Sahabah Related to Islam and Sustainable Development

It can be defined that the concept of sustainable development in Islam is the balance
between consumer welfare, economic efficiency, attainment of social justice and ecological
balance. Islam’s response to sustainable development is based on Divine guidance. It is
believed by all Muslims that they are all created by Allah as well as the universe. Therefore,
it is their duty to protect and maintain the welfare of themselves as well as the environment
they live in. In addition to that, both Qur’an and Sunnah provided a clear framework on how
spiritual and physical wellbeing of humanity with their surroundings played a vital part
towards worshipping Allah and equality among human beings as a whole. Examples of
sustainable development are such as environment protection. As stated in the Qur’an, “And
do good as Allah has been good to you. And do not seek to cause corruption in the earth.
Allah does not love the corrupters”, (Al Qasas 28:77). Islam also considered sustainable
development in spiritual aspect like sabr as a control agent in preventing arrogant, ignorant
and greedy attitudes.

Some of the companions of the Prophet Muhammad S.A.W or can also be called as
sahabah had contributed towards sustainable development that benefits both humanity and
the environment. Sahabah that had one of the major contributions on this field is Umar Al-
Khattab. One of it is the introduction of majlis-ash-shura which is the highest legislative
council in Islam. The functions are deciding country’s policy on international relatives and
state governance. It discusses problems on politics, social and safety. This system is still
being used by Muslims till this day. Other than that, he made some advancements towards
agricultural aspect. For instance, a new taxation system was introduced based on the types
of soil and soil fertility. The most important one is the creation of drainage and canal for
enhancements of agricultural system. This is still being used by farmers all around the world
until today.

In conclusion, it is the responsibility of Muslims to ensure each development in all aspects of

life is sustained. Actions such as programmes about Islamic teachings and cooperation
among all organizations should be taken to spread the awareness to other people. As
Muslims, we need to follow good examples from the Prophet and his companions as well as
guidance from Allah to achieve sustainable development.