by measure” (Quran 54:49)
“…Everything to Him is measured.” (Quran 13:8)
“And We have produced therein everything in balance.” (Quran 55:7)
In the universe there is enormous diversity and variety
of form and function. The universe and its various elements fulfill human
welfare and are evidence of the Creator’s greatness; He it is Who determines
and ordains all things, and there is not a thing He has created but celebrates
and declares His praise.
“Have you not seen that God is glorified by all in the heavens
and on the earth - such as the birds with wings outspread? Each knows its
worship and glorification, and God is aware of what they do.” (Quran 24:41)
Each thing that God has created is a wondrous sign, full
of meaning; pointing beyond itself to the glory and greatness of its Creator,
His wisdom and His purposes for it.
“He Who has spread out the earth for you and threaded roads
for you therein and has sent down water from the sky: With it have We brought
forth diverse kinds of vegetation. Eat and pasture your cattle; verily, in
this are signs for men endued with understanding.” (Quran 20:53-54)
God has not created anything in this universe in vain,
without wisdom, value and purpose. God says:
“We have not created the heavens and the earth and all that is
between them carelessly. We have not created them but for truth.” (Quran
44:38-39)
Thus, the Islamic vision revealed in the Quran is of a
universe imbued with value. All things in the universe are created to serve
the One Lord Who sustains them all by means of one another, and Who controls
the miraculous cycles of life and death:
“God it is that splits the seed and the date stone, brings the
living from the dead and the dead from the living: That is your God - how are
you turned away?” (Quran 6:95)
Life and death are created by God so that He might be
served by means of good works.
“Blessed is He in Whose Hand is dominion, and He has power
over every thing: He Who has created death and life to try you, which of you
work the most good.” (Quran 67:1-2)
All created beings are created to serve the Lord of all
beings and, in performing their ordained roles in a cohesively designed society,
they best benefit themselves and each other in this world and the next. This
leads to a cosmic symbiosis (takaful). The universal common good is a
principle that pervades the universe, and an important implication of God’s Oneness,
for one can serve the Lord of all beings only by working for the common good of
all.
Man is part of this universe, the elements of which are
complementary to one another in an integrated whole indeed, man is a distinct
part of the universe and it has a special position among its other parts. The
relation between man and the universe, as defined and clarified in the Glorious
Quran and the Prophetic teachings, is as follows:
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A relationship of meditation, consideration, and
contemplation of the universe and what it contains.
·
A relationship of sustainable utilization,
development, and employment for man’s benefit and for the fulfillment of his
interests.
·
A relationship of care and nurture for man’s good
works are not limited to the benefit of the human species, but rather extend to
the benefit of all created beings; and “there is a reward in doing good to
every living thing.” (Saheeh Al-Bukhari)
God’s wisdom has ordained stewardship (khilafa)
on the earth to human beings. Therefore, in addition to being part of the
earth and part of the universe, man is also the executor of God’s injunctions
and commands. He is only a manager of the earth and not a proprietor; a
beneficiary and not a disposer or ordainer. Heaven and earth and all that they
contain belong to God alone. Man has been granted stewardship to manage the
earth in accordance with the purposes intended by its Creator; to utilize it
for his own benefit and the benefit of other created beings, and for the fulfillment
of his interests and of theirs. He is thus entrusted with its maintenance and
care, and must use it as a trustee, within the limits dictated by his trust. The
Prophet declared,
“The world is beautiful and verdant, and verily
God, be He exalted, has made you His stewards in it, and He sees how you acquit
yourselves.” (Saheeh Muslim)
All of the resources upon which life depends have been
created by God as a trust in our care. He has ordained sustenance for all
people and for all living beings.
“ And He has set within it mountains standing firm,
and blessed it, and ordained in it its diverse sustenance in four days, alike
for all that seek.” (Quran 41:10)
Thus, in Islam the utilization of these resources is the
right and privilege of all people and all species. Hence, man should take
every precaution to ensure the interests and rights of all others since they
are equal partners on earth. Similarly, he should not regard such as
restricted to one generation above all other generations. It is, rather, a
joint responsibility in which each generation uses and makes the best use of
nature, according to its need, without disrupting or adversely affecting the
interests of future generations. Therefore, man should not abuse, misuse, or
distort the natural resources as each generation is entitled to benefit from
them but is not entitled to “own” them in an absolute sense.
The right to utilize and harness natural resources,
which God has granted man, necessarily involves an obligation on man’s part to
conserve them both quantitatively and qualitatively. God has created all the
sources of life for man and all resources of nature that he requires, so that
he may realize objectives such as contemplation and worship, inhabitation and
construction, sustainable utilization, and enjoyment and appreciation of
beauty. It follows that man has no right to cause the degradation of the
environment and distort its intrinsic suitability for human life and
settlement. Nor has he the right to exploit or use natural resources unwisely
in such a way as to spoil the food bases and other sources of subsistence for
living beings, or expose them to destruction and defilement.
While the attitude of Islam to the environment, the
sources of life, and the resources of nature is based in part on prohibition of
abuse, it is also based on construction and sustainable development. This
integration of the development and conservation of natural resources is clear
in the idea of bringing life to the land and causing it to flourish through
agriculture, cultivation, and construction. God says:
“…It is He Who has produced you from the earth and settled you
therein...” (Quran 11:61)
The Prophet declared:
“If any Muslim plants a tree or sows a field, and a
human, bird or animal eats from it, it shall be reckoned as charity from him.”
(Saheeh Al-Bukhari, Saheeh Muslim)
“If anyone plants a tree, neither human being nor
any of God’s creatures will eat from it without its being reckoned as charity
from him.”
“If the day of resurrection comes upon anyone of
you while he has a seedling in hand, let him plant it.”
The approach of Islam toward the use and development of
the earth’s resources was put thus by Ali ibn Abi-Talib, the fourth Caliph, to
a man who had developed and reclaimed abandoned land:
“Partake of it gladly, so long as you are a benefactor,
not a despoiler; a cultivator, not a destroyer.”
This positive attitude involves taking measures to
improve all aspects of life: health, nutrition, and the psychological and
spiritual dimensions, for man’s benefit and the maintenance of his welfare, as
well as for the betterment of life for all future generations. As is shown in
the Prophetic declarations above, the aim of both the conservation and
development of the environment in Islam is for the universal good of all
created beings.
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