Alhassanain(p) Network for Heritage and Islamic Thought

Islam And The Environment

Author (s): Ayatullah Abdullah Jawadi Amuli

Translator (s): Dawud Sodagar

www.alhassanain.org/english

In this text Ayatullah Jawadi Amuli explains in detail the concept of living in a society and how we can play a vital role in uplifting our environment in the light of the Qur’an and Ahadith.

Notice:

This version is published on behalf of www.alhassanain.org/english

The composing errors are not corrected.

Table of Contents

Publishers’ Preface 9

Note 11

Introduction 12

The Beauty Of Creation As Manifest In The Human Being And The Cosmos 12

The Human Being’s Spiritual Nobility And Divine Viceroyalty 13

Notes 14

Chapter 1: A Flourishing Earth And An Ideal State 15

Islam’s Instruction To Believers To Profit From The Natural Resources 16

Islamic Development Versus. Imperialist Exploitation 20

The Role Of The Imperialists In Polluting The Environment 21

The Role Of The Imperialists In Perpetrating Environmental Insecurity 21

The Imperialists False Claim To Authority 22

The Weighty Obligation Of A Ruler In Securing A Wholesome Environment 22

The Islamic Government’s Responsibility In Securing A Wholesome Environment 23

Nurturing Divine Viceroyalty And Establishing The Ideal State As The Primary Objectives Of Islamic Government 24

The Establishment Of The Ideal State By The Perfect Human Being 25

Defining Some Of The Qualities And Conditions Of The Ideal State 25

1. Cultural Growth 25

2. Economic Development 26

3. Advancement In Art And Industry 28

4. Legal Progress 30

Abraham’s Prayer For The Human Being’s Divine Viceroyalty And The Establishment Of The Ideal State 32

Notes 33

Chapter 2: The Religious And Humanistic Environmental Concerns 35

1. The Humanistic Nature Of Environmental Concerns 35

The Human Being As Viewed By Western Intellectuals 35

The Qur’anic Definition Of The Human Being 36

Harmony With Nature As A Fruit Of The Internal Harmony Of The Human Faculties 38

The Prophets’ Mission To Interpret The Microcosm And The Macrocosm And To Change Them For The Better 41

2. The Religious Nature Of Environmental Concerns 45

The Divine Religion’s Concern For The Human Environment 45

Three Aspects Of Environmental Concerns In Islam 46

Environmental Conservation In The Light Of The Instructions Of God’s Prophets 48

Whether Religious Sanctity Is Reconcilable With Mundane Affairs 48

The Concept Of Sanctity 49

The Scope Of Sanctity 50

The Basis Of Sanctity 51

Popular Acknowledgement Of Sacred Truths 54

Islam’s Treatment Of Environmental Concerns 55

The General Guidelines Of Islam For Pursuing The Sciences 56

The Conclusiveness Of Systematic Rational Reasoning 59

Pure Reason As A Source For Canon 60

Making The Curricula Of Higher Learning Religious By Incorporating The Teachings Of Islam 62

The Islamic Nature Of Nuclear Technology 63

The Inclusive Treatment Of The Human Being And The World In The Qur’an And The Sunnah 63

The Role Of Revelation In Complementing And Perfecting Reason 63

Revelation’s Emphasis On The Relation Of Phenomena To The Origin 64

Neglecting The Efficient And Teleological Causal Orders In The Scientific And Humanistic Disciplines 64

The Ramification Of Neglecting The Efficient And Teleological Causal Orders: A Defective Understanding Of The Secrets Of The World 65

The Internal, Efficient, And Teleological Orders In The Heavens 65

The Three Orders In The Earth 66

The Three Orders In Livestock 67

The Three Orders In The Formation Of Clouds And Rain 67

An Illustration Of The Flourishing Of Science Through The Guidance Of Revelation 68

Notes 69

Chapter 3: The Impact Of Human Conduct On Natural Phenomena 72

1. The Importance Of This Topic 72

2. The Relation Between Good And Existence And Between Evil And Nonexistence 72

3. Absolute Or Relative Good And Evil 73

4. The Criterion For Good And Evil 73

5. Good And Evil In The Qur’an 73

6. Understanding The Difference Between “With God” And “From God” 74

Canonical Good And Evil 75

A Classification Of Existential Evil 75

The Human Role In Turning Blessing Into Suffering 76

The Source Of Good And Evil 78

The Best Of All Possible Worlds 78

The Relative Nature Of Evil 79

The Negative Nature Of Evil 80

A World Without Evil 80

The Relation Of The Human Being To Nature 81

The Relation Of Humankind And Nature To God 83

The Necessity Of God’s Permission In Exploiting His Creatures 84

Human Being’s Obligation Vis-A-Vis God’s Bounties 84

The Connection Between Thought And Action 87

The Impact Of One’s Deeds On Others 89

The Relation Of Human Action To The World 91

The Qur’anic Verses Addressing The General Issue Of The Relation Between Human Conduct And Natural Phenomena 91

The Qur’anic Verses That Speak To The Relation Between Good Conduct And Favourable Natural Phenomena 92

The Reason Why Disbelievers Enjoy God’s Bounties 94

The Effect Of Prayer In Generating Rain 96

The Role Of Purity M The Perpetuation Of The Means Of Livelihood 97

The Effect Of A Wholesome Environment On Eternal Felicity 98

The Verses Addressing The Connection Of Unrighteous Conduct With Unfavourable Natural Phenomena 98

The Agreement Of The Consequences Of Human Conduct With The Causal Order Of The Cosmos 102

The Relation Of Natural Catastrophes With Divine Tribulation 104

Economic Insecurity And Depression As God’s Trials 104

The Magnificent Reward Of The Patient 105

The Material World: The Arena Of Trial 106

The Test Of Hardships 107

The Test Of Comfort 109

The Trials Of Good And Evil 110

The Danger In Being Oblivious Of God’s Tests 112

A Final Point 112

Notes 112

Chapter 4: Exploiting Nature And Its Influence On The Environment 115

The Role Of Human Endeavour In Attaining A Wholesome Environment 115

The Value Of Work In Islam 115

How Work Relates To Ontology 116

The Broad Sphere Of Work 116

Serious And Persistent Work 117

The Worldliness Shunned By Islam 118

Wellbeing In This World As Well As The Next 120

The Sacred Purpose In Striving To Develop The Natural Environment 121

The Relation Of A Thorough Comprehension Of Religion To Promoting Worldly Wellbeing 123

The Consistency Of Improving Worldly Life With The Observance Of Religious Duties 123

Work As The Principle Of Dignity 125

The Principles Of Work 125

Determination In Production, Economy, Consumption 128

Islam’s Insistence On Cleanliness Of Body And Home 129

Islam’s Emphasis On Maintaining A Clean Environment And A Pure Air 130

The Spiritual Reward Of Conserving Nature 131

Islam’s Command To Create Parks And Forests 131

Planting Trees As One Of The Most Sacred Deeds 131

The Necessity Of Preserving Air, Water, And Land Unpolluted 132

Animal Rights In Islam 132

Notes 132

Chapter 5: The Positive Effect Of Cordial Relationship Among People In Securing A Wholesome Environment 135

Islam’s Praising Cordial Relationships 135

Associating In The Best Possible Manner 135

Equality And Equity As The Bases Of Legal Relations 136

Condemnation Of Derision, Slander, And Exploitation In Islam 137

The Heavier Responsibility Of Authorities In Honouring Cordial Relationships 138

The Innate Human Predisposition To Cordial Relations 138

The Vulnerability Of The Inherent Human Dispositions 139

Violating The Rights Of Others 140

The Gravity Of The Family Problem 140

The Positive Effect Of Maintaining Affectionate Relationships With Kindred On The Mental Health Of Society 141

Relations With Kinfolk 142

Relations With Fellow Believers 143

Relations With The Islamic Community 143

Relation With The Ruler Of The Muslim Community 144

Living Peacefully Along With The Adherents Of Other Faiths 145

The Criterion For Leading A Peaceful Life 145

Peaceful Coexistence As Encouraged By Islam 147

The Difference Between Peaceful Coexistence And Indifference 148

The Role Of Islam M Universal Peace And The Wholesome Environment 149

Peace Among All Religions, All Prophets, And All Believers 150

Cultivating Stable Universal Peace By Rejecting Injustice 151

The Influence Of Islamic Political Thought On Universal Peace And Environmental Security 152

The Divine Prophets’ Efforts In Promoting Universal Peace 153

Notes 155

Publishers’ Preface

All-praise be to God, Who ordered the Supernal and the Created worlds in the best manner manifesting them in the most beautiful semblance and ordaining their relationship to correspond to the inner and the outer.

All that which is given to beauty and harmony in this natural world, possesses in the supernal world-the world of divine command and ordinance a superior splendor and perfection. The visible realm that of divinely beautiful and wholesome nature, is nothing but the reflection of the invisible realm; in such case, material icons and natural talismans [that compose the visible realm] are inspired by the supernal lights and the divine archetypes of the invisible world.

The travellers to the immaterial realm and the followers of the esoteric way profess great love for even the pebbles and dust of this world, as they envision with the eye of their hearts the ecstasy and esprit of the celestial realm here in this terrestrial one.

My pleasance with the world is, ‘cause the world is His Pleasance.

The whole universe I love, as is from Him the world Whole.1

The man who honors the divine covenant, unlike the rebel who dishonors it, feels an affinity for the natural world. (Just as the soul is attached to and likes its body, it sees nature to be an extension of its body, such that nature’s health, vivacity, and “pleasance” is tantamount to the vivacity and pleasure of the soul and spirit.)

Such a man sees himself as being responsible for the health of the environment. In the same way that he makes efforts for the health of his body and is troubled by any illness that afflicts it, similarly he becomes perturbed by injuries sustained by the environment and the consequent loss of its vitality and proceeds to take serious steps towards a remedy.

Undoubtedly, the noble man who holds the station of “divine vicegerency,” is also the protector of all beauties and beatitudes as result from God’s grace and majesty. In this divine view, man is beholden to make his environment inhabitable, wholesome, and full of vitality. Naturally then, it is the divine sages-as the professors of God’s word and the establishers of His will-who are foremost and are the pioneers in the movement aiming at the purification of the environment, its cultivation, and it’s upliftment.

From the above it follows that environmental sciences belong more rightfully to the domain of metaphysics and the humanities, rather than the natural or experimental sciences. Environmental concerns are existentially coupled with the human condition itself, rising - as it were from man’s origins, and hence to take an exclusively material or natural sciences approach towards them is to limit them and to ignore the noble human potentialities that lie therein.

As it is only religion that speaks to man as a whole in all his various aspects and existential potentialities­ the fact stands that all world religions contain apposite counsels and sublime teachings concerning the environment.

Consequently, the science of the environment and its protection is paramountly a human and religious science. Being so, all of the criteria that apply to the divine and Islamic sciences also apply to this particular religious science, including such things as the efficient cause and the final cause. This fact allows for a more comprehensive and a deeper appraisal of environmental issues.

In man’s dealings with his environment - in his actions and their reactions - it must constantly be borne in mind that every human act has a direct impact on the environment, holding profound implications for its health or its sickness. The good acts of man in nature are the source of its growth and perfection, whereas the ugly behavior of man leads to the decline and destruction of the natural world.

Contemporary man, while he professes to love peace and yearns for a life of peaceful coexistence with all and sundry, cannot achieve anything of the sort without first coming to see things in this way. It is only after he begins to see reality in its totality and the comprehensive effects of human actions in that same connected whole that he can bring about a world that is truly at peace and full of wonder and pleasance.

International organizations which have commissions for the environment, human rights, etc, are in a situation that can be best described as paradoxical. This is because such global corporations are the creations of the world’s superpowers and have as their implicit mandate the preservation and proliferation of those same nefarious powers.

It is clear that any hegemonic power which, by definition, sees its subsistence to lie in the defeat through war and rivalry of other powers, cannot ultimately entertain the “luxury” of environmental concerns for too long.

On the contrary, when such environmental issues stand in the way of its hegemonic aims, the power in question does not hesitate to wreak havoc in nature polluting and destroying its pristine beauty in the process.

It is in this sense that it can be said that the true religion and the truly religious associations or individuals are precisely those who make noble efforts towards the protection of the environment and its real wholesomeness.

The present book has as its sources other written works and oral traditions which can be considered the summit of human learning and the epitome of divine teaching. It addresses the all-important subject of the environment from various human and religious perspectives. On the one hand it enters into discussions on the ontological basis of environmental sciences, while on the other hand it delves into the modalities of man’s interaction and relationship with his surroundings.

The book is a treasury of the statements, speeches, and writings of Ayatullah Jawadi Amuli concerning the environment and its preservation. Other related topics, also from the Ayatullah, have also been added to complement and complete the discussion at hand. The resulting collection is an ordered and scholarly exposition on the subject of the environment and as such is a thought-provoking addition to the contemporary debate on the issue.

The work at hand is divided into an Introduction and five chapters. The Introduction speaks of beauty and its recognition, and posits the world as the creation of God “that was good” to be the manifestation of God the Beautiful. Chapter one names the cultivation, elevation, and “development” of the earth to be a part of the mandate of God’s vicegerent.

Chapter two turns to the scientific appraisal of the environment and contends that beyond this natural-science and empirical approach lies a more fundamental one that gives value to man and counts environmental sciences to be a part of the humanities and the religious sciences.

Chapter three relates the good and bad actions of man to natural events and discusses such issues as the existence of evil, the best ordering of the universe, and the mutual relationship of man and nature.

Chapter four contends that one of the most influential factors in the preservation of the environment is proper human conduct and good work; it goes on to enumerate some of the criteria for the same, things such as: specialized knowledge, confidence, perseverance, moral uprightness, ingenuity, creativity, and purposefulness. The final and fifth chapter of the book also deals with the good and appropriate conduct of man in the preservation of the environment.

It is hoped that this valuable book, which looks at the issue of the environment in what will be considered a “novel” way, will not only have played its part in changing popular culture for the betterment of the environment, but will have shed light on the metaphysical aspects of the issue such as are fundamental to the subject.

This metaphysical expose of sorts can certainly be a source of guidance for the concerned international organizations who deal with environmental concerns, and also the world at large giving them the necessary clarity, understanding, and correct belief regarding the issues at hand.

For it is on the one hand futile to “attempt to make a better world on the basis of a worsened humanity”, and on the other, it is paradoxical to envision a better humanity without taking into account man’s Creator and His will which must be done “on earth as it is in heaven”.

The lsra’ Cultural and Research Institute wishes to acknowledge the untiring efforts of Hujjat al-Islam ‘Abbas Rahimiyan Muhaqqiq who researched this work, carefully choosing and put into order the excerpts from the Ayatullah. We would also like to thank Hujjat al-Islam Davood Sodagar for his diligent work and accurate translation of the Farsi original into English.

Note

1. Kulliyat Sa ‘di, Ghazal 10.

Introduction

A wholesome environment is, on the one hand, a principal human right and, on the other, a human obligation. Thus, it is of importance to define the environment, to underscore the necessity of maintaining its health, to study the ways by which a healthy environment can be achieved, and, finally, to examine the genuine purposes of striving for such an environment all of which must be sought from the foundational humanistic disciplines and by tapping into human potentialities.

This requires a careful study of the orderly constitution of the human being and the cosmos and the interaction among human beings and their relation to the cosmos, so as to bring to light the necessity of striving for and maintaining a wholesome environment.

The Beauty Of Creation As Manifest In The Human Being And The Cosmos

The Noble Qur’an the most sacred religious scripture portrays creation as a screen of silk tapestry on which God’s beauty and magnificence are displayed; the arrangement of the order of creation is seen as a source of peace for the human being; the expanse of the earth and the firmament is revered for its beauty. God created the world in the most beautiful fashion possible:

الَّذِي أَحْسَنَ كُلَّ شَيْءٍ خَلَقَهُ

[God] made excellent all that which He created. (32:7).

He likewise created the human being in the most excellent condition:

لَقَدْ خَلَقْنَا الْإِنْسَانَ فِي أَحْسَنِ تَقْوِيمٍ

Verily We created the human being in the most excellent constitution. (95:4)1 .

All creatures are by nature excellent. The human being, however, possesses additional excellence by virtue of the potential in him to attain to the status of God’s viceroyalty. It is this distinctive quality that other creatures lack. It is in this light that the Qur’an, after enumerating the phases of human creation, proclaims,

فَتَبَارَكَ اللَّهُ أَحْسَنُ الْخَالِقِينَ

So blessed is God, the best of creators. (23:14).

If there were another creature that exceeded the human being in excellence, this praise would have been said in reference to it. But since ultimate excellence lies in the fusion of intellectual perfection and sensuous beauty, no other creature can contend with the human being.

The excellence and beauty of creation consists in its orderliness. Every creature that comes into being possesses internal harmony, a specific end, a specific path, and a specific guide. Thus, its efficient causality is grounded on knowledge; its final causality on wisdom; its internal arrangement on intelligence. The Noble Qur’an asserts,

قَالَ رَبُّنَا الَّذِي أَعْطَىٰ كُلَّ شَيْءٍ خَلْقَهُ ثُمَّ هَدَىٰ

Our Lord is He Who gave everything its creation and then guided if. (20:50).

That is, our Lord molded the constitution of every creature in proportion to its inherent capacity and purpose and then set it on the Right Path, guiding it to its appropriate end.

This blessed trio-efficient causality, final causality, internal harmony­ guarantees the beauty in everything so long as the scientific and empiric principles observed conform to it. The lack of this conformity damages a creature’s constitution, hindering its progress toward its genuine end and depriving other creatures of its fruits.

Such hindrance and deprivation distort the beautiful face of creation, and any distortion of creation detrimental to the health and safety of humankind is the work of Satan. For, he works his stealthy devilry within the framework of existential elements, one of which is the purposive constitution of the human being or any creature, for that matter:

وَمَنْ يَتَّخِذِ الشَّيْطَانَ وَلِيًّا مِنْ دُونِ اللَّهِ فَقَدْ خَسِرَ خُسْرَانًا مُبِينًا

and I (Satan) will prompt them (humankind) to alter God’s creation. (4:119).

Those deceived by Satan-who through enticements, false embellishments, and diminishing the intelligence leads human beings astray and incites them to rebel have, with the excuse of safeguarding industry, spoiled the beauty in nature’s norm by introducing deviations, deranging the graceful system of create on with chaos and pollution. The Quran’s message to those who thus fail to appreciate the natural environment in which they dwell is,

ظَهَرَ الْفَسَادُ فِي الْبَرِّ وَالْبَحْرِ بِمَا كَسَبَتْ أَيْدِي النَّاسِ لِيُذِيقَهُمْ بَعْضَ الَّذِي عَمِلُوا لَعَلَّهُمْ يَرْجِعُونَ

Corruption has appeared in land and sea because of the doings of people’s hands that He may make them taste a portion of what they have done, so that they may come back. (30:41).

The heavenly instructions of the Qur’an affirm that the beautiful tableau of creation has been entrusted to us by God. As such, the industries are duty­ bound to direct their efforts at securing the felicity and health of all humanity, even as they must honor the natural rights of all creatures, never acquiescing in the destruction of the progeny of humankind or the fruits of the earth. The Qur’an denounces those who harm humankind socially, economically, or politically:

وَإِذَا تَوَلَّىٰ سَعَىٰ فِي الْأَرْضِ لِيُفْسِدَ فِيهَا وَيُهْلِكَ الْحَرْثَ وَالنَّسْلَ وَاللَّهُ لَا يُحِبُّ الْفَسَادَ

And should the [disbeliever] yield authority, he would try to cause corruption in the land and to ruin the crop and the [human] stock, and God does not like corruption. (2:205).

A person’s value is contingent on his deeds; when corruption is despised, one who corrupts is despised as well.

The Human Being’s Spiritual Nobility And Divine Viceroyalty

The beauty of the human being lies in besides the element of harmonious constitution, which is true of all creatures-his nobility (kiramat). The heavenly scriptures, particularly the Qur’an, glorify the human being’s existence as a noble creature. In this regard the Qur’an says,

وَلَقَدْ كَرَّمْنَا بَنِي آدَمَ وَحَمَلْنَاهُمْ فِي الْبَرِّ وَالْبَحْرِ وَرَزَقْنَاهُمْ مِنَ الطَّيِّبَاتِ وَفَضَّلْنَاهُمْ عَلَىٰ كَثِيرٍ مِمَّنْ خَلَقْنَا تَفْضِيلًا

Certainly We have acknowledged the nobility2 of the children of Adam, and carried them over land and sea, and provided them with all the good things, and given them an advantage over many of those We have created with a complete preference. (17:70).

The human being’s nobility is, in turn, due to his status as God’s viceroy; the representative of a noble authority must be noble. This nobility is the exclusive honor that the human being alone enjoys. It is on account of this distinction that the following well-known hadith addresses the human being:

Whosoever comprehends his self certainly comprehends his Lord.3

Knowledge of the human soul as God’s viceroy-which is an existential, not contractual, status-will certainly result in knowing God. If the latter does not come about, it is an indication that an adequate knowledge of the human soul has not been realized.

It is true, of course, that we may come to realize the existence of God or one of His attributes by reflecting on other creatures in so far as they are contingent in their essence4 or in their existence5 , or in so far as they are temporal, moving, orderly, etc. But this is different from knowing God immediately, which can be acquired only by way of self-knowledge.

Thus, the human being’s nobility rests on his status as the divine viceroy. To be a proper viceroy is to follow the king in all practical and theoretic issues: to perceive as he perceives and to will as he wills. To claim divine viceroyalty without conforming in perception and will to God is, in essence, to usurp that office while really obeying another authority

أَفَرَأَيْتَ مَنِ اتَّخَذَ إِلَٰهَهُ هَوَاهُ وَأَضَلَّهُ اللَّهُ

Have you seen him who takes his ego to be his god. (45:23).

Such an egoistic and hedonistic individual cannot attain to the lofty status of divine viceroyalty and consequently remains bereft of the nobility it confers.

Notes

1. In this regard see also 40:64 and 64:3.

2. Karramna in the Arabic of the verse is commonly, and correctly, translated into English as “honored.” I, however, changed that to “acknowledge the nobility” so as to underline the meaning of kiramah or nobility. [Tr.]

3. Ghurar al-Hikam vol. 5, p. 194.

4. This is based on the Peripatetic school of Islamic philosophy, which upholds the objectivity of essence. [Tr.]

5. This is based on the Sadrian metaphysical system, which postulates the objectivity of existence. [Tr.]