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“Behold
thy Lord said to the angels: ‘I will create a khalifa on earth.’ They (the
angels) said ‘Will You place therein one who will make mischief and shed blood?
Whilst we do celebrate Your praises and glorify You with praises and sanctify
Your (Name)?’ He (God) said: ‘I know what you know not.’” (Quran 2:30)
Mankind, through the father, Adam, was sent to
earth as its khalifah – a term which simultaneously means: successor, steward,
trustee, viceroy, and guardian. That is, man was made responsible for
utilising the earth’s resources with due consideration; resources which God has
subjected to his every need.
“God is He Who has created the heavens and the earth
and sends down (rain) water from the sky, and thereby brought forth fruits as
provision for you; and He has made the ships to be of service to you, that they
may sail through the sea by His Command; as (likewise) He has made rivers to be
of service to you. And He has made the sun and the moon, both constantly
pursuing their courses, to be of service to you; and He has made the night and
the day, to be of service to you.” (Quran 14:32-33)
“See you not (O humanity!) that God has subjected for
you whatsoever is in the heavens and whatsoever is in the earth, and has
completed and perfected His Graces upon you, (both) apparent and hidden? Yet
of mankind is he who disputes about God without knowledge nor guidance nor an
illuminating Book!” (Quran 31:20)
Thus, the earth has been created with a definite
cause and affect: to facilitate humans in fulfilling the purpose with which they
were themselves created: to worship and serve their Creator.
“And I (God) created not the jinn (spirit-like
creatures) and humans except they should worship Me (alone).” (Quran 51:56)
Although the creation of the heavens and the
earth is actually greater than the creation of humanity in the Sight of God [see
Quran 40:57], humans bear a responsibility that the heavens and earth do not. In
fact, God did offer to entrust to the heavens and the earth moral responsibility.
However, they understood the weightiness of what was being asked and so
respectfully declined. Adam, however, accepted to bear moral responsibility on
behalf of humanity. Alas! unlike their father, many of Adam’s descendants
were and are unfaithful, incompetent and unwilling to remain true to their
obligations.
“Truly, We did offer the trust and moral
responsibility to the heavens and the earth and the mountains, but they
declined to bear it and were afraid of (failing to discharge) it. But man bore
it. Verily, he was unjust (to himself) and ignorant (of the results).” (Quran
33:72)
When man does faithfully discharge his trust by
obeying and worshipping God in accordance with his primordial nature, he attains
God’s Pleasure and reward; when he does not, he is in need of His Forgiveness.
Incidentally, the only reason a person does succumb to false and oppressive
desires is because that person is allowing himself to be misled from his
nature; straying away from the straight path and onto the crooked road taken by
the enemy of God and man alike: Satan.
“He (Satan) said: ‘See! This one (man, Adam) whom You
have honored above me, if You give me respite till the Day of Resurrection, I
will surely seize and mislead his offspring - all but a few!” (Quran 17:62)
“And he (Satan) said: ‘I will take an appointed
portion of your slaves; I will surely mislead them, and surely, I will arouse
in them false desires; and I will surely order them to slit the ears of cattle,
and surely, I will order them to change the nature created by God.’ And
whoever takes Satan as a protector instead of God has surely suffered a
manifest loss. He (Satan) makes promises to them and arouses in them false
desires; and Satan’s promises are nothing but deceptions.” (Quran 4:118-120)
So, after learning a most important reality
about the natural environment and our place in it, which is that, other than
mankind (and the jinn), all the creation, animate and inanimate, is
inherently obedient to God and in harmony with itself, we also learn how man
can reclaim his innocent natural state: by serving and obeying God. And from
the great many and praiseworthy acts of obedience is our behaving responsibly
with the world around us. A world that, for the purpose of this discourse, can
be divided into two principle realms or resources: the subjects of the animal
kingdom and their natural habitats.
“God is the One Who has subjected to you the sea, that
ships may sail through it by His Command, and that you may seek of His Bounty
and be thankful. And (just like) He has subjected to you all that is in the
heavens and all that is in the earth; it is all as a favor and kindness from
Him. Verily, in it are signs for a people who think deeply.” (Quran 45:12-13)
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