All Religions Teach Respect for Nature: Environmental Disorders Sign of Ignoring Nature's Gift to Human Beings

By Arman Neyazi, New Age Islam 17 February 2025 Human Beings, The "Ashraf Ul Makhlooquat", (The Best Of All The Creations Of Allah), According To Islam As Well As Hinduism Have Been Unmindful Of The Kind Blessings, Beautiful Environment Surroundings Having Mountains, Meadows, Springs, Oceans, Rivers, With Innumerable Kinds Of Animals And Birds Main Points: 1. "We don't inherit the earth from our ancestors; we borrow it from our children." 2. Environment is there to make the universe and the world beautiful. 3. Environment is to provide human beings with habitats, food, health, and wealth. -------- According to Islam, human beings are "Ashraf ul Makhlooquat", the best of all the creations of Allah. Allah, the Creator of the universe says in the Holy Quran: {And We have certainly honored the children of Adam and carried them on the land and sea and provided for them of the good things and preferred them over much of what We have created, with [definite] preference...} [Quran 17:70] Lord Krishna says in the Bhagwad Gita: O Arjun, know Me to be the beginning, middle, and end of all creation. Amongst sciences I am the science of spirituality, and in debates I am the logical conclusion. Chapter 10, Verse 32 Human beings, the "Ashraf ul Makhlooquat", (the best of all the creations of Allah), according to Islam as well as Hinduism have been unmindful of the kind blessings, beautiful environment surroundings having mountains, meadows, springs, oceans, rivers, with innumerable kinds of animals and birds, bestowed upon to sustain on earth. All these are there to provide beauty and breathe life. These are there to make the universe and the world, they live in, beautiful and to provide them with habitats, food, health, and wealth. On the other side, we the human beings have grown more and more ungrateful with time and are foolishly cutting the branches we are sitting on. We are ruining the environment for economic gain, which is the root of all the evils the world is facing these days, in the form of expansionism and industrialization. It is shockingly surprising that the wise of the world do not understand what the environment can do if it comes to take its revenge even when the world has been witnessing man-made environmental disasters like: The Gulf of Mexico Dead Zone The Great Pacific Garbage Patch The Dust Bowl Three Mile Island Accident Love Canal Disaster Tennessee Valley Authority Coal Ash Spill Exxon Valdez Oil Spill The BP Deep-water Horizon Oil Spill 2017 California Wildfires Flint Water Crisis (Source: Treehugger Sustainability for All) And the latest: Hollywood Burns as Fires Become LA's Worst Disaster in Decades This ungratefulness is also because of the unfound pride of being well aware of all that is on the earth and the skies by those who do not understand nature by virtue of being unaware of the religious texts of the religions of the world. We will see what the different religious epics say about the environment and the value of looking after them. The Holy Quran states: "And when your Lord said to the angel: Verily, I am going to place a Khalifah on the earth." (Al-Baquarah 2:30) Allah the most Benevolent created human beings and declared them His 'Khalifah', that is a 'successor' or a 'deputy'. The duties of a good deputy or a successor is the look after and safeguard all that he has received in the hierarchy and grow it with all his wisdom and intellectual capacity. And look what human beings it doing with it, destroying it for its momentary economic gain, comfort, and exhibition of its superiority. Allah, the Creator of the universe further says: "Do you not see that Allah sends down rain from the sky and makes it flow as springs [and rivers] in the earth; then He produces thereby crops of varying colours; then they dry and you see them turned yellow; then He makes them [scattered] debris. Indeed that is a reminder for those of understanding" (Qur'an 39:21). This part "Indeed in that is a reminder for those of understanding" of the verse mentioned above addresses educated and responsible scholars of science, nature, and social life as a reminder to make them understand their duties and create an atmosphere of solidarity towards the environment for only them humanity will be able to witness healthy and wealthy resources Allah, the most Benevolent, has bestowed upon His deputies. Pay your attention to the following verse: "And it is He who has made you successors upon the earth and has raised some of you above others in degrees [of rank] that He may try you through what He has given you. Indeed, your Lord is swift in penalty; but indeed, He is Forgiving and Merciful" (Qur'an, 6:165). The above-mentioned verse should work as an eye opener for those whom Allah, the most Merciful has blessed some among us, with wisdom of understanding the environment and as His deputy to try them with what He has bestowed upon them. The said verse states, "Indeed, your Lord is swift in penalty", does it not point out to the man-made disasters that the world is and has been witnessing? Prophetic Sayings Related to Environment Conservation Abdullah ibn Amr ibn Al-`Aas (May Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Prophet (SAW) passed one day by Sa`d ibn Abi Waqas (May Allah be pleased with him) while he was performing Wudu' (ritual cleaning of body parts in preparation for prayer) and asked Sa'ad, "Why is this wastage?" Sa`d replied, "Is there wastage in Wudu also?" The Prophet said, "Yes, even if you are at a flowing river." (Ahmad and authenticated Ahmad Shakir) Abu Zarr Al-Ghafari (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Prophet (SAW) said, "Removing harmful things from the road is an act of charity (Sadaqah)" (Authenticated by Al-Albani Anas reported that the Prophet (SAW) said, "If a Muslim plants a tree or sows seeds, and then a bird, or a person or an animal eats from it, it is regarded as a charitable gift (Sadaqah) for him." (Bukhari) "Removing harmful things from the road is an act of charity (Sadaqah)" (Authenticated by Al-Albani) What the Hindu Scriptures Say about the Environment Ether, air, fire, water, earth, planets, all creatures, directions, trees and plants, rivers and seas, they all are organs of God's body. Remembering this, a devotee respects all species. — Srimad Bhagavata Mahapurana (2.2.41 May the Goddess Waters be auspicious for us to drink. May they flow, they flow, with blessings upon us. May the Earth be pleasant and free of thorns as our place of rest. May She grant us a wide peace. May the Divine Waters which grant us blessings, may they sustain our vigor and energy, and for a great vision of delight. May we partake of that which is their most auspicious essence, as from loving mothers. May the Heaven grant us peace, and the Atmosphere. May the Earth grant us peace, and the Waters. May the plants and the great forest trees give us their peace. May the Devas grant us peace. May Brahman grant us peace. May the entire universe grant us peace. May that supreme peace come to us. May that peace dwell in me. Take this firm resolve: May all beings look at me with the eyes of a friend. May I look at all beings with the eyes of a friend. May we all look at each other with the eyes of a friend. — Shukla Yajur Veda 36.12–15, 17–18 (translation by Pandit Vamadeva Shastri) Sarva Bhuta Hita – Promoting the welfare of all beings is the highest dharma. Vasudeva Sarvam – The Divine is present in all beings How the Bible Describes the Importance of the Environment Genesis 2:15 ESV The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it. Genesis 1:28 ESV And God blessed them. And God said to them, "Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth." Psalm 24:1 ESV A Psalm of David The earth is the Lord's and the fullness thereof, the world and those who dwell therein, Nehemiah 9:6 ESV "You are the Lord, you alone. You have made heaven, the heaven of heavens, with all their host, the earth and all that is on it, the seas and all that is in them; and you preserve all of them, and the host of heaven worships you. Jeremiah 2:7 ESV And I brought you into a plentiful land to enjoy its fruits and its good things. But when you came in, you defiled my land and made my heritage an abomination. Proverbs 12:10 ESV Whoever is righteous has regard for the life of his beast, but the mercy of the wicked is cruel. Above mentioned religious texts clearly show that we have been described and made responsible for the upliftment of our environmental surroundings for a liveable life for us and for the generations to come. The battle of superiority in the industrial and economic run of superiority has ruined the atmosphere and will leave it unliveable for generations to come. We, therefore must not forget that we are sent on this earth to work for humanity and respect the human values established by the Creator of this universe. Environmental Scientists and Their Concern for Mother Earth There have been various environmental scientists who have tried to wake up the sleeping conscience of the world regarding the importance of environmental beauty and its havoc if not respected its demands. Carl Sagan: "Our planet is a lonely speck in the great enveloping cosmic dark. In our obscurity, in all this vastness, there is no hint that help will come from elsewhere to save us from ourselves." Lady Bird Johnson: "The environment is where we all meet, where we all have a mutual interest. It is the one thing all of us share." David Brower: "We don't inherit the earth from our ancestors; we borrow it from our children." Above mentioned three distinguished environmental scientists should be enough to make us understand our responsibility towards conserving the environment around us. And Allah Knows the Best. ---- Arman Neyazi is a columnist with NewAgeIslam.com. URL: https://www.newageislam.com/islam-environment/religions-respect-nature-environment-human-beings/d/134639 New Age Islam, Islam Online, Islamic Website, African Muslim News, Arab World News, South Asia News, Indian Muslim News, World Muslim News, Women in Islam, Islamic Feminism, Arab Women, Women In Arab, Islamophobia in America, Muslim Women in West, Islam Women and Feminism