Earth Day in Islam

Last updated on: May 16, 2016 at 6:33 pm by Muslims Writers Guild of America

Earth Day in Islam 2016-05-16T18:33:12-05:00 Muslims Writers Guild of America

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By Adil Khan

This past Earth Day fell on the same day (Friday) as the Muslim holy day of the week. Let me say without hesitation that just as Islam is a religion of peace and establishes the sanctity and dignity of human life, it also teaches Muslims to cherish and protect our planet. The Holy Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings of God be upon him (pbuh), stated, “The world is green and beautiful, and Allah (God) has appointed you his stewards over it.” It is the religious obligation of anyone who follows Islam to listen to its Prophet (pbuh), to care for their planet and its resources. Others who hate humanity, hate life, hate the planet, and shamelessly act against the teachings of Holy Prophet (pbuh), can join ISIS and all such extremists who burn the Earth, and steal its resources for the purposes of creating disorder, and causing destruction.

The Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) drew attention to the planting of trees, stating, “If a Muslim plants a tree or sows seeds, and then a bird, or a person or animal eats from it, it is regarded as charity from him.” In this spirit, the Ahmadiyya Muslim Youth Association has planted nearly 4,000 trees in only the last two years. Islam is a religion that looks after the rights of animals and all living things.

It is such a tender religion that teaches us that God Almighty even grants the greatest of all rewards for these little things. The Holy Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) used to relate the story of a woman who came upon a dog suffering from thirst near a deep well. She took off her shoe and lowered it into the well, pulling up water for the dog to drink. Although she was known to be an immoral woman, this good deed granted her forgiveness of all her previous sins and earned her Paradise.

The Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) was a conservationist of resources. He admonished, “Do not waste (water) even if performing ablution (purifying oneself before offering prayers or reading the Holy Qur’an) on the bank of a fast flowing large river.”

This particular emphasis by the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) on the conservation of water may remind fellow Americans of the Colgate Super Bowl commercial of a faucet running in a bathroom contrasting life between the haves and have-nots of the world. In the commercial it was stated simply and effectively that, “Brushing with the faucet running wastes up to 4 gallons of water. That’s more than many people around the world have in a week. Please turn off the faucet.” Most painful in this commercial was to see the beautiful little girl, an indigenous child from Latin America, in tattered clothing innocently cupping her hands together to gather something to drink.

Like her, the Holy Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) lived in relative poverty his whole life often having days with not enough to eat despite being a ruler. On those days he would happily say, ‘let me offer a voluntary fast today’. If there did happen to be a morsel in the house, it was his practice to offer it to the other people around him first. Once a poor woman came to visit his wife, Aisha (may God be pleased with her), accompanied by her two little daughters. Aisha had nothing at the time except for one date which she gave to the woman who in turn divided it between her girls. When the Holy Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) learned of this, he commented that the woman had earned Paradise for herself. At the same time, he and his wife themselves went hungry!

The second Khalifa of the Ahmadiyyah Muslim Community, Hazrat Mirza Bashiruddin Mahmud Ahmad (may God be pleased with him) said that “Nations cannot be reformed without the reformation of the youth”, the motto of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Youth Association. Indeed, the same Prophet of God mentioned above, this champion of humanity and of the planet Earth, Muhammad (pbuh) was indeed the champion of children and the youth. Once, prostrating in prayer, his granddaughter, playing, sat upon his back. Rather than getting up right away, he waited for her to finish playing and then rose to continue his prayers. Whenever he would go outside and walk the streets of Medina, the children, seeing him, would cheer and rush towards him overjoyed. Despite being constantly under the weight of the responsibilities of prophethood, the state, and hostile elements from both inside and outside of Medina he would lovingly take the time to sit down when a child approached him, take him or her in his lap and listen to their fairytales and childish stories of make believe. This is the character that so many obnoxious, ill-intentioned, and cruel people in the world would seek to attack. One can only imagine the intense love Our Master (pbuh) had and would have shown to children like the little girl shown in the Super Bowl commercial. It is a fact that the youth are destined be the future custodians of our planet Earth. What an amazing job they will do if they follow the example of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) and take care of humanity and the environment as he did! Such custodians would never allow a global nuclear war to occur, regarding which the members of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community–under the command and leadership of the Khalifa of Islam, His Holiness Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad (May God Strengthen his hands with His Mighty Help)–pray every day that God Almighty save all of humanity.

One recorded saying of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (pbuh), ever the champion of the environment, teaches that during the limited defensive wars fought for freedom of all religions public buildings and fruit-bearing trees (and food crops) are not to be damaged. If for some reason these proofs are not enough to convince the reader that the Holy Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) was a champion of peace and love for our planet, its people, and all of the life in it, he or she may look to the example of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, the followers of True Islam for satisfaction.

In addition to planting trees to sustain a more verdant and healthy planet, the Ahmadiyya Muslim Youth Association (AMYA) is also at the forefront of providing water for those in need across the globe. During the ongoing crisis in Flint, Michigan they have distributed over 150,000 bottles of water to our fellow Americans in need. Just this past week members of AMYA were out on flooded streets of Houston. Despite individual members being significantly affected they managed to get a truckload of 1,000 bottles of water to donate to the greater Houston community where many were left without electricity and potable drinking water. Humanity First, a charity organization associated with the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, has provided water to over 25,000 rural Ghanaians by refurbishing more than 50 boreholes in Northern Ghana. These are just a few of many examples all inspired by the model of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (pbuh).

Contemplating the spirit of Earth Day we encourage everyone to follow the example of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) and conserve water being especially mindful of various drought-stricken areas around the world. We encourage to care more for their world, its people, as well as all the life it contains in its various forms. In other words, we encourage all to explore the motto of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, “Love for All, Hatred for None”.

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