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Islamic environmentalism

April 11, 2024

Islamic environmentalism is a strand of environmental philosophy as well as an Islamic movement that employs environmental principles derived from Islamic scriptures and traditions to the environment and the modern-day environmental crisis. Muslim environmentalists believe in God's absolute sovereignty over nature and emphasize humanity's role as God's vicegerent, making it their duty to protect and preserve the environment. Islamic environmentalism encompasses Islamic ecological philosophy, Sharia-based environmental law, and Islamic environmental activism.[1]

History edit

Islamic environmentalism began with the Iranian philosopher Seyyed Hossein Nasr and has evolved since the 1960s. A series of lectures delivered at the University of Chicago in 1966 by Nasr serves as an original point of reference.[2] He was, in fact, among the early thinkers "to draw attention to the spiritual dimensions of the environmental crisis".[3] Nasr draws on Sufism and the concept of the unity of being to emphasize the connections between environmental degradation and the modern world's spiritual and moral crises. The field of Islamic environmentalism developed further in the 1980s with the contributions made by contemporary thinkers such as Mawil Izzi Dien and Fazlun Khalid.[2]

People edit

The Iranian-born philosopher Seyyed Hossein Nasr is considered the founding father of Islamic environmentalism.[1][4] Other notable figures in this field include: Fazlun Khalid, Mawil Izzi Dien, Othman Llewellyn, Ibrahim Ozdemir, Syed Nomanul Haq and Mustafa Abu Sway.[5][6]

Ideas edit

No human sovereignty edit

The concept of human sovereignty over nature and natural resources, referred to as "dominion" in religious contexts, lies at the center of religious and secular environmental debates.[7] The Quran, unlike the Hebrew Bible and secular philosophy, does not recognize human sovereignty over nature, which has a significant impact on Islamic environmental debate.[8] The Quran declares in seventeen different places that mulk or dominion exclusively belongs to God (Allah). Mulk is derived from the root M L K and means "ownership" or "possession." It appears forty-eight times in the Quran, and it refers to both the earthly kingdom or kingship, such as the kingdom of Solomon in 2:102, and to "the heavens and the earth", implying the whole of creation. It is always God who possesses mulk in every passage when "the heavens and the earth" as a whole is mentioned, rather than a specific earthly kingdom.[8]

Mankind as Khalifah edit

The Quran defined mankind as a Khālifah, or a representative or successor on the earth, rather than having dominion over or possession of it.[8] The idea of khalifah (stewardship) is arguably the most important concept in Islamic environmentalism.[9] Proponents of eco-Islamic beliefs emphasize man's duty as God's vicegerent or steward (khalifah) on the earth. As such, he is responsible for acting in line with God's will and caring for the earth in the way He demands.[10] It is vital to recognize that stewardship does not imply supremacy over other living beings. Humans must learn to live in harmony with nature rather than working against it in order to practice stewardship. Some Muslim scholars even consider this stewardship a divine test.[9] Natural world, as God's creation, is a sign through which humanity can perceive God.[11]

Oneness of God edit

The idea of oneness of God (tawhid) is another important principle that is frequently pursued in Islamic ecology. Within the context of Islamic environmentalism, the notion of tawhid has different levels of meaning. To begin with, it denotes monotheistic oneness of God, in contrast to the polytheistic doctrines and beliefs, and unity of God, in contrast to the Christian idea of the Trinity. It is an expression of God's transcendent unity with all of His creation. This unity with creation expresses the reality that everything in the world is a part of God's creation and is interconnected, making the entire world meaningful, valuable, and deserving of preservation.[1]

Notion of mizan edit

The notion of mizan, which means "balance", is fundamental to an Islamic environmental perspective. This idea is employed to describe the complex eco-systems and physical laws of the cosmos.[12] The most common verse used by Muslim scholars when discussing mizan is 15:19, which says, "As for the earth, We have spread it out, set firm mountains on it, and made everything grow there in due balance". In other words humans must "make the best use of reason and to maintain the balance and proportion God has built into his creation". In Arabic, the word mizan connotes both physical balance, and justice.[12]

Other ideas edit

To address contemporary issues such as pollution, Muslim authors employ the Islamic juristic practice of Qiyas (reasoning by analogy). They understand ahadith regulating cleanliness, prohibitions against odour, and hygiene as prohibitions against contamination of land, water, and air.[13]

Islamic environmental literature cites sayings of the Prophet emphasising the importance of conserving water during ablution and not being wasteful as instances of Islam's attitude on wasteful resource consumption.[13]

See also edit

References edit

  1. ^ a b c "Islamic environmentalism: The call to eco-jihad". Qantara.de - Dialogue with the Islamic World. 2021-12-11. from the original on 2021-12-11. Retrieved 2021-12-11.
  2. ^ a b Koehrsen 2021, p. 3.
  3. ^ Foltz 2006, p. 1151.
  4. ^ Foltz 2013, p. 675.
  5. ^ Quadir 2013, p. 27–28.
  6. ^ Johnston 2012, pp. 221–237.
  7. ^ Hancock 2017, p. 54.
  8. ^ a b c Hancock 2017, p. 55.
  9. ^ a b Hancock 2017, p. 56.
  10. ^ Ouis 1998, p. 154.
  11. ^ Hancock 2019.
  12. ^ a b Hancock 2017, p. 59.
  13. ^ a b Hancock 2017, p. 60.

Sources edit

  • Foltz, Richard (2006). "Seyyed Hossein Nasr". In Taylor, Bron (ed.). The Encyclopedia of Religion and Nature. Continuum. ISBN 9780199754670.
  • Foltz, Richard (2013). "Ecology in Islam". In Runehov, Anne L. C.; Oviedo, Lluis (eds.). Encyclopedia of Sciences and Religions. Springer. ISBN 978-1402082641.
  • Hancock, R. (2017). Islamic Environmentalism: Activism in the United States and Great Britain. Routledge Advances in Sociology. Taylor & Francis. ISBN 978-1-134-86550-5. Retrieved 2021-10-03.
  • Hancock, Rosemary (2019), "Ecology in Islam", Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Religion, Oxford University Press, doi:10.1093/acrefore/9780199340378.013.510, ISBN 978-0-19-934037-8
  • Johnston, David L. (2012). "Intra-Muslim Debates on Ecology: Is Shari'a Still Relevant?". Worldviews. 16 (3): 218–238. doi:10.1163/15685357-01603003. JSTOR 43809777.
  • Koehrsen, Jens (2021). "Muslims and climate change: How Islam, Muslim organizations, and religious leaders influence climate change perceptions and mitigation activities". WIREs Climate Change. 12 (3). Wiley. doi:10.1002/wcc.702. hdl:10852/90034. ISSN 1757-7780. S2CID 233963934.
  • Ouis, Soumaya Pernilla (1998). "Islamic Ecotheology based on the Qur'an". Islamic Studies. 37 (2). Islamic Research Institute, International Islamic University, Islamabad: 151–181. ISSN 0578-8072. JSTOR 20836989. Retrieved 2021-10-02.
  • Quadir, Tarik M. (2013). Traditional Islamic Environmentalism: The Vision of Seyyed Hossein Nasr. Lanham, MD: University Press of America. ISBN 978-0-7618-6143-0.

Further reading edit

External links edit

  • Environmental Ethics and Islam — Research Center for Islamic Legislation and Ethics
  • How Islam can represent a model for environmental stewardship — UN Environment Programme
  • The environment in Islamic civilization: The concept of human Khilafah on Earth by Dr. Ali Gomaa — Al-Masry Al-Youm (in Arabic)

April 11, 2024
islamic, environmentalism, strand, environmental, philosophy, well, islamic, movement, that, employs, environmental, principles, derived, from, islamic, scriptures, traditions, environment, modern, environmental, crisis, muslim, environmentalists, believe, abs. Islamic environmentalism is a strand of environmental philosophy as well as an Islamic movement that employs environmental principles derived from Islamic scriptures and traditions to the environment and the modern day environmental crisis Muslim environmentalists believe in God s absolute sovereignty over nature and emphasize humanity s role as God s vicegerent making it their duty to protect and preserve the environment Islamic environmentalism encompasses Islamic ecological philosophy Sharia based environmental law and Islamic environmental activism 1 Contents 1 History 2 People 3 Ideas 3 1 No human sovereignty 3 2 Mankind as Khalifah 3 3 Oneness of God 3 4 Notion of mizan 3 5 Other ideas 4 See also 5 References 6 Sources 7 Further reading 8 External linksHistory editIslamic environmentalism began with the Iranian philosopher Seyyed Hossein Nasr and has evolved since the 1960s A series of lectures delivered at the University of Chicago in 1966 by Nasr serves as an original point of reference 2 He was in fact among the early thinkers to draw attention to the spiritual dimensions of the environmental crisis 3 Nasr draws on Sufism and the concept of the unity of being to emphasize the connections between environmental degradation and the modern world s spiritual and moral crises The field of Islamic environmentalism developed further in the 1980s with the contributions made by contemporary thinkers such as Mawil Izzi Dien and Fazlun Khalid 2 People editThe Iranian born philosopher Seyyed Hossein Nasr is considered the founding father of Islamic environmentalism 1 4 Other notable figures in this field include Fazlun Khalid Mawil Izzi Dien Othman Llewellyn Ibrahim Ozdemir Syed Nomanul Haq and Mustafa Abu Sway 5 6 Ideas editNo human sovereignty edit The concept of human sovereignty over nature and natural resources referred to as dominion in religious contexts lies at the center of religious and secular environmental debates 7 The Quran unlike the Hebrew Bible and secular philosophy does not recognize human sovereignty over nature which has a significant impact on Islamic environmental debate 8 The Quran declares in seventeen different places that mulk or dominion exclusively belongs to God Allah Mulk is derived from the root M L K and means ownership or possession It appears forty eight times in the Quran and it refers to both the earthly kingdom or kingship such as the kingdom of Solomon in 2 102 and to the heavens and the earth implying the whole of creation It is always God who possesses mulk in every passage when the heavens and the earth as a whole is mentioned rather than a specific earthly kingdom 8 Mankind as Khalifah edit The Quran defined mankind as a Khalifah or a representative or successor on the earth rather than having dominion over or possession of it 8 The idea of khalifah stewardship is arguably the most important concept in Islamic environmentalism 9 Proponents of eco Islamic beliefs emphasize man s duty as God s vicegerent or steward khalifah on the earth As such he is responsible for acting in line with God s will and caring for the earth in the way He demands 10 It is vital to recognize that stewardship does not imply supremacy over other living beings Humans must learn to live in harmony with nature rather than working against it in order to practice stewardship Some Muslim scholars even consider this stewardship a divine test 9 Natural world as God s creation is a sign through which humanity can perceive God 11 Oneness of God edit The idea of oneness of God tawhid is another important principle that is frequently pursued in Islamic ecology Within the context of Islamic environmentalism the notion of tawhid has different levels of meaning To begin with it denotes monotheistic oneness of God in contrast to the polytheistic doctrines and beliefs and unity of God in contrast to the Christian idea of the Trinity It is an expression of God s transcendent unity with all of His creation This unity with creation expresses the reality that everything in the world is a part of God s creation and is interconnected making the entire world meaningful valuable and deserving of preservation 1 Notion of mizan edit The notion of mizan which means balance is fundamental to an Islamic environmental perspective This idea is employed to describe the complex eco systems and physical laws of the cosmos 12 The most common verse used by Muslim scholars when discussing mizan is 15 19 which says As for the earth We have spread it out set firm mountains on it and made everything grow there in due balance In other words humans must make the best use of reason and to maintain the balance and proportion God has built into his creation In Arabic the word mizan connotes both physical balance and justice 12 Other ideas edit To address contemporary issues such as pollution Muslim authors employ the Islamic juristic practice of Qiyas reasoning by analogy They understand ahadith regulating cleanliness prohibitions against odour and hygiene as prohibitions against contamination of land water and air 13 Islamic environmental literature cites sayings of the Prophet emphasising the importance of conserving water during ablution and not being wasteful as instances of Islam s attitude on wasteful resource consumption 13 See also edit nbsp Islam portal nbsp Environment portal nbsp Ecology portalBiocentrism ethics Deep ecology Environmental ethics Islamic Foundation for Ecology and Environmental Science Land ethic Resacralization of natureReferences edit a b c Islamic environmentalism The call to eco jihad Qantara de Dialogue with the Islamic World 2021 12 11 Archived from the original on 2021 12 11 Retrieved 2021 12 11 a b Koehrsen 2021 p 3 Foltz 2006 p 1151 Foltz 2013 p 675 Quadir 2013 p 27 28 Johnston 2012 pp 221 237 Hancock 2017 p 54 a b c Hancock 2017 p 55 a b Hancock 2017 p 56 Ouis 1998 p 154 Hancock 2019 a b Hancock 2017 p 59 a b Hancock 2017 p 60 Sources editFoltz Richard 2006 Seyyed Hossein Nasr In Taylor Bron ed The Encyclopedia of Religion and Nature Continuum ISBN 9780199754670 Foltz Richard 2013 Ecology in Islam In Runehov Anne L C Oviedo Lluis eds Encyclopedia of Sciences and Religions Springer ISBN 978 1402082641 Hancock R 2017 Islamic Environmentalism Activism in the United States and Great Britain Routledge Advances in Sociology Taylor amp Francis ISBN 978 1 134 86550 5 Retrieved 2021 10 03 Hancock Rosemary 2019 Ecology in Islam Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Religion Oxford University Press doi 10 1093 acrefore 9780199340378 013 510 ISBN 978 0 19 934037 8 Johnston David L 2012 Intra Muslim Debates on Ecology Is Shari a Still Relevant Worldviews 16 3 218 238 doi 10 1163 15685357 01603003 JSTOR 43809777 Koehrsen Jens 2021 Muslims and climate change How Islam Muslim organizations and religious leaders influence climate change perceptions and mitigation activities WIREs Climate Change 12 3 Wiley doi 10 1002 wcc 702 hdl 10852 90034 ISSN 1757 7780 S2CID 233963934 Ouis Soumaya Pernilla 1998 Islamic Ecotheology based on the Qur an Islamic Studies 37 2 Islamic Research Institute International Islamic University Islamabad 151 181 ISSN 0578 8072 JSTOR 20836989 Retrieved 2021 10 02 Quadir Tarik M 2013 Traditional Islamic Environmentalism The Vision of Seyyed Hossein Nasr Lanham MD University Press of America ISBN 978 0 7618 6143 0 Further reading editRichard C Foltz Frederick M Denny Azizan Baharuddin eds 2003 Islam and Ecology A Bestowed Trust Center for the Study of World Religions Harvard University ISBN 9780945454397 Ibrahim Abdul Matin 2010 Green Deen What Islam Teaches about Protecting the Planet Berrett Koehler Publishers ISBN 9781605094649 Odeh Rashed Al Jayyousi 2012 Islam and Sustainable Development New Worldviews Gower Publishing ISBN 9781409456490 Anna M Gade 2019 Muslim Environmentalisms Religious and Social Foundations Columbia University Press ISBN 9780231549219 Fazlun Khalid 2019 Signs on the Earth Islam Modernity and the Climate Crisis Kube Publishing Limited ISBN 9781847740779 H Aburounia M Sexton 2006 Islam and Sustainable Development PDF Research Institute for the Built and Human Environment University of Salford External links editEnvironmental Ethics and Islam Research Center for Islamic Legislation and Ethics How Islam can represent a model for environmental stewardship UN Environment Programme The environment in Islamic civilization The concept of human Khilafah on Earth by Dr Ali Gomaa Al Masry Al Youm in Arabic Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Islamic environmentalism amp oldid 1208710068, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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