This document discusses Islam's teachings about caring for the environment and nature. It highlights how various Islamic practices like prayer times, the Qiblah direction, and moon sighting keep Muslims connected to nature. It provides examples from the Quran and hadiths emphasizing stewardship of the earth and prohibiting corruption and wastefulness of resources. The document offers suggestions for how Muslims can raise environmental awareness in their communities and care for plants, animals, food, water, clothing and other resources in sustainable ways as required by their faith.

1. Islam and
NatureWhat can we do?

2. The divine responsibility
• What kind of corruption do people cause to the earth?
• What can you do as the khalifah of Allah to take care of it?
“And when your Lord said to the angels, ‘I
am making a khalifah on earth,’ they said,
‘Are you making (people) who will cause
corruption on it and shed blood, while we
glorify and praise You and sanctify You?’ He
said, ‘I know what you do not know.’”
(Qur’an, 2:30)

3. What aspects of Islam keep us
in touch with nature?
• Salat times
• Qiblah
• Moonsighting
• “Looking at the ocean is worship.”
• The universe as a place of
remembrance of Allah“In the creation of the heavens and the earth, and the alternation of night
and day, and in the ships which cross the sea, and which people benefit
from, and what Allah has sent from the heavens by which He enlivens the
earth after it has died, and in what He has sent in it of every animal…are
signs for those who think.”

4. The creation worships Allah
“The seven heavens and the earth and everything in them glorify
Him – and every single thing glorifies His praise, but you do not
understand their glorification. He has always been patient and
forgiving.” (Qur’an, 17:44)
Prophet (S) - “Do not hit
animals on their face
because even animals
praise their Lord.”

5. What will the earth be like in the time of Imam al-Mahdi (A)?

6. Plants
• Prophet (S): ‘When the Last Hour comes, if any of you happens to be
holding a seedling in his hand, then if he is able to, let him not stand
until he has planted it.’
• Prophet (S): ‘Every single Muslim that cultivates or plants anything of
which humans, animals or birds may eat from is counted as charity
towards them on his behalf..’
• Prophet (S): ‘Whoever plants a tree and patiently maintains it and tends
to it until its fruition, every single fruit consumed from that tree is
regarded by Allah as charity [on his behalf].’
• Imam al-Sadiq (A): Cutting down a palm tree is [religiously] detested.’
• In warfare: no cutting down trees, no burning palm trees or fruit trees,
no poisoning land

7. Animals
• Don’t overburden them… “When the Prophet (S) saw a she-
camel, whose knees were tied up, carrying her load, he said,
‘Where is her owner? Tell him that he should prepare for
the lawsuit tomorrow [the Day of Resurrection].”
• Hunting for fun is forbidden…Prophet (S): ‘No animal,
including a bird or any other kind, is killed unjustly except
that it will raise a complaint against him [the killer] on the
Day of Resurrection.’”
• Imam al-Sadiq (A): ‘By Allah, the righteous have won
indeed! Do you know who they are? They are the ones who
do not even harm small ants.’
• Prophet (S): ‘May the curse of Allah be on the one who
treats an animal harshly.’
• …Animals on the Day of Judgment?

8. Wasting
• Imam ‘Ali(A): ‘Woe betides the wasteful person, how far they
are from self-improvement and from redressing their
situation.’
• Imam ‘Ali (A): ‘Wasting leads to stagnation [of wealth]
whereas thriftiness causes it to thrive.’
• Imam Zayn al-’Abidin (A) said in one of his supplications,
‘…hold me back from wastefulness, fortify my provision against
ruin, increase my possessions through blessing them, and set
me upon the path of guidance towards good causes in what I
spend of it.’
“O Children of Adam! Put on your adornment on every occasion of prayer,
and eat and drink, but do not waste; indeed Allah does not like the
wasteful.”

9. • How can our religious
communities care more
for the environment?
• How can we raise
awareness of this in our
communities?
• What can we do
individually?
Questions
for Thought

10. Food
• Respecting food – did the Prophet (S)
complain about food?
• Is it israf if you throw away
something that isn’t good for you or
pay more for something that is good
for you?
• Imam al-Sadiq (A) said, ‘There is no
waste in anything that improves the
body…rather waste is found in all that
squanders away wealth and harms
the body.’

11. Food…where does it come from?
• Buying locally
• Growing or raising our own – at home and at the
mosque
• Artificial ingredients
• Prophet (S): ‘Eating everything that one desires is
wasting.’

12. Water
• Islam came from the desert!
• “Water is the flavour of life.”
• Wudhu and ghusl

13. Clothing
• Appreciating labour
• How will it be used
• What can you do with it before throwing it away?
• Changing social pressures especially on women
• Imam al-Sadiq (A) was once asked, ‘Can a believer
own ten shirts?’ To which he replied, ‘Yes.’ ‘What
about twenty?’ to which he replied, ‘Yes. And no,
that would not be wasting, for indeed wasting is
when you wear your formal finery as casual wear at
home.

14. Wasting (israf)
• We respect what we produce
• Recycling it and putting it in the bin is good, but not
the end!
• Fuel and energy – “if you don’t do it yourself, the
energy is coming from somewhere else”
• Packaging
• Non-bio-degradable things
• Transportation
• Maybe some of you will develop renewable resources?

15. How can we stay more
connected to nature?
• Urban farming
• Religiously recommended sports
such as archery and swimming
• outdoor sports such as hiking
• Underwater sports
• Reflecting on nature in our ritual
calendar
• Looking upwards

16. Thank you!
‫على‬ ‫ي‬ّ‫ل‬‫ص‬ ‫هم‬ّ‫ل‬‫ال‬
‫وآل‬ ‫د‬ّ‫م‬‫مح‬‫د‬ّ‫م‬‫مح‬
We’re
growing!