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Our Precious Environment

The environment belongs to all of us. Our greatest responsibility should be to treat this trust in the best way, and not to pollute it or destroy it. Furthermore, those things that have to be done, have to be done here and now; we must put nothing off until tomorrow.

1. What is the Environment?

We know that the problem of the environment is one of today’s most serious problems. It is a problem that threatens not only us, but the whole world, and future generations and their right to live in a healthy environment. It is therefore causing humanity to approach the 21st century in a state of anxiety. This compels us to understand the environmental problems and to help in solving them. We should therefore first of all ask: what do we understand by ‘the environment’? That is, what is the environment?

One scientist answered this question by saying “we have 4095 environments.” By this he wanted to emphasize that when saying “environment,” it is insufficient to understand only the natural environment.

Our environment is formed by our house, garden, and car, the air we breathe, the water we drink, the town in which we live, and the people we live with. So too, it is formed by the seas, lakes, rivers, roads, mountains, and forests, which are shared by all the members of society.

Thus, when we say “environment,” we understand all these natural surroundings in which we and all living creatures live. While by “environmental pollution,” we mean the dirtying and spoiling of these natural surroundings. The air is polluted, the seas are polluted, the ozone layer is diminishing, and animal species are becoming extinct. Pollution of the social environment should be added to these: poverty, deprivation, homelessness, migration problems, racism, abandoned children, drug abuse, alcohol addiction, and other problems.

2. The Importance of Cleanliness

We should keep ourselves clean. We all know that the most important condition for protecting ourselves against illness is being clean and living in a clean environment. What preventative medicine tells us is nothing different to this.

3. The Cleanliness of the Social Environment

One of the most important topics that come to mind when one says “environmental health” is the cleanliness of the common environment. These are places such as roads, places of worship, schools, parks, children’s playgrounds, stadiums, excursion spots and picnic places, public lavatories, public beaches, and other such places.

What has to be done to maintain the cleanliness of the social environment is to think not of ourselves but of others. We should not dirty the roads and paths people used, and the places they sat and rested, like shady places and under trees and walls.

To pollute or dirty the city in which one lives, or the town or village and their surrounding countryside, waters, air, or views, and to scatter rubbish and refuse is extremely discourteous. It is lack of thought both for oneself and for others. For thoughtful people know that others will be disturbed by any place they have dirtied, and the beauties of nature spoilt. They are aware that it is a sign of maturity not to leave scattered nutshells, bottles, cans, wrappers, and bits of paper and other refuse in the streets and picnic areas or to do anything that will disturb other people, or even the animals.

4. The Preservation of Trees, Woodland, and Green Areas.

Doubtless, one of the most important aspects of protecting the environment and ecology is the conservation of the trees, forests, woodland, countryside, and all the living creatures whose habitats are such areas. These noteworthy principles related to the conservation of such areas may be classed as moral and legal.

Great importance should be attached to planting trees, protecting existent ones, planting forests, as well as to conserving existent ones.

5. The Protection of Animals

Another important question related to the environment is the good treatment of the animals in our lives, and the protection of them; or more correctly, extending our kindness and compassion to them. However, today many animal species are becoming extinct. Other animals stray abandoned and hungry in the streets. Taken as a whole, therefore, it cannot be said that we treat animals well.

They should be well treated, protected, and not abused or degraded.

They should not be ill-treated, but should be well looked after and kept clean, and employed in work suitable to their natures, and should not be loaded with burdens greater than they can bear. We should not hunt animals for pleasure.

Like men, animals employed in various tasks had the right to rest, and when stopping to rest on journeys, in particular the animals’ needs should be met and that they should be rested.

Some basic principles of animal rights:

• that we spend on them the  provision that their kinds require, even if they have aged  or sickened such that no benefit comes from them;
• that  we not burden them beyond what they can bear;
• that we not put them together with anything  by which they would be injured,  whether of their own kind or other species, whether by breaking their bones  or butting or wounding;
• that  we slaughter them with kindness;
• that when we slaughter them we neither flay their skins nor break  their bones until their bodies have become  cold and their lives passed away;
• that  we not slaughter their young within their sight  but that we isolate them;
• that we make comfortable their resting places and watering places;
• that we put their males and females together during their mating seasons;
• that we not discard  those which we take  as game; and neither shoot them with anything that breaks their bones nor bring about  their destruction by any means that renders  their meat unlawful to eat.

6. Some instances from the Past

If one studies the histories of the Muslim peoples, one sees that they lived in harmony with nature and its creatures.