A methodological critique of environmental problems and natural disasters from Quranic point of view: From diagnosis to treatment

A methodological critique of environmental problems and natural disasters
from Quranic point of view: From diagnosis to treatment.
Dr. Ahmet Celenli Dr. Ahmet Bedir
Muslim Chaplain Professor of Islamic Exegesis
University of Rochester Nazareth College
Interfaith Chapel Hickey Center for Interfaith Studies and Dialogue
Abstract
This article aims to relate everlasting environmental issues and
natural disasters to corruption and spiritual deterioration of mankind.
Many tend to attribute these problems merely to natural processes and
reactions. Nevertheless, Quran reveals ample evidence to reflect upon the
fact that all kinds of calamities mankind have faced are due to immorality
and corruption of mankind.
This article also provides a sound perspective and a cure for the
aforementioned issue. Islam not only gives utmost importance to the study
of physical and natural sciences but also entails these studies as a
collective obligatory duty-fard-al-kifayah from the Islamic Jurisprudence
point of view, which holds the entire society accountable. Religious
leaders, educators, and scholars should therefore assume responsibility to
emphasize all science-based rules and regulations no different than other
religious rules and regulations. We are morally and religiously obligated
to take a good care of our nearby environment and nature by means of
establishing effective and comprehensive education.

Introduction
Nature has always been disrupted in the hands of irresponsible
minority who are intrinsically motivated to consume the natural resources
according to their selfish and ambitious desires. However, the
disequilibrium in nature and disharmony in society have soothed whenever
the teachings of divine guidance has been faithfully practiced. Quran
points out the core of this problem in 30:41, ظَهَرَ ٱلۡفَسَادُ فِى ٱلۡبَرِّ وَٱلۡبَحۡرِ بِمَا
كَسَبَتۡ أَيۡدِى ٱلنَّاسِ لِيُذِيقَهُم بَعۡضَ ٱلَّذِى عَمِلُواْ لَعَلَّهُمۡ يَرۡجِعُونَ

which reads "Mischief has appeared on land and sea because of (the
recompense) that the hands of men have earned, that (God) may give them a
taste of some of their deeds: in order that they may turn back (from
Evil)."

Mischief of Mankind and Our Invisible Enemies

Children of Adam have two duties in this life. First, he needs to
maintain his life, and then fully submit himself to God. Submission to God
requires him to maintain his life as maintaining his life depends on the
completion of the conditions of his life.

Mankind have always suffered due to wars, lack of freedom, injustice,
and oppression, and there is nothing wrong with that. However, vast
majority do not stand up against the wrongdoings in the proper and ethical
use of natural resources, preserving the ecological equilibrium. However,
the severity of environmental problems have silently reached an alarming
level that still threatens our welfare in this life. Quran therefore draws
our attention to the role of mankind in causing mischief. The verse states:
"Mischief has appeared on land and sea because of (the recompense) that the
hands of men have earned, that (Allah) may give them a taste of some of
their deeds: in order that they may turn back (from Evil)."[i]

The verb 'zahara' is stated in continuous and indefinite time, which
started in the past, happens now and may continue to happen in the future.
It is obvious that this verse attributes the existence of mischief on Earth
to the actions of mankind. The term 'fasaad', which is translated as
'mischief' or 'corruption' has been understood in its comprehensive
meaning, which comprises deterioration-decomposition of edible items,
corruption in society, and invalidation of prayer. Raghib Isfahani[ii]
interprets the word 'fasaad' as 'going into disequilibrium or instability
in any extent'.

Another verse[iii] alarmingly states the consequence of our actions
"And whatever strikes you of disaster - it is for what your hands have
earned; but He pardons much."


These verses impose to assume responsibility of our dealings and
actions related to our surroundings. The word 'disaster' is stated in
indefinite term, which comprises all sorts of disaster ranging from natural
disasters to sociological problems.


We are very blessed to live on this wonderful planet, which glorifies
and exalts God in its unique language. Considering mankind being 'a
vicegerent on Earth', in other words, a trustee who is created to act on
behalf of God on Earth to take a good care of God's creation as well as
taking care of sacred values.


Islam considers the universe as a book in which God has spoken to
mankind, has made Himself known as The Sustainer, and has shown His
magnificence and His mercy as The Most Compassionate. Therefore, it would
be fair to say that the first assignment of the children of Adam is to read
and obey two forms of law; the laws revealed in The Holy Scripts, and the
laws apply in The Universe, in particular on Earth. The relationship
between the two is that God's revelation, namely the Holy Qur'an, is the
clear sacred catalog of The Book of Universe, and mankind is the most
sublime fruit of the universe.[iv] Children of Adam have obtained success
and true happiness in proportion to their compliance with these two laws.
The saddening reality is that the children of Adam for the most part, have
failed at one of the two.


In this article, we will draw our readers' attention to the root of
the failure of Islamic world to stay on top of the issues regarding
environmental awareness and preserving nature whereas the main Islamic
sources offer sufficient arguments in terms of the necessity of studying
positive sciences. The study of positive sciences is accounted as fard-al
kifayah-Collective Obligatory Duty, which holds the entire society
accountable. Collective obligatory duties are far more critical than
individual obligatory duties because they necessitate wide-scale awareness
in the society to assure that this duty is undertaken seriously. Many have
made effort in this regard but these efforts still remain at a minimal
level.


The Book of Universe, Qur'an, and Concept of Trust


In The Holy Qur'an, there are only about 500 verses regarding the
Islamic Law whereas more than 750 verses directly talk about natural
sciences in various ways. These verses do not only talk about positive
sciences but also necessitate to reflect upon the creation of God. In these
verses The Holy Qur'an opens us two pages; one is Earth, as translated 'The
Lord of The Heavens and Earth' in thirteen verses, and the other is
everything else in the universe. The reason for separating Earth from
others is because the existence of mankind on the face of Earth. In other
words, Earth has gained its importance solely from the existence of mankind
and his important responsibilities. The value of an envelope is understood
from its content. Similarly, the importance of this world can better be
understood from the existence of mankind on Earth simply because Earth
carries a remarkable value due to mankind living on it. The Holy Qur'an
therefore states that this valuable planet Earth is given as a trust to
mankind. The verse reads: "Lo! We offered the trust (al-amanah) unto the
heavens and the earth and the hills, but they shrank from bearing it and
were afraid of it. And man assumed it. Lo! He hath proved a tyrant and a
fool." [v]


In the Arabic dictionary, the antonym of trust is stated as al-
khiyanah, which means breaching trust. Some scholars of Islamic Exegesis
advocate that The Trustee addresses all mankind.[vi] A phenomonal scholar
Ibn Mas'ud explained al-amanah in four categories that are four pillars of
Islam, telling truth, paying debt, and accuracy on the scale-honesty in
business.[vii] According to Abu al-Aliyah, al-amanah refers to all the
commandments and the prohibitions in The Holy Quran, and The Sunnah.[viii]
Ibn Kathir narrates that al-amanah is al-takleef, which means
responsibility and accountability[ix]. Meanwhile, Tabari asserts that al-
amanah is meant to be al-itaah-obedience[x]. In this article, we will
elaborate the concept of al-amanah in the context of al-takleef:
responsibility and accountability, and also al-itaah-obedience because God
has imposed this responsibility on the shoulders of mankind, and expects
him to obey His decree. This responsibility was given to mankind through
the messengers of God[xi]. The entire Islamic Jurisprudence is established
on the concept of responsibility. In particular, the age of responsibility
has been discussed by many scholars because the age of responsibility
(legal age) must be known not only to know by what age he can be held
responsible and accountable but also to take necessary measures to train
and educate them before reaching that age. Imam Abu Hanifah[xii] considers
eighteen years of age to be legally accountable while Imam al-Shafi[xiii]
and Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal lower this age as low as fifteen[xiv].


Although The Qur'an[xv] and The Prophet's Sunnah[xvi] have adequately
addressed the necessity of preserving nature, intellectuals, scholars,
religious leaders and educators in Muslim nations, except a few, have yet
understood the implementation of these teachings. One of the exceptions,
Izz al-Din ibn Abdussalam[xvii] in his treatise "al-Huquq al-Bakhaaim"
discussed the right of animals in detail according to the Quranic verses
and Hadith Collection. A few others wrote books or book chapters. For
example, Jaʻfar Murtaḍá wrote a book on the rights of animals in
Islam[xviii]. Richard C. Foltz and Frederick M. Denny edited a book on
Islam and Ecology.[xix] Nevertheless, these rulings could have been
interpreted and formulated in Islamic Catechism Books according to the
needs of modern ages, and more importantly they could have been enforced by
authorities.


Natural Environment in the words of The Holy Quran and The Prophet


In order to know what Islam has to say about a subject, we need to
look at its main sources; that are The Holy Script-The Qur'an and the
teachings of The Prophet-Hadith. Nature is contained in more than 750
verses in The Qur'an. Out of 114 chapters, fourteen chapters are named
after specific name of an animal or a natural incident. Among all the
verses related to nature, verse 38 of Chapter 6 (The Caddle) lays out the
most fundamental core of conservation and preservation of nature. We can
consider this verse like a constitutional decree. The verse reads:


وَمَا مِن دَابَّةٍ فِي الْأَرْضِ وَلَا طَائِرٍ يَطِيرُ بِجَنَاحَيْهِ إِلَّا أُمَمٌ أَمْثَالُكُم ۚ


"There is not an animal (that lives) on the earth, nor a being that flies
on its wings, but (forms part of) communities like you…" The two words;
bird-tayr, and dweller-daab-bah include all living things other than
humans. The dictionary meaning of dweller- دَابَّةٍis any living creature that
is not a person; plant, fish, or insect. This verse mentions all living
things as 'community-أمَمٌ-umam', and compare mankind and all dwellers in
this regard; that is sharing the same planet with all other living things.
In this type of life structure, everything is connected to everything in
various ways, and interact with each other. Considering the fact that there
are various cycles we are in contact with; like water cycle, rock cycle,
carbon cycle, nitrogen cycle, and etc., it is imperative and a necessity to
preserve all ecological, biological, chemical, and environmental equilibria
in nature, and mankind is the only conscious-being among the entire
creation to undertake this mission. For every mission, there has to be an
accountability, and there is a consequence for each accountability. There
are two types of consequences for mankind for not taking a good care of
nature; one is related to our worldly life, and the other is related to The
Hereafter. In the first place, the quality of our life will be affected.
However, we will be held accountable in The Hereafter to compensate the
rights of God's creation. The nineteenth verse of Chapter 38 reminds this
accountability. For the verse وَالطَّيْرَ مَحْشُورَةً ۖ كُلٌّ لَّهُ أَوَّابٌ "And the birds
gathered (in assemblies): all with him did turn (to God)", Imam Taberi says
"God will bring all the living things back to life, and the oppressed ones
will take their rights from the oppressors [Taberi vol. 11 p.347]. From the
justice point of view, being brought back to life-resurrection- is like an
earned right for all living things, not only for mankind, because most of
the wrong-doings and oppression go unnoticed or is not fully compensated in
this worldly life.


The second major source of Islam is the statements of The Prophet,
called 'hadith', and there are many prophetic statements that draw our
attention to the rights of living things and conservation and preservation
of nature.


The first hadith we would like to quote draws our attention to the
concept of community-ummah. It is narrated by Abu Hurayrah who said: "I
heard Allah's Messenger saying, "An ant bit a Prophet amongst the Prophets,
and he ordered that the place of the ants be burnt. So, Allah inspired to
him, 'It is because one ant bit you that you burnt a community amongst the
communities that glorify Allah?" It is significant that we see the same
word 'ummah' in the Prophet's words when referring to animals (Bukhari,
Muslim, Abu Dawud, Ibn Majah, Nasai, Ahmad ibn Hanbal). The following
hadith is an eye-opening statement for respecting the rights of living
things, and rewards for doing so.

العاشر : عنه أن رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم قال : " بينما رجل يمشى بطريق
اشتد عليه العطش، فوجد بئراً فنزل فيها فشرب، ثم خرج فإذا كلب يلهث يأكل الثرى
من العطش، فقال الرجل : لقد بلغ هذا الكلب من العطش مثل الذي كان قد بلغ منى،
فنزل البئر فملأ خفه ماء ثم أمسكه بفيه، حتى رقي فسقى الكلب، فشكر الله له
فغفر له " قالوا : يارسول الله إن لنا في البهائم أجراً ؟ فقال : في كل كبدٍ رطبة
أجر " ( ( متفق عليه ) ) .

Bukhari reports this hadith on the authority of Abu Hurairah who said:
God's Messenger said, "While a man was walking on his way he became
extremely thirsty. He found a well, he went down into it to drink water.
Upon leaving it, he saw a dog which was panting out of thirst. His tongue
was lolling out and he was eating moist earth from extreme thirst. The man
thought to himself: 'This dog is extremely thirsty as I was.' So he
descended into the well, filled up his leather sock with water, and holding
it in his teeth, climbed up and quenched the thirst of the dog. Allah
appreciated his action and forgave his sins". The Companions asked: "Shall
we be rewarded for showing kindness to the animals also?" He said, "A
reward is given in connection with every living creature". In the narration
of Al-Bukhari, the Prophet is reported to have said: "Allah forgave him in
appreciation of this act and admitted him to Paradise". [Al-Bukhari
Mazaalim, 23]. It is fair to conclude from the Messenger's reply in the
last sentence that any unjust act that is done to living things is
similarly going to be accounted and compensated on the Day of Judgment. We
should note that the life or well-being of a living thing is not restricted
to its body; all the conditions that the living things is connected to are
also under the protection in Islam.

The Prophet warns people, especially the pet owners, about the grave
consequences for violating the rights of animals. For instance, Ibn `Umar
narrates in Bukhari [Bad al-Khalq], 16: "The Prophet said, 'A woman entered
the (Hell) Fire because of a cat which she had tied, neither giving it food
nor setting it free to eat from the vermin of the earth.'"

حَدَّثَنَا نَصْرُ بْنُ عَلِيٍّ، أَخْبَرَنَا عَبْدُ الأَعْلَى، حَدَّثَنَا عُبَيْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ عُمَرَ، عَنْ نَافِعٍ، عَنِ
ابْنِ عُمَرَ ـ رضى الله عنهما ـ عَنِ النَّبِيِّ صلى الله عليه وسلم قَالَ " دَخَلَتِ امْرَأَةٌ
النَّارَ فِي هِرَّةٍ رَبَطَتْهَا، فَلَمْ تُطْعِمْهَا، وَلَمْ تَدَعْهَا تَأْكُلُ مِنْ خِشَاشِ الأَرْضِ " . قَالَ وَحَدَّثَنَا
عُبَيْدُ اللَّهِ عَنْ سَعِيدٍ الْمَقْبُرِيِّ عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ عَنِ النَّبِيِّ صلى الله عليه وسلم مِثْلَهُ .

Muslim (1,61) narrates a hadith on the authority of Abu Hurairah who
said: "God's Messenger said, 'On the Resurrection Day, the rights will be
paid to those to whom they are due so much so that a hornless sheep will be
retaliated for by punishing the horned sheep which broke its horns'".

وعن أبي هريرة رضي الله عنه أن رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم قال : " لتؤدن
الحقوق إلى أهلها يوم القيامة حتى يقاد للشاة الجلحاء من الشاة القرناء "
( ( رواه مسلم ) )


The hadith above is quite powerful in terms of the rights of living
things, and cautions us to live a meticulous life.

Islam looks at this issue through a holistic view, and aims to improve
all aspects of life. Not only the life of living things but also the use of
the earth's resources is not overlooked in Islam. For instance, the fourth
caliph Ali ibn Abi Talib instructed a man who had developed and reclaimed
abandoned land, and said: "Partake of it gladly, so long as you are a
benefactor, not a despoiler; a cultivator, not a destroyer." [Related by
Yahya ibn Adam al-Qurashi in Kitab al-Kharaj on the authority of Sa'id ad-
Dabbi].

Imam Tabarani narrates a hadith on the authority of Ibn 'Umar regarding
preservation of water resources and farm lands. The hadith prohibits
relieving oneself under fruit trees and beside the bank of a flowing river.

وَأَخْرَجَ اَلطَّبَرَانِيُّ اَلنَّهْيَ عَن تَحْتِ اَلْأَشْجَارِ اَلْمُثْمِرَةِ, وَضَفَّةِ اَلنَّهْرِ
الْجَارِي. مِنْ حَدِيثِ اِبْنِ عُمَرَ

Another major source of hadith, Sunan Ibn Majah provides a hadith on the
authority of Abdullah bin 'Amr that prohibits extravagant use of water
during ablution (Book 1, Hadith 460). "Prophet Muhammad passed by Sa'd when
he was performing ablution, and he said: 'What is this extravagance?' He
said: 'Can there be any extravagance in ablution?' The Prophet said: 'Yes,
even if you are on the bank of a flowing river.'"


عَنْ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ عَمْرٍو، أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ـ صلى الله عليه وسلم ـ مَرَّ بِسَعْدٍ وَهُوَ يَتَوَضَّأُ
فَقَالَ " مَا هَذَا السَّرَفُ " . فَقَالَ أَفِي الْوُضُوءِ إِسْرَافٌ قَالَ " نَعَمْ وَإِنْ كُنْتَ عَلَى نَهَرٍ جَارٍ
"



Abdullah ibn Hubaishi narrates a hadith regarding cutting trees (al
Albani Book 43, Hadith 467): The Prophet said: If anyone cuts a cedar tree,
Allah brings him headlong into Hell. Abu Dawud was asked about the meaning
of this tradition. He said: "This is a brief tradition. It means that if
anyone cuts a cedar tree uselessly, unjustly and without any right, which
travelers and beasts take shelter under, Allah will bring him into Hell
headlong." We see that holistic view again in this hadith because it is not
merely prohibiting to cut a tree to save a tree but also considering the
comfort of travelers, and the right of having a shelter for animals.


عَنْ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ حُبْشِيٍّ، قَالَ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم " مَنْ قَطَعَ سِدْرَةً
صَوَّبَ اللَّهُ رَأْسَهُ فِي النَّارِ " . سُئِلَ أَبُو دَاوُدَ عَنْ مَعْنَى هَذَا الْحَدِيثِ فَقَالَ هَذَا الْحَدِيثُ
مُخْتَصَرٌ يَعْنِي مَنْ قَطَعَ سِدْرَةً فِي فَلاَةٍ يَسْتَظِلُّ بِهَا ابْنُ السَّبِيلِ وَالْبَهَائِمُ عَبَثًا وَظُلْمًا
بِغَيْرِ حَقٍّ يَكُونُ لَهُ فِيهَا صَوَّبَ اللَّهُ رَأْسَهُ فِي النَّارِ .


Abu Dawud narrates a hadith on the authority of Ali ibn Abu Talib. The
Prophet said: "Its (Medina's) fresh grass is not to be cut, its game is not
to be driven away, and things dropped in it are to be picked up by one who
publicly announces it, and it is not permissible for any man to carry
weapons in it for fighting, and it is not advisable that its trees are cut
except what a man cuts for the fodder of his camel." (Sunan Abu Dawud Book
11, Hadith 315).

عَنْ أَبِي حَسَّانَ، عَنْ عَلِيٍّ، - رضى الله عنه - فِي هَذِهِ الْقِصَّةِ عَنِ النَّبِيِّ صلى الله عليه
وسلم قَالَ " لاَ يُخْتَلَى خَلاَهَا وَلاَ يُنَفَّرُ صَيْدُهَا وَلاَ تُلْتَقَطُ لُقَطَتُهَا إِلاَّ لِمَنْ أَشَادَ بِهَا
وَلاَ يَصْلُحُ لِرَجُلٍ أَنْ يَحْمِلَ فِيهَا السِّلاَحَ لِقِتَالٍ وَلاَ يَصْلُحُ أَنْ يُقْطَعَ مِنْهَا شَجَرَةٌ إِلاَّ أَنْ
يَعْلِفَ رَجُلٌ بَعِيرَهُ "


Preserving Nature In The Light of Submission to God-'Taqwa'


Quran urges us to ask the specialists and experts in case we do not
have sufficient information about how to preserve the nature of animals and
their rights. "Before thee, also, the messengers We sent were but men, to
whom We granted inspiration: If ye realise this not, ask of those who
possess the Message (ahl al-dhikr)[xx]. The commentators of Qur'an asserted
that ahl al-dhikr refers to experts and specialists." [xxi] Preserving
nature includes the preserving of animal rights, and only experts can tell
how the nature of animals can be kept in equilibrium.

We understand from the verses and hadith as well as the treatise of
Islamic scholars, proper use of environment is an assigned duty for the
mankind. However, its implementation is a matter of research and study. In
order to create environmental awareness, Islamic catechism books must be
designed in a way that will articulate the rights of living things in
nature. When we look at the Islamic sources, the environmental awareness
have yet to become a serious discussion in volumes compared to traditional
religious issues. However, prominent Islamic scholar Said Nursi saw the
negligence in this regard, and interpreted the concept of "taqwa" in a
phenomenal way. He said there are two sets of laws in the universe; one is
The Commandments of Allah in The Qur'an, and the other is The Laws in The
Creation. He said that one can achieve taqwa by abiding by these two sets
of laws[xxii]. This definition sticks out as a unique way of explaining the
concept of taqwa whereas almost all the Islamic scholars missed this point.
The reason why Islamic world got behind in terms of leading positive
sciences is that vast majority of the scholars did not have this approach
like Nursi did. They simply could not keep the balance between the two up
to the time of Nursi. Most of them restricted themselves to theological
studies. Consequently, it resulted in not being able to assess the issues,
and propose solutions to the long-lasting problems that humanity have
faced.

Nursi argues that the consequence of neglecting our individual duties,
or not abiding by the religious laws may be postponed to the Day of
Judgment, or even they can be forgiven whereas the consequence of not
abiding by the Law of Creation is handled here in this life. God has the
right to forgive our individual negligence of fulfilling our servanthood to
Him but God does not forgive the wrongdoings in terms of posing threats to
lives of living things simply because of the involvement of many lives.
Pollution of air, and water resources by hazardous substances, improper
discharge of water resources, not containing the wastes properly,
inadequacy of legislators and executive members in dealing with the
violation of these regulations are a few examples for Law of Creation.

Conclusions

The obligation of mankind in terms of rights is classified in two
categories in Islam. One is the rights of God-"al Huquq al-Ilah", and the
other one is the rights of people-"al-Huquq al-Ibad. From this Islamic
perspective, the issues related to preserving nature and environmental
problems must be considered as the rights of people. It is well known that
the biodegradability of various kinds of wastes through natural processes
in terms of time is extremely long although it varies based on the type of
pollutant. When someone litter, it does not threaten only the people living
nearby at that time but also a few generations after his time due to the
long-lasting hazards of these pollutants. This is completely different than
affecting one person's health. In other words, the difference between the
impacts of causing one person suffer from our actions, and the impacts of
causing long-term hazards is incomparable. Similarly, the consequences of
the two must be different as well. This issue from the degradability
approach must be further discussed from the Islamic Jurisprudence point of
view, and must be taught so that people are enforced by religious
authorities as well. The rights of people and even the rights of all other
living creatures have been adequately discussed in the early fundamental
fiqh books[xxiii] but the successors of the early scholars have kept them
in those books, and did not even include them in catechetical literature.
Scholars like Ibn Abidin and Ghazali classified the study and the practice
of positive sciences as collective obligatory duty-fard-al-kifayah because
these sciences (medicine, math, language arts, etc.) are needed for taking
care of the needs of worldly life as well as maintaining it. However, the
study of positive sciences have been neglected in the Islamic world, and
therefore millions of Muslims have suffered in many aspects of life since
12th Century.

Taking this into consideration, parents, educators, religious leaders,
and legislators should take necessary actions to design curriculums,
educational and training programs, and need to start educating young
generations accordingly. Publications written from Islamic point of view
has been insufficient in quantity and quality in terms of dictating the
responsibility of such education and training programs to be provided in
Islamic curriculum, i.e. how we should protect our environment.

Muslim intellectuals and scholars as well as religious leaders
therefore have to take initiative to educate their followers about the
seriousness of environmental protection from the religious perspective.
Religious responsibility will/should bring legal responsibility, and
critical factor in terms of the implementation of legal responsibilities.
We advocate the urgency of designing written material in this regard, and
spreading this awareness to all levels of social life.

We propose that there has to be common awareness, education, and
action plan at hand in the curriculum and training program of the religious
leaders so that they can take the lead to educate their followers about the
religious aspect of the rights of God's creation, and further collaborate
with other educators and experts from different disciplines for the common
goal. For example; a committee of religious scholars and educators can
collaborate to compile catechetical instruction for homes and schools so
that public, families, and especially children can be taught in this area.


Bibliography



Abu al-Baqa, Ayyub ibn Musa. n.d. al-Kulliyat. Vol. I. Beirut: Muassasah al-
Risalah.

al-Baghawi, Abu Muhammed al-Husayn Ibn Masud. 1997. Maalim al-Tanzeel
published. 4. VIII vols. al-Riyad: Dar al-Taybah.

al-Bukhari, Abu Abdullah Muhammad ibn Ismail. 1400 A.H. al-Jami al-Saheh:
Bukhari. 1. Edited by Muhammad Fuad Abdulbaqi, Qusayy Muhibb al-Din al-
Khatib Muhibb al-Din al-Khatib. IV vols. al-Qahirah: al-Matbaat al-
Salafi.

al-Ghazzali, Abu Hamid Muhammad ibn Muhammad. n.d. Ihya Ulum al-Deen. IV
vols. Dar al-Marifah: Beirut.

al-Jawzi, Cemalud din Abu al-Faraj Abdurrahman ibn Ali ibn Muhammed. 1422
A.H. Zad al-Masir. 1. Beirut: Dar al Kitab Al Arabi.

al-Mubarakphuri, Abu al-Ula Muhammad Abdurrahman ibn Abdurrahim. n.d.
Tuhfah al-Ahwazi bi-Sharh Jami al-Tirmidhi. X vols. Beirut: Dar al-
Kutub al-Ilmiyah.

al-Raghib al-Asfahani, Abu al-Qasim al-Husayn ibn Muhammad. 1412 A.H. al-
Mufradat fi Gharib al-Quran. 1. Edited by Safwan Adnan al-Dawudi. I
vols. Beirut: Dar al-Qalam.

al-Sarakhsi, Muhammad ibn Ahmad. 1993. al- Mabsut. XXX vols. Beirut: Dar al-
Marifah.

al-Shafii, Muhammad ibn Idris. 1990. al-Umm. VIII vols. Beirut: Dar al-
Marifah.

al-Tabari, Muhammed ibn Jarir. 2000. Jami' al-bayan 'an ta'wil ayy al-
Quran. 1. Edited by Ahmad Muhammad Shakir. XXIV vols. Beirut:
Muassasat al-Risalah.

al-Tirmidhi, Abu Isa Muhammad ibn Isa ibn Sawrah. n.d. al-Jami al-Saheh:
Sunan. Edited by Ahmad Muhammad Shakir. V vols. Mustafa al-Baji.

al-Zaylai, Uthman ibn Ali. 1313 A.H. Tabiyn al-Haqaiq Sharh Kanz al-Daqaiq.
1. al-Qariah: al-Matbaa al-Kubra al-Amiriah.

Denny, Richard C. Foltz and Frederick M. 2003. Islam and Ecology: A
Bestowed Trust. Vol. 9. Harvard University Press: Center for the Study
of World Religions.

Ibn Abidin, Muhammad Amin ibn Omer ibn Abdul Aziz. 1412 A.H. 1992 A.D. Radd
al-Muhtar ala al-Durr al-Mukhtar. 2. VI vols. Beirut: Dar al-Fikr.

Ibn Kathir, Ismail ibn Umar. 1999. Tafsir Ibn Kathir. Edited by Sami ibn
Muhammad Salamah. VIII vols. Ar Riyad: Dar al-Taybah.

Izz ibn Abdussalam, Sheikh al-Islam. 2000. al-Qawaid al-Kubra: Qawaid al-
Ahkam fi Islah al-An'am. 1. Edited by Uthman Jumuah Damiriyyah Nazeh
Kamal Hammad. II vols. Damashq: Dar al-Qadam.

Murtaḍá, Jaʻfar. 2004. Ḥuqūq al-ḥayawān fī al-Islām. Vol. 1. Beirut: al-
Markaz al-Islāmī lil-Dirāsāt.

Nursi, Said. 2006. Risale-i Nur Kulliyati. II vols. Istanbul: Nesil.

n.d. The Holy Qur'an.





















Notes:

-----------------------
[i] Qur'an 30:41.
[ii] al-Raghib
al䄭晳桡湡Ⱪ瀠㘮㘳മ 儠牵愧 ㈴㌺ര 丠牵楳瀠㤮⸱ȍ 桔 潈祬儠牵愧 ㌳㜺⸲ȍ 污䨭睡楺 䥉ⱉㄠ
㠸മ 愠⵬慂桧睡Ⱪ嘠ⱉ㌠〸മ 愠⵬慂桧睡Ⱪ嘠ⱉ㌠〸മ 扉 態桴物 䥖 㠴⸸ȍ 污吭扡牡Ⱪ堠ⱘ㌠㠸മ 愠
⵬慔慢楲 塘 ㌳⸸ȍ 污匭牡歡獨Ⱪ嘠ⱉ㔠㬴 污娭祡慬Ⱪ嘠 〲⸳ȍ 污匭慨楦Ⱪ䤠 㜸മ 䄠畢愠⵬慂慱 ⹰
㈠㤹മ 咓敨敲椠 潮 湡愠楮慭 琨慨 楬敶 漠 桴 慥瑲ⱨ渠牯愠戠楥杮琠慨 汦敩 湯椠獴眠
湩獧 畢 昨牯獭瀠牡 景 潣浭湵瑩敩 用浭桡 楬敫礠畯 潎桴-Asfahani, p.636.
[iii] Qur'an 42:30

[iv] Nursi p.91.

[v] The Holy Qur'an 33:72.
[vi] al-Jawzi, III, 188.
[vii] al-Baghawi, VI, 380.
[viii] al-Baghawi, VI, 380.
[ix] Ibn Kathir, VI, 488.
[x] al-Tabari, XX, 388.
[xi] al-Tabari, XX, 338.
[xii] al-Sarakhsi, VI, 54; al-Zaylai, V, 203.
[xiii] al-Shafii, I, 87.
[xiv] Abu al-Baqa, p. 299.

[xv] "There is not an animal (that lives) on the earth, nor a being that
flies on its wings, but (forms part of) communities (ummah) like you.
Nothing have we omitted from the Book, and they (all) shall be gathered to
their Lord in the end." (Holy Qur'an 6:38). The Qur'an, in the
aforementioned verse, considers that all living creatures are ummah like
humans. Another verse 22:18 "Seest thou not that to Allah bow down in
worship all things that are in the heavens and on earth,- the sun, the
moon, the stars; the hills, the trees, the animals; and a great number
among mankind? But a great number are (also) such as are fit for
Punishment: and such as Allah shall disgrace,- None can raise to honor: for
Allah carries out all that He wills." exemplifies this fact.

[xvi] Allah's Messenger ( ) said, "While a man was walking he felt thirsty
and went down a well and drank water from it. On coming out of it, he saw a
dog panting and eating mud because of excessive thirst. The man said, 'This
(dog) is suffering from the same problem as that of mine. So he (went down
the well), filled his shoe with water, caught hold of it with his teeth and
climbed up and watered the dog. Allah thanked him for his (good) deed and
forgave him." The people asked, "O Allah's Messenger ( )! Is there a reward
for us in serving (the) animals?" He replied, "Yes, there is a reward for
serving any animate." (al-Bukhari, "Musaaqaat" 9); He also said in another
hadith: "The merciful are shown mercy by Ar-Rahman. Be merciful on the
earth, and you will be shown mercy from who is above the heavens. The womb
is named after Ar-Rahman, so whoever connects it, Allah connects him, and
whoever severs it, Allah severs him." (al-Tirmidhi, Sunan, "al-Birr", 16).
These two hadith dictate to treat the entire creation with mercy and
equally like treating humans as a condition to be treated with mercy by
Allah.(see al-Mubarakphuri, VI, 43).
[xvii] Izz ibn Abdussalam I, 238
[xviii] Murtaḍá
[xix] Denny
[xx] Qur'an 21:7; 16:43
[xxi] al-Tabari, 17, 209.
[xxii] Nursi, 1,575; 2,1369; 2, 1992.
[xxiii] Ibn Abidin, 1, 42; al-Ghazzali, 1, 16.