Islamic+Environmental+Ethics

=Islamic Environmental Ethics=

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According to the Qur’an everything in the natural world is a sign (aya) of God and as such it is continuously praising Him. In short, the natural world as presented and described by the Qur’an, as will be mentioned below, is a living, holistic, orderly and perfect world, populated by angels, jinn, human beings and animals. Above all, the universe, with all its causal processes, is //the prime sign (aya) and proof of its Maker//. So, when we look at the Qur’an’s general attitude towards the universe, natural resources, and the relation between human beings and nature we find out that: The main purpose of human beings is nothing else but to serve God, to be grateful to Him, and to worship Him alone. Nature exists for human beings to use it and benefit from it for their own ends. The utility, serviceability, and exploitibility of nature by human beings are spoken of in numerous verses. However, human beings are invited to use this opportunity for the good and not to "corrupt the earth" [fasad fi’l-ard], a phrase often repeated in the Qur’an. Thus, when we look at the natural world, animate- inanimate, we see that even rocks and mountains have given special roles and responsibilities according to the Qur’an. The creation of the universe, however, was a serious affair, not a sport or a fancy. According to Rahman, for example, nature is regarded as the grand handiwork of the Almighty, but it does not exist just to show off His might and power. It is to serve human beings by meeting their vital needs. As this point is very important with regard to human being-nature relationship, it deserves further elaboration. Although human beings are at the top of the great chain of being, they are not the owner of nature, for the sole aim of nature is not only for human beings and their ends. Muslims deduce from the above-mentioned Qur’anic principles that "although the various components of the natural environment serve humanity as one of their functions, this does not imply that human use is the sole reason for their creation." Both some classical and contemporary Muslim scholars have interesting views on this matter. Ibn Taymiyah, a classical example of this understanding, when commenting on those verses of the Qur’an which state that God has created the various parts of the natural environment to serve humanity, underlines this point: In considering all these verses it must be remembered that Allah in His wisdom created these creatures for reasons other than serving man, because in these verses He explains only the benefits of these creatures [to man]