By Shoora Shafeeq, Second-Year Natural Sciences (shoora.shafeeq.19@ucl.ac.uk)
The natural environment surrounding us is sacred, and has a right to our respect and care. We have a duty and responsibility towards taking care and maintaining the environment. What makes the environment so sacred is its creator. Just as artists bring value to their art, it is our creator who brings value to us and everything that He created around us. No creation of Allah is random; every creation has a meaning and purpose. A central pillar of our deen is tawhid and this concept of oneness is very well reflected in all of Allah’s creations.
Allah SWT says in Surah Al-Baqara, ayah 255:
لَهُ ما فِي السَّماواتِ وَما فِي الأَرضِ
“To Him belongs whatever is in the heavens and whatever is on the earth.”
The environment around us is more than simply a means of sustenance. Its bigger purpose is being a reflection of the Truth. The environment manifests and reflects the beautiful names and qualities of Allah. In a world where the value of the environment, among other things, is determined by the monetary value it provides, it is important that we, as Muslims, re-evaluate our perspectives of how we look at nature. This natural world was created by Allah for His purpose, conferring it a sacredness which must be recognised by all Muslims. This then means that all believers must have the utmost care and respect towards nature.
Highlighting the importance of reflecting and pondering over the environment around us, Allah SWT says in Surah Ghafir, ayah 57:
لَخَلقُ السَّماواتِ وَالأَرضِ أَكبَرُ مِن خَلقِ النِّاس وَلٰكِنَّ أَكثَرَ النِّاس لا یَعلَمونَ
“Surely the creation of the heavens and the earth is more prodigious than the creation of mankind, but most people do not know.”
Allah SWT also says in Surah Ar-Ra’d, ayah 3:
وَهُوَ الَّذي مَدَّ الأَرضَ وَجَعَلَ فيها رَواسِيَ وَأَنهارًا وَمِن كُلِّ الثَّمَراتِ جَعَلَ فيها زَوجَينِ اثنَينِ يُغشِي اللَّيلَ النَّهارَ إِنَّ في ذٰلِكَ لَآياتٍ لِقَومٍ يَتَفَكَّرونَ
“It is He who has spread out the earth and set in it firm mountains and streams, and of every fruit He has made in it two kinds. He draws the night’s cover over the day. There are indeed signs in that for people who reflect.”
The above two verses clearly state that there are lessons to be learned from the environment. Be it just by observing or being in nature, we should gain some profound knowledge or insight into the universe, about our Creator and about ourselves. The spiritual implications of the environment are made clear in the verses of the Qur’an. Allah takes oaths by many natural phenomena: By the Sun and her brightness (91:1); By the night when it envelops (92:1)’, I swear by the planets (81:15), and so on. Many surahs are also named after nature, indicating the importance of the natural world. Some such names are: ‘Thunder’, ‘The Star’, ‘The Moon’, ‘The Sun’, ‘Dawn’, ‘Morning Hours’, ‘The Sand Dunes’, ‘Smoke’, ‘The Winnowing Winds’, ‘Iron’, ‘The Ants’, ‘The Bees’, ‘The Spider’, ‘Cattle’, ‘The Elephant’, ‘The Fig’, amongst others. This constant reference to the marvels of nature is a message for us. It highlights the importance of contemplating and reflecting on the signs of nature as being expressions of Divine creativity, and thus of being holy in their very substance.
Additionally, another facet to the sacredness of nature is that every single thing in creation is always in remembrance of Allah. Allah SWT says in the Quran, in Surah Al-Isra, ayah 44:
تُسَبِّحُ لَهُ السَّماواتُ السَّبعُ وَالأَرضُ وَمَن فيهِنَّ وَإِن مِن شَيءٍ إِلّا يُسَبِّحُ بِحَمدِهِ وَلٰكِن لا تَفقَهونَ تَسبيحَهُم ۗ إِنَّهُ كانَ حَليمًا غَفورًا
“The seven Heavens and the Earth and all that they contain glorifies Him; nor is there anything that does not glorify Him in praise; yet you understand not their praise …”
*see also ayahs 57:1; 59:1; 61:1; 62:1; 64:1; 24:41 and 59:24
Whether we see and understand it or not, everything in nature is Allah’s creation that is in
constant zikr of Him. From the mountains to the seas, the trees, sun, moon and stars – all sing His praise. Every natural phenomenon must therefore be respected for it being a creation of Allah, a sign of Allah, and for its devotion to Him.
There is more than just existential praise of Allah in nature. There is praise that is active, aware and deliberate, that we gain insight to in the following verse about bees. Allah SWT says in Surah Al-Nahl, ayah 68-9:
وَأَوحىٰ رَبُّكَ إِلَى النَّحلِ أَنِ اتَّخِذي مِنَ الجِبالِ بُيوتًا وَمِنَ الشَّجَرِ وَمِمّا يَعرِشونَ
ثُمَّ كُلي مِن كُلِّ الثَّمَراتِ فَاسلُكي سُبُلَ رَبِّكِ ذُلُلًا يَخرُجُ مِن بُطونِها شَرابٌ مُختَلِفٌ أَلوانُهُ فيهِ شِفاءٌ لِلنّاسِ إِنَّ في ذٰلِكَ لَآيَةً لِقَومٍ يَتَفَكَّرونَ
“Your Lord has revealed unto [awha] the bee: ‘make your home in the mountains, and on the trees, and the trellises which they erect; then eat from every fruit and follow humbly the ways of your Lord’. There comes forth from their bellies a drink of diverse hues, wherein is a cure for mankind.”
What seems to us a tiny, insignificant insect is also given Divine revelation by Allah SWT. SubhanAllah! ‘Revelation’ here means ‘inspired instinct’ which is given naturally to all creatures to follow their instincts so that they grow, self-preserve and reproduce. This ‘inspired instinct’ is also what leads them to worship Allah SWT in their own capacity.
Another very powerful reason why Muslims need to respect nature and its creatures is highlighted in this ayah. Allah SWT says in surah Al-An’am ayah 38:
وَما مِن دابَّةٍ فِي الأَرضِ وَلا طائِرٍ يَطيرُ بِجَناحَيهِ إِلّا أُمَمٌ أَمثالُكُم ما فَرَّطنا فِي الكِتابِ مِن شَيءٍ ثُمَّ إِلىٰ رَبِّهِم يُحشَرونَ
“All living beings roaming the earth and winged birds soaring in the sky are communities like yourselves. We have left nothing out of the Record. Then to their Lord they will be gathered all together.”
Each species is an ‘umma’ – a divinely-willed community of beings, which are receptacles of ‘natural revelation’. Each community or species has its own unique way of receiving revelation, hence a unique way of engaging in prayer, azkar and glorification. This in itself should be a powerful reminder for us to respect, cherish and empathise with nature and all its creatures.
With all the above in mind I pray that Ar-Rahman makes our hearts soft, and assists us in showing mercy and kindness to all of creation. Aameen!
