4. Relationship with the Environment
Both in His creation and legislation God has made human beings able to benefit from nature. The Qur’an says,
“And He has subjected to you, as from Him, all that is in the heavens and on earth: Behold, in that are Signs indeed for those who reflect.” (45:13)
“It is He Who hath created for you all things that are on earth…” (2:29)
However, human beings must make use of nature, and indeed every other gift and blessing, in a responsible way,
“Then on that day you shall most certainly be questioned about the blessings.” (102:8)
Therefore, everything in the world that is at the disposal of human beings is both a gift and a trust. If they were only trusts, humans would not have permission to use them. Since they are gifts of God, they can be used but cannot be wasted or used extravagantly as it is the case with any trust.
“And He it is Who produces gardens (of vine), trellised and untrellised, and palms and seed- produce of which the fruits are of various sorts, and olives and pomegranates, like and unlike; eat of its fruit when it bears fruit, and pay the due of it on the day of its reaping, and do not act extravagantly; surely He does not love the extravagant.” (6:141)
“O Children of Adam! Wear your beautiful apparel at every time and place of prayer: eat and drink: But waste not by excess, for God does not love the extravagant.” (7:31)
In addition to this, the Qur’an makes it clear that it is a human responsibility to make efforts to improve the conditions of the globe as much as possible:
“He brought you forth from the earth and has asked you to improve it, therefore ask forgiveness of Him, then turn to Him; surely my Lord is Nigh, Answering.” (11:61)
Therefore, one must be very careful about the way they treat nature and the environment. As an example, some of the human moral and legal responsibilities with respect to animals can be observed. In Islamic hadiths it can be found that the unjustified killing of animals or negligence towards their lives is very severely treated. For example, Imam Sadiq informed those with him about the divine punishment of a woman who had fastened a cat with a rope so that the cat could not move and died out of thirst.
A predominant scholar, ‘Allamah Mohammad Taqi Ja‘fari concludes his discussion about animals in this way:
“Consideration of whole sources of Islamic jurisprudence (fiqh) leads to the conclusion that animals must not be killed unless there is a legal permission (by God) like benefiting from them or being safe from their harm. There are adequate reasons for prohibiting hunting animals for fun and one can argue from them for prohibition of killing animals without having a permitting cause.”
The above idea is part of a broader Islamic perspective on animal life. According to Islam, there are many rights for animals that must be observed. Consideration of those rights shows that not only should their lives be protected, but the quality of their life must also be observed. For example, animals must not be bothered by forcing them to carry heavy goods or to move faster than they tolerate. Neither should animals be cursed or harassed.
It is reported that Imam Ali said:
“Whoever curses an animal he himself will be cursed by God.”
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Author: Dr. Muhammad Ali Shomali
