Islamic Perspective on Nature & Biodiversity
In Islam, humanity is requested to respect the balance of creation and acknowledge its importance for our own existence. The Holy Quran asks us to maintain this balance - what we take from this earth with one hand, we must return with the other.
“Allah raised the heaven and established the balance, so that you would not transgress the balance. Give just weight – do not skimp in the balance” (Qur’an 55:7-9).
The Quran is rich of references to nature and ecology. It teaches many lessons on the protection of biodiversity; from the story of Prophet Noah (peace be upon him) who was asked by God to protect all the animals before the coming flood, to Prophet Solomon (peace be upon him) who took into consideration the plight of ants whilst marching his army.
An observer will undoubtedly notice the Holy Quran is book on nature too. It pays constant tribute to life on earth, with many chapters named after animals and plants, such as al-Baqarah (Cow), al-An`am (Cattle), al-Nahl (Bees), al-Naml (Ants), al-Ankabut (Spider), al-Adiyat (Horses), al-Fil (Elephant), al-Insan (Man), al-Tin (Fig), and al-Nas (Mankind). Plants such as onions, figs, mustard, pomegranate, trees, lentils, grapes, fruits, garlics, cucumbers and dates all get a mention in the Quran - as a sign of God’s perfection and a reminder of the variety and variability of life on earth.
A key verse from the Holy Quran states:
“And there is no creature on [or within] the earth or bird that flies with its wings except [that they are] communities like you. We have not neglected in the Register a thing. Then unto their Lord they will be gathered.” (Qur’an 6:38)
In the Quran, God refers to biodiversity as ‘communities’. The definition of a community in the dictionary states:
a group living in the same place or having a particular characteristic in common
a group living together and practicing common ownership
As Muslim’s we are taught that biodiversity is not for us to use and abuse but for us to treat as a community, every single variety of plant and animal life on this planet has a role to play just as different people have roles to play in communities. We are interconnected and there is no getting away from that.
Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) was a huge advocate of protecting nature and biodiversity. Whilst there are countless hadith (quotes) from the Prophet promoting the love and care for nature, at a time when there appeared to be no environmental rights or law, he declared a 30km conservation area around the city of al-Madina to be a protected sanctuary, and prohibited the cutting down of trees within its borders, as well as giving various protection to other aspects of nature (Hima/Harim). This example is now being used by environmentalist around the world to protect the region’s threatened woodlands, grasslands, wetlands and rangelands.
A hima is a dedicated conservation zone, where trees and grazing lands are protected from destruction and indiscriminate harvest. In Islamic law, hima’s became a ‘resource’ dedicated to the well-being of the whole community surrounding it. Indigenous communities were empowered by the state to manage their own himas a practice which has been flourishing in the region ever since. There are thriving examples of existing himas in Syria, Jordan, Saudi Arabia and Yemen.
The Global Biodiversity Framework is a unique global collaborative opportunity to convert our spiritual teachings into practical action, achieving the objectives of the Convention on Biological Diversity and its protocols requires the cooperation and coordination from people of all faiths, backgrounds and sectors and we cannot do it without cooperating with a wide range of other conventions, institutions and processes.
Written by Kamran Shezad
Kamran is the Director for the Islamic Foundation for Ecology and Environmental Sciences. Kamran sits on the Multi Faith Advisory Council to the United Nations Interagency Task Force on Religion and Sustainable Development (UN IATF). He is a strong advocate of using faith-inspired approach in promoting the message of environment and guiding behavioural change. Kamran is a grassroots environmental activist and social justice campaigner, he holds a Master’s degree in Environmental Sustainability and is a Chartered Environmentalists.
