Our environment &Wetlands is a blessing for us 

In this day and age, we have a saying that ‘environmental rights are human rights’. Human communities have the right to a safe and sustainable environment, so fighting against deforestation or pollution is actually fighting for the rights of human beings. 

Islam also teaches us that the environment protects and nourishes human civilisation – and the Qur’an is filled with beautiful imagery about this blessing. 

Consider how Allah talks to us about the joys of rain, saying:  

وَٱللَّهُ أَنزَلَ مِنَ ٱلسَّمَآءِ مَآءًۭ فَأَحْيَا بِهِ ٱلْأَرْضَ بَعْدَ مَوْتِهَآ ۚ إِنَّ فِى ذَٰلِكَ لَـَٔايَةًۭ لِّقَوْمٍۢ يَسْمَعُونَ 

’And Allah has sent down rain from the sky and given life thereby to the earth after its lifelessness. Indeed, in that is a sign for a people who listen’. 

 [The Noble Qur’an, 16:65] 

Allah also says,  

وَهُوَ ٱلَّذِىٓ أَنزَلَ مِنَ ٱلسَّمَآءِ مَآءًۭ فَأَخْرَجْنَا بِهِۦ نَبَاتَ كُلِّ شَىْءٍۢ فَأَخْرَجْنَا مِنْهُ خَضِرًۭا نُّخْرِجُ مِنْهُ حَبًّۭا مُّتَرَاكِبًۭا وَمِنَ ٱلنَّخْلِ مِن طَلْعِهَا قِنْوَانٌۭ دَانِيَةٌۭ وَجَنَّـٰتٍۢ مِّنْ أَعْنَابٍۢ وَٱلزَّيْتُونَ وَٱلرُّمَّانَ مُشْتَبِهًۭا وَغَيْرَ مُتَشَـٰبِهٍ ۗ ٱنظُرُوٓا۟ إِلَىٰ ثَمَرِهِۦٓ إِذَآ أَثْمَرَ وَيَنْعِهِۦٓ ۚ إِنَّ فِى ذَٰلِكُمْ لَـَٔايَـٰتٍۢ لِّقَوْمٍۢ يُؤْمِنُونَ 

’And it is He who sends down rain from the sky, and We produce thereby the growth of all things. We produce from it greenery from which We produce grains arranged in layers. And from the palm trees – of its emerging fruit are clusters hanging low. And gardens of grapevines and olives and pomegranates, similar yet varied. Look at [each of] its fruit when it yields and [at] its ripening. Indeed, in that are signs for a people who believe’. 

 [The Noble Qur’an, 6:99] 

Or consider how Allah talks of how the Earth is our home: 

ٱللَّهُ ٱلَّذِى جَعَلَ لَكُمُ ٱلْأَرْضَ قَرَارًۭا وَٱلسَّمَآءَ بِنَآءًۭ وَصَوَّرَكُمْ فَأَحْسَنَ صُوَرَكُمْ وَرَزَقَكُم مِّنَ ٱلطَّيِّبَـٰتِ ۚ ذَٰلِكُمُ ٱللَّهُ رَبُّكُمْ ۖ فَتَبَارَكَ ٱللَّهُ رَبُّ ٱلْعَـٰلَمِينَ 

’It is Allah who made for you the earth a place of settlement and the sky a ceiling and formed you and perfected your forms and provided you with good things. That is Allah, your Lord; then blessed is Allah , Lord of the worlds’. 

 [The Noble Qur’an, 40:64] 

وَأَلْقَىٰ فِى ٱلْأَرْضِ رَوَٰسِىَ أَن تَمِيدَ بِكُمْ وَأَنْهَـٰرًۭا وَسُبُلًۭا لَّعَلَّكُمْ تَهْتَدُونَ ١٥ 

’And He has cast into the earth firmly set mountains, lest it shift with you, and [made] rivers and roads, that you may be guided’. [The Noble Qur’an, 16:15] 

In this way, Islam encourages us to witness the benefits which Allah has created in our environment – to shelter us, feed us, make travel easy for us and so much more and one of those benefits is wetlands. 

• The environment & Wetlands is our responsibility 

Although the wetlands is a blessing for us, this is not a one-way relationship, where we can take from the world without giving anything back. Since the beginning of humankind, we have always been responsible for protecting the environment as much it protects us: 

This world is an amanah (trust) which human beings accepted from Allah. Every human being is a khalifah (successor or steward) for the Earth – someone temporarily responsible for keeping it safe and thriving. We are not the masters of this world – we are actually in service to it. 

Allah reminds us of our own place by saying, ‘ 

Therefore, we can’t expect that the environment will take care of itself as human development accelerates. It is our duty to ensure we don’t exploit it or neglect our responsibility towards it. 

• We have been commanded not to ‘spread corruption’ 

There are two ways we can fulfil the environment’s rights: by not harming it; and by actively protecting it. 

As for the first, Allah commands us,  

وَلَا تَعْثَوْا۟ فِى ٱلْأَرْضِ مُفْسِدِينَ 

‘Do not commit abuse on the earth, spreading corruption’. 

 [The Noble Qur’an, 2:60] 

In this day and age, ‘corruption’ has rapidly spread throughout the earth. While some people are far more to blame for the destruction of the environment and wetlands, now all of humankind is tasting the consequences of its exploitation. 

The most obvious consequence has been climate change: massive changes in the weather and an increase in natural disasters. But we have also destroyed habitats which we depend on for survival and spread pollutants and toxins which are making us sick. The environment and wetlands is now so fragile that every individual must actively work not to harm it. 

So far, we have mentioned how the world was created in balance; how the environment is a blessing for us; that we are responsible for it; and that we have been commanded not to ‘spread corruption’. 

Our next discussion will be three ways we can protect the environment: protection of resources, nature conservation and wetlands.