Morality towards the Environment

The environment is the area in which humans and other living and non-living things live. People's relationship with their environment begins from the moment they are born. The baby, who is looking for his mother as soon as he opens his eyes to the world, turns to the substances he needs in order to continue his life. As the child grows, his communication with his environment also diversifies. Concurrently, their responsibilities towards the beings around them increase. Behaviors that seem simple, such as children playing in a park not damaging the playground equipment, protecting the trees and flowers in the park, not littering, not spitting on the ground, are examples of good morals that should be considered in our relationship with the environment.

Allah says in the Qur'an "The seven heavens and the earth and whatever is in them exalt (tasbih) Him. And there is not a thing except that it exalts [Allah] by His praise, but you do not understand their [way of] exalting. Indeed, He is ever Forbearing and Forgiving." (Isra, 17/44); “Do you not see that to Allah prostrates whoever is in the heavens and whoever is on the earth and the sun, the moon, the stars, the mountains, the trees, the moving creatures and many of the people?” (Hajj, 22/18). Accordingly, it is completely wrong to regard the plants and inanimate beings around us as mere objects of consumption. Although these beings were created for our benefit, each has its own value. We must be aware of this in our relationship with our environment. 

Just as organs like our hands, feet, and eyes are entrusted to us, so too is our environment, and every being, living or not. Every Muslim who is aware of this will act by considering whether these actions are morally right when he unnecessarily plucks a flower, kills an ant even though it is not harmful, or damages the bench on which he sits in the park. In line with the advice of the Prophet Muhammad (saw), he will refrain from overburdening the animals, torturing them, neglecting the care of the animals he keeps in his house, and making animals fight just for fun, and will fulfill His following hadith: “If you show mercy to those who are on the earth, He Who is in the heaven will show mercy to you.” (Abu Dawud, Adab, 58)

If people do not comply with divine orders and moral rules in their relations with their environment, the order of the world will be disrupted. Our life guide, the Qur'an, tells us the historical reality of this situation as follows: “Corruption has appeared throughout the land and sea by [reason of] what the hands of people have earned…” (Rum, 30/41) 

The verses of the Qur'an and the many hadiths of the Prophet Muhammad (saw) guide us on how we should behave towards our environment. The Prophet Muhammad (saw), who pointed out that it is necessary not to pollute the water sources that everyone uses, the roads and the shades where they rest, (Abu Dawud, Taharah, 14) reminded us of the importance of keeping the streets and avenues, picnic areas, lakes, parks and gardens clean. He stated that if any living creature eats the fruit of a tree planted by a Muslim or a product he grows, he will earn the reward of charity, (Bukhari, Adab, 27) thus encouraging believers to organize and make the best use of their environment. The advice of the Messenger of Allah (saw) that water should not be wasted even when making wudu in a river, (Ibn Majah, Taharah, 48) conspicuously highlights the need for conscious consumption and not wasting ni'mahs. These recommendations of our religion about not polluting the environment and using the resources we have consciously should be given more importance in today's world where environmental problems such as drought, global warming, decrease in water resources and air pollution are increasing. The necessity of environmental ethics will be better understood when we consider the waste of bread, unconscious consumption and wasted time.