As individuals, when we think about our responsibilities, they often revolve around things directly related to us, like our families, jobs or our studies. But are we aware that Allah has given us another duty as well? This responsibility concerns the entire well-being of the Earth we live in. It creates another role in our existence and deepens our connection to all living things. As Allah says in the Quran:
"It is He who has made you (His) vicegerents, inheritors of the earth. He has raised you in ranks, some above others that He may try you in the gifts He has given you. For your Lord is quick in punishment, yet He is indeed Oft-forgiving, Most Merciful."
(Surah Al-An’am, 6:165)
These verses clarify our role as vicegerents of the Earth. A vicegerent is a person regarded as an earthly representative of God that is given charge of taking care of the Earth and all living things. The Arabic root word is khalafa which means “the one who came after” and refers to our role in safeguarding the Earth for future generations to come. In the Quran, the Earth is described in many forms, all of which are places of rest and sustenance. Allah says:
"Do you not see that God has subjected to your (use) all things in the heavens and on Earth. And has made His bounties flow to you in exceeding measure, (both) seen and unseen?"
(Surah Luqman, 31:20)
Each one of us is a vicegerent with or without our knowing, yet so few of us make an effort to care for Earth as a whole. This is a large reason why the environment all over the world is suffering. We are seeing with our eyes that global warming is leading to high levels of hotter temperatures which in turn lead to flooding, increased numbers and severity of storms, droughts and the increased destruction caused by the spread of wildfires. Now is the time to take this matter to heart and take action to protect our planet.
EnviroMuslims Is Taking a Lead
In Canada, there are Muslim organizations who tirelessly dedicate themselves to this very cause, who understand the importance and what the dangers of neglect to the environment mean. One such organization is EnviroMuslims. Their mission is to engage with, educate, and empower the Canadian Muslim community to embed sustainability in our everyday lives. Their goal is to reconnect Muslims with nature and “embed a sense of love and responsibility for caring for the natural environment and the health and well-being of our communities.”
EnviroMuslims engages and interacts with the community in various ways including community events like tree plantings, clean-ups, clothing swaps, or social media campaigns. These events are designed to be fun and interactive opportunities for individuals to engage with their family, friends, and communities. The group also conducts workshops and webinars and provides tools and support needed to make positive change and take climate action, including holding political leaders accountable for issues related to environmental racism and social injustice.
Join these Efforts
There are three specific EnviroMuslim projects designed to raise awareness within the Muslim community.
1. Greening Canadian Mosques
This project provides a pivotal example of how EnviroMuslims understand what Islam says by protecting the natural environment as an individual and collective religious duty. They work toward empowering mosque management teams, as well as mosque-goers, to understand environmental issues, to improve sustainable practices, reduce carbon emissions, and reduce costs. This is a partnership with Faith & the Common Good in assisting Canadian mosques to embed sustainability in their operations, and provide the instruments they need to identify, track and deliver resource-efficient opportunities.
Mosques provide a cohesive structure of education, economy, and unity which serves to influence the Muslim community through Islamic guidance. They are also a medium that influences behavioral and spiritual environmental sustainability interventions in Muslim populations, and for improving and maintaining a healthy environment. According to EnviroMuslims,
"In fact, 98.4% of Canadian Muslims surveyed agreed that mosques have an important role in inspiring the Muslim community to care for nature. There is growing interest from Islamic leaders in Canadian mosques to engage in sustainable practices, and a definite need to provide them with holistic support and guidance to set and achieve sustainability targets and educate mosque users on environmental stewardship. All of the respondents to our survey want their local mosque to join a program that helps them become environmentally friendly by using resources efficiently and reducing costs."
2. Our Climate, Our Stories: A Collection of Stories and Poems by Canadian Youth
Our Climate Our Stories is a collection of essays, stories, and poems composed by Black, Indigenous, and youth of color from Canada. This e-book was formulated to magnify various voices on emotions accompanying climate change, as well as journeys and experiences, communication, impacts, and climate action. Our Climate, Our Stories showcases 20 young Canadian writers along with illustrations developed by Climate Illustrated.
Our Climate, Our Stories is a project of People Planet Pages, a book club run in partnership with EnviroMuslims, Community Climate Council, and Books-Art-Music Collective. The project brings together a community of readers to discuss environmental and social sustainability, to initiate conversations, and to provide skills necessary to live sustainable lifestyles.
For a sample of these writings read The Impact of Environmentalism on my Islam by Jana Jandal Alrifai.
3. Developing a Green Team
A Green Team is a group of committed individuals who bring about the change that they foster in themselves first to become agents of change to promote a green agenda. They work in a coordinated way to create a more sustainable set of values and lifestyle patterns between their faith community and the rest of creation. Its role is to help make its faith community and the rest of the world a greener, healthier, more equitable place. This is done mainly through the following steps:
- Education
Educating people in their faith community about greening with respect to both the problems involved and the solutions is imperative. Detailed information may be given in workshops, community group talks, in places of worship, hosting discussion groups, organizing presentations, creating special libraries for “green” books and magazines, screening environmentally-conscious movies, conducting field trips to natural settings or garbage dumps, sewage treatment plants, and more.
- Advocacy
Local, political, and corporate advocacy is the mainstay of the work of this team. It would be important to use social media, campaigns, seminars, street demos, and community congregations to get the message out. Equally important is work on local, state or province, or national legislative efforts or campaigns directed at corporate social responsibility.
- Action
Facilitating action is the primary function of the Green Team. Every sermon or talk about “greening the planet” and making the world a better place to live and worship is an action step forward. First and foremost, good planning is the key to putting vision into reality. The roadmap and action plan should include both short-term and long-term goals. Second is the implementation phase, conducting activities such as footwork/fieldwork, communication, networking, and fundraising for projects and programs. Finally, reviewing or monitoring and evaluation is critical for measuring achievements, obstacles, and required changes in the action plan.
It is enlightening to see organizations like EnviroMuslims encourage our community to take responsibility for the environment. To get to know them better and to take advantage of the resources they can provide, visit https://www.enviromuslims.ca/. They are also active acon many social media platforms.
In the ever changing climate crisis it is easy to feel overwhelmed and helpless but it is important to remember that even one person can make all the difference. As vicegerents it is our duty to try to support and help the environment in whatever way we can. Allah promises that good deeds do not go to waste:
“But those who believe and do deeds of righteousness, We shall admit them to Gardens under which rivers flow (i.e. in Paradise) to dwell therein forever. Allah’s promise is the Truth; and whose words can be truer than those of Allah?”
(Surah An Nisa, 4:122)
Actions are judged by our intentions. Making an intention to protect and support the environment will have an impact in the world we live in and, as an act of worship, will ultimately be rewarded with Allah’s mercy and blessings. There are many ways to get involved and that is a win-win proposition for everyone!
Fatimah Zahra Nasir was a research intern in the summer of 2021 working on Sound Vision’s 100 Critical Concepts project. She is currently attending university and lives in Karachi, Pakistan.
Zahirah Lynn Eppard is Sound Vision’s Director of Religious Education. She is an educator, former Islamic school principal, marital and crisis intervention counselor, lobbyist, and social justice activist. Eppard lives with her husband and six children in Maryland.
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