How Being a Muslim Encourages Me to Be Green

I'm definitely not the greenest person I know. But one day it occurred to me that, as a Muslim, I should be a better environmentalist. Islam tells its followers that we are custodians of the Earth. When I realized that, it hit me that it may actually be a religious obligation to be green. As Earth Day gets closer, I'm trying to think more about my everyday actions and what impact they may have on the environment.

Before I thought of being eco-friendly as a religious obligation, the green changes I made to my life were for health reasons. I first got interested in the "green" way of life when I was pregnant. I would get horrible headaches when using conventional cleaners, so I switched to Clorox's new line of Green Works products. When I had my daughter, I fed her organic food whenever I could, and continued to use green cleaning products when I could. I started using SLS and petrochemical-free shampoos and baby washes on my daughter in an effort to not put any unknown chemicals on her.

But then one day it dawned on me that I should be as environmentally friendly as possible not only for my own health's sake or my family's sake, but for humanity's, the animals', and the Earth's sake. There are numerous hadiths (sayings of the Prophet) and Quranic verses about the Earth. As a Muslim, I feel an added responsibility towards the Earth.

As Muslims we should be known for being environmentalists. According to Islam, humans are the custodians and caretakers of the earth. The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) told his followers to plant trees and conserve water. In one hadith, Anas reported Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) as saying, "Never does a Muslim plant trees or cultivate land and birds or a man or a beast eats out of them but that is a charity on his behalf." (Sahih Muslim) The Quran cautions against wasting resources in the following verse: "But waste not by excess: for God loves not the wasters." (Qur'an: Chapter 6, Verse 141)

After researching the subject of Islam and environmentalism online, I was very happy to find that in 2009, over 50 Muslim scholars from all over the world met in Turkey and formed The Muslim Seven Year Action Plan (from 2010-2017). This plan has the support of Muftis, scholars, and the Ministries of Environment of Muslim countries such as Egypt, Turkey, Lebanon, Senegal, Indonesia, and Morocco, among others. Their goals include having an Islamic labeling system on products, working towards a "greener" Hajj and making pilgrims gain an "understanding of care of creation as an act of faithfulness", educating Imams on environmental awareness, developing educational materials on the environment for use in schools, and printing environmentally-friendly Quran's printed on paper made from sustainable wood supplies.

So here is my Earth Day promise to the planet: I will start off by stopping to think about how my actions affect the environment and what they will do to the Earth for the coming generations. Before I decide to take that extra-long shower, I'll think of the people who don't have the luxury of so much clean water. Before I throw plastic into the regular garbage can instead of recycling, I'll think about how many years it will take to decompose. And before I buy any new cleaning supplies I'll think about how they make their way down our drains and how some of the chemicals may possibly make their way into the oceans and our drinking supply. I'll try to feed my family more organic foods and will try to use less electricity. And I will use Islam as my motivation to continue to do good by the planet and preserve its beauty and resources for further generations.

References

The National: Scholars Say Islam Teaches Care for the Environment

Hadith Sahih Muslim Blog: Excellence of Planting of Trees and Tilling of Land