The concept of the environment as a trust – amanah

The way human beings manipulate and exploit their natural resources and the environment is demonstrative of their beliefs, worldviews, and the cultural background. The worldview (the belief system) essentially reflects the terms of interaction with the environment³²⁴. It is in this regard that Nasr (1968) identified the root causes of the environmental crises as spiritual rather than anything else in his book Man and Nature – The Spiritual Crisis of Modern Man³²⁵. Timothy Winter (2020) contends that the religious case against materialism, which is characterized by consumerism and makes human beings and the planet sick ‘spans the religious divisions’³²⁶. Hence it is practical to present the ideas of sustainability and resource conservation to people we intend to work with within an ethical (faith-based) framework they can easily relate to.

The Muslim countries’ belt ranging from North Africa through the Near East to Central, South-central and South-East Asia are particularly affected by and/or vulnerable to the diverse effects of climate change, desertification, and an increasing scarcity of natural resources³²⁷. Long

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periods of colonisation followed inefficient governance has taken a toll on the natural environment and resources in these regions. The overexploitation of water resources threatens the drinking water supply as well as the agricultural production in these countries. It is in this regard that the discourse around environment protection and consciousness is gaining in traction in these countries, which has manifested itself also in the form of references to Islamic environmental ethics in the weekly Friday sermons. The central element of Islamic environmental ethics includes the love for the creation in all forms, with the understanding that all forms of creation have their own functions to perform for the proper functioning of the life system, in which every life form is interdependent on the other. All the components of the environment function in an integrated manner and play a vital role in maintaining the environmental balance in nature and in performing the essential functions assigned to them that make it possible for human beings to live in a state of good health and prosperity^328,329. This unity of the life system in the interdependence of its various components reflects the core concept of the Islamic theology, which is the unity of God (tauhid)327,330,331.

Although a concrete codified form of Islamic environmental ethics does not exist, there are directions and remarks in the canonical sources of Islamic theology (Qur’an and Sunnah) that point the reader towards a higher environmental consciousness. It has been noted that the metaphysical conception of nature in the Quran transformed the Arab superstitious and lifeless views of the natural world into a purposeful view of the creation³³². The philosopher-poet Muhammad Iqbal, who did his doctoral studies from the Ludwigs-Maximillian University in Munich, also remarked that the apparent purpose of the first revealed chapters of the Quran seems to awaken in the reader a genuine consciousness of the different relationships between man, the Creator, and the environment at large³³³. The general Quranic paradigm seems to be the utilization of natural resources and the environment based on the philosophy of avoiding aggression and misuse, and of construction rather than destruction³³¹.

However, since decades the over exploitation of environment and natural resources has been continuously justified for the sake of economic development and industrial growth. This has led to grave consequences like the loss of biodiversity, desertification, soil erosion, flash floods.

The loss of biodiversity in forests has been counted among the main issues in environmental degradation, in this regard ³³⁴. With the aid of modern technologies, the exploitation of natural resources has become easier than it ever was for our previous generations. Overexploitation of a natural resource is bad not only because of the exhaustion of that particular resource but also different constituents of the natural ecosystem are closely linked and related to each other. So

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much so that even a renewable resource becomes so depleted that it increasingly resembles a non-renewable resource. This further highlights the need for a framework to work with that implores people at large from the perspective of the divine to preserve and protect the environment, in societies in which the divine laws play a greater role than imagined in the modern discourse. In this regard, the Maqasid al-Shariah (Objectives of the Islamic Law) approach ranks the preservation and protection of environment as one of the pillars of the principle of the preservation of property³³⁵. Izzi Dien (2000) argues that the protection to human life as enshrined in the Quran extends to include protection of all the environmental conditions that enable all forms of life to continue; right to life means right to healthy environment³³⁶. It is imperative in this context to mention the six terms from Quran and Sunnah that serve as anchors to the body of Islamic environmental ethics³²⁷:

i. Fitra: The natural tendency to conserve and protect the creation against harm.

ii. Tauhid: The unity of the creation in their interdependence as a reflection of the unity of God.

iii. Mizan: The balance in nature that creates a perfect life supporting system for all forms of life, which must not be disturbed.

iv. Khilafa: The role of the human being as a caretaker representative of the Creator, responsible for taking care of the earth.

v. Amanah: The trust of responsibility that has been bestowed on the human beings. This bestowed trust includes the earth, the environment, the different forms of creation—

plants and animals.

vi. Ubudiya: The submission to the Creator, in responsibility and being answerable for actions.

It is in this framework that Quran prescribes the conservation of resources, calling upon the believers to avoid being extravagant³³⁷, through wastage and overconsumption³²⁷. The role bestowed by Khilafa on the human being prohibits them from taking actions that cause manipulation or pollution in the environment and use the natural resources also keeping the needs of future generations in mind^338,339. It has been argued that human beings have been entrusted to bear Amanah (obligation duties) of the earth by virtue of their ability to attain knowledge and intellect³⁴⁰. Mawdudi (1967) has argued that humans have been given the power to make use of the environment through the knowledge and technology and their disposal and this in itself is a divine test for human beings to see how they take care of the trust (Amanah)³⁴¹.

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The concept of Amanah is hence interpreted as the obligation to conserve the trust that has been bestowed upon us in an honest and sincere way.

In the Muslim tradition, the life of Prophet Muhammad(peace be upon him) is considered as an example of the bonafide example that Muslims can aim to follow as the way to follow the divine commandments. There is a narrated tradition in which a companion of his was using an excessive amount of water to wash himself for prayers when he commanded him “not waste (water) … even if you are washing yourself by a flowing river”³⁴². This imperative to be mindful of consumption of water even when it is for a ritual purification for prayer highlights the importance of mindful consumption that can serve as a guide towards resource conservation and sustainability in Muslim societies³³⁶. Such traditions can also be extended to agricultural practices and can be utilized to spread awareness about water conserving agricultural practices.

The values of trusteeship should enable people to deal with natural resources properly no matter if he or she works in an industry, in a farm, or in a forest. Hence, per Islamic environmental ethics, the protection and preservation of environment and natural resources is not just for a worldly purpose but also to fulfil the duty of having been entrusted with Amanah³³¹.