The Environment and it’s Preservation in Islam

April 2023
Ummisalma Aliyu Nasir (ST10168235)
Islamic Civilisation CVN 101
Wasim Ahmad
International Open University

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 The Environment and it’s Preservation in Islam

Introduction
The interest for preserving habitat should begin from a person by setting morals in
one’s self which can reach a big path in curtailing carbon tread for a reliable
consumerism. However, our principles and ethical norms stand genuinely grounded in
our faith, actions and society. Faith has a great influence on a soul than any
supplementary impacting characteristic. The hotbed of our civilisation and different
civilization has largely been impacted on by belief and its related actions. The books on
faith from sociological standpoint, extensively interprets religion as “a network of notions
and process by norms of which a faction of community clash with the absolute situations
of mortal life”1.

According to the Qur’an, protecting the habitat is a sacred responsibility in expansion

to a civic duty, and is not deemed a discretionary issue. The Prophetic rites and their
instructions dealt greatly with numerous environmental factors, such as conserving raw
resources, reclamation of soil, and strengthening the cleanliness of the habitat.
Tolerable manner is stimulated through complaint of gluttony, as Prophet Muhammad
rejected excess in consumption or any other aspect of amenity. He instructed
moderateness in all elements of life, directed by standard, and this is what the Qur’an
eemphasize2.

The priority on such instructions could circulate the perception and enthusiasm of the
vast Muslim societies worldwide toward environmental sustainability as a fundamental
doctrine of attitude. Prophet Muhammad positioned a great significance on endurable
farming of the soil, how humans relate with animals, the conservation of raw resources,

The Environment and it’s Preservation in Islam

1
Faseeh, Beig and Fayaz Nikah, “Environmental protection from Islamic perspective”. (n.d); 3 March, 2023,
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/352759203.
2
Labeeb, Bsoul, Amani Omer, Lejla Kucukalic and Richardo H. Archbold, “Islam's perspective on environmental
sustainability: A conceptual analysis”. Social Sciences 11,228, (2022): 2-10, March 27, 2023. Doi
10.3390/socsci11060228.

2
and the safety of the natural setting in comprehensive3. Numerous expressions of
Prophet Muhammad alarm for and incentivize environmental sustainability in essence:

“No Muslim plants a plant or grows a grain and then a bird, or a mortal, or an animal
meals from it but that it prevails as a forgiveness for him”4.

Basic Elements of the Environment

The essential components of the habitat according to the Islamic Da'awah comprise the
following5:

 Earth
This is the primary component of the habitat, notably and the nearest to its
linguistic pumean.
 Climate
It is consisted as the movement of the habitat.
 Water
It is one of the requirements of existence.
 Air
It refreshes openings, moreover it impacts, affected and permeates every area
on the earth.
 Minerals and vitality sources
Human beings naturally cannot do without them.
 Plants
This is the main basis of livelihood for humanity; it is significant and affected by
the habitat.
 Animals
The Environment and it’s Preservation in Islam

3
Bsoul, “Islam's perspective on environment”, 4...
4
Ibid, 4.
5
Moustafa, El Khayat, Mohammed Al-Shafi'I, Zawawi Yusuf and Nor Anu Mansor, “Environmental protection in the
light of Islamic dawah: Purpose and values”. International Journal of Academic Research in Business& Social
Sciences 9, 2, (2019): 38-47, March 27,/2023, doi.org/10.6007/IJARBSS/v9-i2/5520.

3
 These are the partners of human on this planet and are means for mortal
sustenance, and prevail important and impacted on by the habitat.
 Humans
Prevail as the master component of their habitat in periods of the connections
between cohabitants in the habitat and common effect between the facets.
Upon analyzing these factors, it can be point out that they comprise of two
important proportion which sharen to a mutually positive connection established
on equilibrium. These two proportion are ‘the physical habitat’, which are non-
living elements, and ‘the biological environment’, which comprises of all living
creatures comprising humans6.

Principles and Guidelines in Islam for Preserving Environment

1. Justice (Adl): The law of Adl stresses on strengthening associations with

humans and other creations comprising habitat on the rationale of righteousness
as decreed by Allah:
“ Eat and savor the nourishment God has given and do not behave wrongfully in
the earth, yielding ccorruption”7.
This Quranic verse underlines that one should use the reserves requirement by
man without turning to unethical strategies which might direct to exploitation of
raw reserves.
2. Proportion (Mizan): This law speaks about the connection between humans
from financial and civil perspective standpoint comprising environmental
reserves especially water, air, soil, plants and creatures. The Holy Quran
possesses a significant information viewing fragility of our habitat,
“If at early sunrise your waters have plummeted out, who then will provide you
clear trotting water”8.
The Environment and it’s Preservation in Islam

6
Moustafa, “Environmental protection in the light...”, 41
7
Qur'an 2: 60
8
Qur'an 67: 30

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 The explanation of Prophet Muhammad (Sallallahu ‘Alaihi Wa Sallam) similarly
mentions: “Don’t squander water even if somebody is living at a running river”9.

Therefore, we can deduce from hadith above the value of water and its protection
in Islam.

3. Preventing extremities/choosing the middle way (Wasat): This ethical code

emphasizes on choosing the middle path and avoiding the extremes in every
order of life, be it social behaviour, economics, spending, ideology or
consumption. It suggests not to waste or devour neither unreasonable nor
greedly. The ensuing verse from the Holy Quran:
“Those who waste prevail as the brothers of Satan, and Satan is greatly
unappreciative to his Lord”10, promotes that squandering natural resources is not
permitted and is not a deed of promising human but an act executed by Satan.

Islamic Ways of Preserving the Environment

According to the Qur’an, conserving the habitat is a sacred responsibility in

addition to a social duty, and is not deemed a discretionary issue. Some Islamic
environmental preservation methods include11:

1) Promoting the significances of rationalization in consumption through

moderateness, moderation in all activities, and, thus, sustainability. As the Qur’an
verse reads:
“O Children of Adam! Dress appropriately whenever you stand at glorification.
Munch and drink, but do not squander. Clearly, He does not appreciate the
wasteful”12
The Environment and it’s Preservation in Islam

9
Faseeh, “Environmental protection from Islamic...”, 4.
10
Qur'an 17: 27
11
Bsoul, “Islam’s perspective on environmental...”, 2-5.
12
Qur'an 7: 31

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 2) Prophet Muhammad stressed the value of preserving resources, practicing
restraint, and abstaining from from living luxurious and unreasonable.
3) Growing plants, disinfecting streams, digging wells, and other beneficial practices
prevailed as endless generous deeds13.
4) Prophet Muhammad was possibly the first to initiate the idea of ‘protected
regions’, and the standards for conserving that are increasingly standing
employed today. He specified preserved areas perceived as al-Íaram
(conservation possession) and al-ÍimÉ (a conservation region for environmental
protection) to preserve soil, nature and wildlife. Within the limitations of these
regions, natural resources would not be consumed during certain times.
Conclusion
One of the prominent non-Western prototypes of endurable growth is given in
Odeh Rashed Al-Jayyousi’s observation14. It features in certain phrases the
better abstract conception of the conformity of fate and the experienced
possibility (cooperative elements in environmental struggle) and, consequently,
the necessity to avoid environmental destruction. As deterioration does not
acknowledge limitations, it is in everyone’s concern to refrain from any polluting
actions; this belief emerges apparently in the Prophet’s saying: ‘The example of
the one, who is established on the boundaries of Allah and the truth in them, is
like a people who carried a lot on a vessel and some of them strike the roof of it
and some of them below it, against those above them, so they let out, “If we had
shattered something in our percentage, and we had not hurt those above us,
thus if they removed them and what they needed, they would all succumb, and if
they were carried at their hands, we would all elude and survive”15.

Reference

Beig, Faseh and Fayaz Nika. “Environmental protection from Islamic perspective”. (n.d):
March 27, 2023. https:/www.researchgate.net/publication/352759203.
13
Bsoul, “Islam’s perspective on environmental…” 4.
14
Bsoul, “Islam’s perspective on environmental…” 7.
15
Ibid, 7.

6
Bsoul, Labeeb, Amani Omer, Lejla Kucukalic and Richardo, H. Archbod, “Islam's
perspective on environmental sustainability: A conceptual analysis”. Social Sciences 11,
228, (2022): 2-10. March 27, 2023. 10.33.90/socsci11070228.

Efendi, M. Harja, Mimien Ifewati, Fatchur Rohman and Abdul Gofur, “Islamic view of
environment conservation in London presentern nurul haramain lombok barat-
indonesia”. No journal title, 8, 12. (2017). 138-138.

El Khayat, Moustafa, Mohammed Al-Shafi'I, Zawawi Yusuf and Nor Abu Mansor,
“Environmental protection in the light of Islamic dawah: Purpose and values”,
International Journal of Academic Research in Business & Social Sciences 9, 2, (2019):
38-47, March 27, 2023, https//dx.org/10.6007/IJARBSS/v9-i2/5520.

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