A Bestowed Trust:

An Islamic Perception on the Environment

and Sustainable Development

8 December 2018,
Hong Kong Islamic Center

Prof. Dr. İbrahim Özdemir

Abo Akademi University, Turku- Finland
ib60dmr@gmail.com
 “In the name of Allah (God), the most gracious, the merciful”

 The Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) said: “Any action of importance not begun
with basmalah is devoid of blessing and therefore incomplete.”
 “Countless gratitude equal to the number of stars in the sky, drops in the
rainfalls, leaves of the trees, particles of sand of deserts, the atoms in the
heavens and the earth is befitting only for Allah, Whose attribute is His
Oneness and All Majesty, Greatness, Highness, and Excellence is specific for
Him”. Al-Ghazali, one of the greatest jurists, theologians, philosophers, and Sufis of the 12th Century.

He said, the sage said, upon him
be peace.
"At the time when the human
recognizes himself clearly, he truly
recognizes the Real Lord of
protecting and nourishing."
"He who knows himself has
known his Lord."
Ma Ming-lung 1919, the Tenri University
• Wang Tai-yü (1573~1619). The first major
Chinese Muslim thinker,
• Liu Chih (1662-1730), who signaled the
renaissance of Sinicized Islam
• Sachiko Murata, who made a pioneering
attempt to allow the shafts of Sufi light to
shine through the opacity of Chinese Islamic
theology illuminates a well-kept secret in
the comparative study of religion.
• Aida Wong, who invited me here made this
event possible.
Thank you all.
 “In the name of Allah, the most gracious, the merciful” occurred 114 times in the Quran.
 The Prophet (pbuh): “All that is contained in the revealed books is to be found in the Qur’an
and all that is contained in the Qur’an is summed up in the surat al-fatihah”.
 The phrase “In the name of” (Bismi) is an idiom having the connotation of with:
 the blessings of,
 under the governance of,
 as an instrument of,
 as a representative of,
 on behalf of,
 with the support of, or for the glory of.
 In each of these cases, the expression “In the name of” indicates that one is submitting to,
honoring or glorifying that which is referred to.
“In the name of God,
the most gracious,
the merciful”

12/13/2018 5
“All creatures act in the name of Almighty Allah”.
 All trees say: “In the Name of Allah,” fill their hands from the
treasury of mercy, and offer them to us.
 All gardens say: “In the Name of Allah” and become cauldrons
from the kitchens of Divine power in which are cooked numerous
varieties of different foods.
 All blessed animals like cows, camels, sheep, and goats, say: “In
the Name of Allah,” and produce springs of milk from the
abundance of mercy, offering us a most delicate and pure food like
the water of life in the name of the Provider.
 Briefly, this blessed phrase is a mark of Islam and Muslims.
 It forms and shapes our perception of Allah, the universe, and
ourselves.
 So, we have to start everything in our daily life with Bismillah (Nursi,
S. The Words, First Word).
 The Problems Facing Us
Environmental and climate change: the world’s greatest
problems.
 deforestation erosion,
 floods,
 drought,
 hunger,
 racism,
 international migration,
 international and domestic terror,
 human rights violations, human trafficking, and even nihilism.
 Not forgetting, the rush for natural resources of the Middle
East and ensuing conflicts and wars in the region.
 The Problems Facing Us/2
 Environmental, social, and economic threats are
aimed at everyone without discrimination,
whether Christian, Jew, Hindu, Buddhist, and
Muslim.
 The teachings of the Qur’an and its embodiment
in the life of the Prophet Muhammad may help
Muslims to understand their environment in a
wider context
 Develop a spirit of care, compassion, and
responsibility towards environmental problems.
 The Qur’an: The Fountain and the Reference
Point for Muslims
It gives meaning to the world we live in and our journey in this life.
It has been a source of inspiration, illumination, and guidance for ;
 Muslim philosophers,
 Theologians,
 Sufi masters,
 Scientists,
 Jurists,
 Average Muslims who have accepted it as their sacred revelation from the
first revelation to present day.
 Muslims naturally believe that the Qur’an can and should continue to play such
a role today in our quest for conducting a meaningfully ethical life and solving
our daunting problems.
 Read in The Name of Creator!

 “Read in the name of your Lord

and Sustainer who created—
created man out of a germ-cell.
 Read — for your Lord is the most
Bountiful One,
 who has taught the use of the
pen,
 taught man what he did not
know (Qur’an 96: 1-5).
 “Reading” here means a completely new way of
looking at the world.
The key notion is that this reading should be in the name of our Lord, who is the
Creator and Sustainer of the universe.
 Therefore, from the very beginning the Qur’an, declares that Allah is the real
Creator, Owner, and Sustainer of all reality.
 Hence, all reality should be seen and read with this point of view in mind.
 The impact of these earlier verses should not be underestimated as they
were shaping Muslims’ worldview as well as identity visa a vis pagan
perception of nature.
 Everything starts, works, and moves in His name.
 He is the One who creates, originates and teaches.
 Whatever man learns and whatever experience and knowledge he acquires
come originally from Allah.
 He has taught man what he did not know.
Allah as the Creator, Lord, and the Sustainer

 Allah as the Creator, Lord, and the Sustainer of all the

worlds occurred very often through the Qur’an.
 The word Allâh with over 2,800 occurrences
 Rabb “Master, Lord,” over 950 occurrence has a very
important message for Muslims.
 The Qur’an, using the same word or root over and
over again was—and still is—the surest way to have
the message it contains register in the minds of the
listeners.
 Al-Fātihah/ The Opening
 Every Muslim recites this short sūrah of seven verses at
least seventeen times a day.
 This short sūrah contains a great deal of the central basic
ideas of Islam, its beliefs and concepts.
 It outlines many of its essential perceptions and attitudes.
 All this makes it clear why it was chosen for frequent
recitation and why it is essential for the validity of prayer.
 Reading it, again and again, imprint and register the
meaning and message of this blessed verses in our minds
and hearts.
 Let’s look at this chapter with an environmental mindset
and see how it presents the world to us.
 It starts with praising Allah: “All praise be to Allah, the
Sustainer of all the worlds”. (Qur’an, 1:1-2).
 A Sacred Environment
 We should not forget that the Sustainer, the Lord, and Owner of all
environments, at the same time, is our Creator.
 Heavens, the planets, the stars, the galaxies, the earth, oceans, seas, lakes,
rivers, lofty mountains, forests all living creatures, that is all-natural
phenomenon created and sustained by Allah, constitutes our
environment.
 Thus, when we say “environment,” we understand all these natural
phenomena as a whole.
 Moreover, we can add to the natural environment our social environment,
too.
 The latter include poverty, homelessness, migration problems, racism,
abandoned children, drug abuse, alcohol addiction, neighbors, and other
problems.
 Social Environment and Responsibilities
Let me just remind you a saying of the Prophet regarding our very
social environment.
He reminded his friends “he is not a believer whose stomach is
filled while the neighbor to his side goes hungry.”
He also, I think, is the first human being who remind his
community regarding the neighbor’s right of wind, when saying
“when building a house, you must not prevent your neighbor to
have wind”.
In short, the Prophet urges kind and considerate treatment and
relationship towards our neighbors, which is our very social
environment.
They deserve our respect and good treatment regardless of their
religion, race or color.
 The Purpose and Meaning
The pre-Islamic Arabs regarded nature: lifeless, meaningless, and purposeless.
the Qur’an from the first day declared at top of Mount Noor that the “heavens
and earth and all in between” created with a purpose and meaning.
Therefore, “everything has been created with a specific order, duty, meaning,
and purpose” (Qur’an 38: 27; 3:190-191; 21:16-17; 23:115).
 Nature is not out there just
 By accident,
 As a result of the process of blind and random evolution
 Or chaotic configurations without meaning or purpose;
 Nature has and order, meaning, and purpose.
 Therefore, if human ponders and scrutinizes the very structure of natural
phenomena, he can deduce the existence of a Creator who is All-Powerful,
All-Knowing, and All-Merciful.
 Divine Book!

 Nature “having a firm and well-knit structure with no gaps,

no ruptures, and no dislocations” is regarded as “one of the
grand handiworks of the Almighty”.
 Like a mirror, nature reflects the power, beauty, wisdom, and
mercy of its Creator.
 Nature, in the light of the Qur’an, seen as a balanced, just,
peaceful, unified pattern, created and sustained by Allah.
 Allah adorns the skies with the sun, the moon, and the stars;
the face of the earth with flowers, trees, gardens, orchards
and animals.
 Allah and Creation
Allah causes the rivers and streams to flow on the earth;
 Upholds the skies,

 Causes the rain to fall,

 And places the boundary between night and day.

 In short, the universe, together with all its richness and vitality, is the
work and art of Allah.
The Qur’an, therefore, applies the term islam (submission) to the entire
universe and regards all nature as muslim (submissive) insofar as it
(ineluctably) obeys Allah’s laws.
In fact, the Qur’an declares that “there is not a single thing but extols His
limitless glory and praise”. (22:18; 17:44).
 A Sufi Traveler’s Observations

 “One spring I was setting out on a journey, a stranger, and

deep in contemplation.
 While skirting a hill, a brilliant yellow buttercup struck my eye.
 It immediately brought to mind the same species of buttercup
I had seen long before in my native land and in other
countries.
 This meaning was imparted to my heart: whoever this flower
is the seal of, the stamp of, the signature of, the impress of, all
the flowers of that species throughout the earth are surely
His seals, His stamps (Nursi, S. The Words, 33th Word).
 Like a seal, everything ascribes all things to
its own Creator
 After this notion of the seal, the following thought occurred to me:
 just as a seal stamped on a letter denotes the letter’s author, in the
same way, this flower is a seal signifying the Most Merciful One.
 And this hillock which is inscribed with the impresses of these species
and written with the lines of these plants so full of meaning, is the
missive of the flower’s Maker.
 This hill too is a seal.
 This plateau and plain have taken on the form of a missive of the Most
Merciful One.
 After this thought, the following fact came to mind:
 like a seal, everything ascribes all things to its own Creator; it proves
each is the letter of its own Scribe.
 Thus, all things are windows onto Divine unity in such a way that each
ascribes all things to a Single One of Unity” (Nursi,ibid).
 Allah is al-Muhit!
If Allah reveals His majesty, mercy and all other sacred beautiful names and
attributes through the esthetic dimension of nature, as well as its orderly
structure –
In this way, humans will discover that all the good things they enjoy in this
earthly life are, in reality, Allah's gifts (2:115).
Allah is al-Muhit: “all encompassing, all pervading, and that which surrounds
all” (4:108).
As muhit "God Himself is the ultimate environment which surrounds and
encompasses man.”
 So, Nasr believes that since the environment is not an ontologically
independent order of reality, which is divorced from the Divine
Environment, the environmental crisis "has been caused by man’s refusal to
see God as the real Environment."
 A careful examination of the early verses of
the Qur’an reveals an invitation
To examine and investigate the heavens and the earth, and
everything that can be seen in the environment:
 the sun, the moon, stars, clouds, seas, mountains, rain, wind

 grapes, dates, olives,

 flies, birds, fish, camels, sheep, bees,––

 in short, all natural phenomena.

 In its oft-repeated insistence on the investigation of nature,

the Qur’an was aiming at developing an active and dynamic
individual.
In the poetic and eloquent words of Rumi:

“Do you know what you are?

You are a manuscript of a divine letter.
You are a mirror reflecting a noble face.
This universe is not outside of you.
Look inside yourself;
everything that you want, you are
already that.”
 al-Nablusi (d.1731)
a Sufi poet of 18th century of Damascus

invites us to see and read the whole

universe as a book:
 Reflect upon the lines of the [Book of the]
Universe,
 for they are letters to you from the
highest realm.(al-Nablusi, Diwan).

 “the Book of creation displays orderliness as

clearly as the midday sun
 exhibits the power’s miracle in every word or
letter”.
 A Sacred book and Piece of Art

the Italian Renaissance artist Leonardo da

Vinci that has been described as
• "the best known,
• the most visited,
• the most written about,
• the most sung about,
• the most parodied work of art in the world".

The Mona Lisa:

• the most valuable paintings in the world.
• the highest known insurance valuation in
From art to artist!
history at $100 million in 1962.
• nearly $800 million in 2017
 Wang Tai-yü: Resemblance to the Real (ssu-
chen).

 ln order to attain resemblance to the Real, one needs to observe the

clear mandate and recognize the Real Lord, who transforms and
produces everything.
 To do this one needs to know the relationship between the Real
Lord and the universe.
 If you cannot recognize yourself, you cannot investigate things.
 If you cannot investigate things, you cannot exhaustively search
for the principle.
 If you cannot ex-haustively search for the principle, you cannot
purify your nature and clarify your heart.
 Hence you cannot discern your origin.
 If you cannot discern your origin, you cannot know the Utmost
Sage.
 How then will it be possible to serve the Real Lord?
 The Prophet (pbuh): “Woe to the person who
hears this verse and does not meditate upon it.”
 In the creation of the heavens and the earth,
 and in the succession of night and day,
 there are indeed signs for men endowed with
insight,
 who remember Allah when they stand, sit and
lie down, and reflect on the creation of the
heavens and the earth:
“Our Lord, You have not created all this in
vain.
Limitless are You in Your glory”. (The Qur’an,
3: 190-191).
 The Qur'an portrays animals as works of art
displaying the Maker's skill and perfection (16:66).
 Among the animal species mentioned by name in the Qur'an are:
 camels, cattle, horses, mules, donkeys, sheep, monkeys, dogs, pigs, snakes,
worms, ants, bees, spiders, mosquitoes, and flies.
 We are invited by the Qur’an, to consider
 camels and how they are created;
 the sky and how it is raised high;
 the mountains and how they are fixed firm;
 the Earth and how it is spread out. (88:17-20).
 The implication is that all the phenomena around us are "full of meaning, high
design, and the goodness of Allah to human beings".
 the Qur’an says that animals, like human, constitute a "community" (umma).
 It is especially noteworthy that this concept, which is a highly significant theme
in Islamic tradition and literature, should be applied to animals. (6:38).
Mawlana Rm: Everything is alive..

 “Earth, and water, fire and air are alive in the view of
God, though they appear to be dead to us”
 “Never think the earth void or dead; it is a hare, it is
awake and it is quivering.”
 Everything happens according to the Divine Will and
Wisdom, i.e., a great plan is at work in the cosmic world.
 Even bees build their houses by inspiration from God.
(Nahl: )
 In short, a colorful, meaningful, and living world reveals
itself in his poetry.
 Nature as Miracle and Signs of Allah
Behold! In the creation of the heavens and the earth;
 in the alternation of the Night and the Day;
 in the sailing of the ships through the Ocean for the
profit of mankind;
 in the rain which Allah sends down from the skies,
 and the life which He gives therewith to an earth that
is dead;
 in the beasts of all kinds that He scatters through the
earth;
 in the change of the winds, and the clouds which
they trail like their slaves between the sky and the
earth;
 (here) indeed are Signs for a people that are wise.
(al-Baqarah 2:164).
 Yusuf Abdullah Ali
A Famous Translator and Commentator

 “This magnificent Nature passage stands out like a

hill in a landscape, enhancing the beauty of our
view, and preparing us for the every-day laws and
ordinances, which follow. Note its literary
architecture.
 Allah is one: and among His wondrous Signs is the
unity of design in the widest diversity of Nature.
 The Signs are taken from the features of beauty,
power, and utility to man himself, and lead up to an
appeal to Man's own intelligence and wisdom”.
 The Purpose of Creation
 “Belief in Allah is creation’s highest aim and most sublime result, and
humanity’s most exalted rank is knowledge of Him.
 The most radiant happiness and sweetest bounty for jinn and humanity is
love of Allah contained within knowledge of Allah.
 The human spirit’s purest joy and the human heart’s sheerest delight is
spiritual ecstasy contained within love of Allah.
 Therefore, all true happiness, pure joy, sweet bounties, and unclouded
pleasures are contained within knowledge and love of Allah.
 Those who truly know and love Allah can receive endless happiness,
bounties, enlightenment, and mysteries.
 Those who do not are afflicted with endless spiritual and material misery,
pain, and fear”.
 The Prophet (pbuh):
a Role Model for Muslim Environmentalists
 We Muslims regard the Prophet Muhammad as the
perfect man & the complete person (insan-i kamil),
 representing in his life and person an example all
Muslims should aspire to follow.
 The Qur’an, addressing the Prophet, declares, “indeed
you have been endowed with a noble character”
(Qur’an 68:4).
 Then reminds us “in the Messenger of Allah you have
a beautiful pattern of conduct” (Qur’an 33:21).
 ’A’isha, the Prophet’s wife, describes her husband, as
having a character that mirrors the Qur’an.
 The Prophet insisted on the protection of
animals and the kind treatment of them
They should be well treated, protected, and not abused or degraded
The Prophet prohibited torture and abuse of animals even.
 The Most Merciful One is merciful towards those who are merciful.
Act kindly to those on the earth so that those in the heavens [the
angels] will be merciful to you (Tirmidhi, Birr, 16).
 “Anyone who kills a sparrow without good reason will be called to
account by Allah at the Last Judgement.” (Abu Dau'd, ii, 11).
 Birds’ nests should not be disturbed, or the eggs or chicks stolen
(Bukhari, al-Adab al-Mufrad, 139).
 They should not be ill-treated, but should be well looked after
 kept clean, and employed in work suitable to their natures,
 should not be loaded with burdens greater than they can bear.
 He put a ban on hunting, forbidding the arbitrary hunting of animals
for pleasure.
 “There is a reward for giving any living
creature to drink.”
 “A traveler felt a great thirst as he went on his way, so stopped at
well and drank of its water. As he came up from the well he saw a
dog licking the damp soil with its thirsty, lolling tongue.
 Saying to himself: ‘This animal is thirsty like I was,’.
 He went back down to the well and filled his shoe with water.
 Then holding it firm returned and held it for the dog to drink.
Allah praised that servant of His for his act and forgave all his
sins.”
 His Companions then asked him: “So are we rewarded for
watering animals?”
 Allah’s Messenger replied: “There is a reward for giving any
living creature to drink.” (Bukhari, Tajrid al-Sahih, vii, 223, No:
1066).
Hima: “inviolable zones,” which are called sanctuaries
The Prophet was aware of the integrity of eco-system and the importance of water,
greenery, and forests.
 On migrating to Medina, he organized the planting of trees and date groves. He
made forests and green spaces conservation areas, where every sort of living
creature could live unmolested.
 Within these “inviolable zones,” which are called sanctuaries (hima), neither trees,
nor shrubs, nor vegetation could be cut, nor could any wild animal be hunted or
even disturbed.
 Around Medina, a strip of land approximately twelve miles wide was proclaimed a
sanctuary and made a conservation area by the Prophet.
 Likewise, he declared other areas, similar to the one in this example, as
sanctuaries.
 In short, the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) was very conscious of his environment.
 developed a spirit of love and care toward the creatures of Allah.
 If Muslims examine the life of the Prophet with a “green” eye, they may discover
new insights for developing an environmental ethics.
 The Sufi Perspective
The Qur’anic value system is reflected in the thoughts and
philosophies of many Muslim thinkers and received a special
emphasize by the Muslim mystics. For example, Jalal al-Din
Rumi, the great Muslim poet and mystic of 13th century,
painstakingly underlines from a Qur’anic context and draws
attention to the beauty, harmony, orderliness of nature as an
organic being.
Rumi:
 Everything has been created with a specific order, duty,
purpose, and meaning.
 There is no lifeless matter in this system; all matter is alive,
albeit at various gradations of being.
 “Earth, and water, fire and air are alive in the view of Allah,
though they appear to be dead to us.”
 “Never think the earth void or dead; it is aware, it is awake
and it is quivering”.
 “Human beings are not outsiders and strangers
in a hostile and brute natural environment”
 If everything is alive and created by a compassionate, creative, and
loving Allah,
 Then “human beings are not outsiders and strangers in a hostile
and brute natural environment.
 The whole world is a majestic garden, in which every flower has its
function and represents various states and aspects of human life,
 Every leaf on a tree and every bird in a bush offers praise and
thanksgiving for Allah’s greatness and sustenance.
 Every leaf and tree is a messenger from non-existence, proclaiming
the creative power of Allah, talking with long hands and green
fresh tongues”.
 Conclusion
Tawhid:
 Allah created the universe and adorns the skies with the sun, the moon and
the stars, and the face of the earth with flowers, trees, gardens, orchards,
and the various animal species.
 Allah causes the rivers and streams to flow, upholds the skies (without
support), causes the rain to fall and places the boundary between night and
day.
 Therefore, the universe, with all its richness and vitality, is the work and art
of Allah who creates and sustains all plants and animals as pairs, in this way
causing their procreation.
 Nature as a balanced, just, peaceful, unified pattern, created by and
functioning according to Allah’s design, each part having its own purpose,
its role within the interlocking whole.
 everything is interdependent with everything.
 Therefore, humans should/must consider this interconnectedness when
dealing and interacting with the natural environment.
 «God does not love the wasters». (Qur’an, 7:31).
Islam does not accept thoughtless consumption and wastefulness.
 The Qur’anic teaching on consumption is very crystal-clear for us:
 “Eat and drink, but waste not by excess; verily He loves not the excessive”
(Qur’an, 7:31)
 “and do not cause corruption in the earth, when it has been in order
(Qur’an, 26:151-152).
 Within the Qur’anic perspective, wastefulness is not only the thoughtless
consumption of natural resources; it is at the same time disrespectful
towards Allah, the Creator, Sustainer, and Owner of all the bounties in the
world.
 Therefore, eating and drinking of licit food is lawful in Islam but
wastefulness is forbidden.
 It is an ethical imperative and responsibility for concerned Muslims to
maintain and preserve the balance of ecosystems.
 Humans are “trustees and stewardships on
the earth”
Allah has created this world and entrusted it to human
beings alone,
They are not the owners and masters of the natural
environment, as such. They are only trustees and
stewardships on the earth.
More importantly, this stewardshipness includes:
The maintainness and utilization of the natural
environment in accordance with what Allah created these
things for,
To consider the order and the ecological balance of nature
on the other.
 Guiding Principles of Islamic
Environmental Ethics and Sustainability
 Humanity is only entitled to use nature as Allah’s trustee, with an eye to balance,
rewarded or punished appropriately;
 Animals should be treated as partners of humanity;
 Everything has ecological value and rights and humanity is not empowered to
disturb this;
 Natural degradation results from greed or lust for power, punishable infringements
of Allah’s trust;
 Prevention of harm takes preference overachievement;
 Consumerism, creating false needs, is discouraged, waste not permitted
Briefly, environmental awareness, caring for the environment and animals, deep
concern over climate change and its daunting consequences and all other related
problems are our ethical and moral responsibility.
Therefore, we have to find solutions in the light of the Qur’an and Sunnah of the
Prophet (pbuh).
 A Common Cause
 The world belongs to all of us.
 We are all obliged to conserve and protect.
 We must co-operate and work together for a better world, a
better future, and a better environment.
 We must love and preserve our environment and all the
living creatures within it in the name of our Sustainer, Who
created them and entrusted them to us.
 In this way, the 21st century will be the century of peace,
happiness, tolerance, and brotherhood.
 Not only for humans, but for all creatures, animate and
inanimate.
 “Seek knowledge even if in China…”

There is a widely-cited Hadith of the Prophet

which Chinese Muslims cherished throughout
history, says:
“Seek knowledge even if in China, for the
seeking of knowledge is incumbent upon every
Muslim.”
The Hadith rings as true today as ever.
Masjid Tertua -China

«Our Lord! Give us the best of this world as

well as the best in the Hereafter».