THE EGO & THE ENVIRONMENT - Islam and our accountability for Earth and all its inhabitants

Borrowed Blessings

We are living on borrowed blessings,

Upon the thousands of years past

When somewhere far in time,

An ancestor of ours said,

"No... let's not do that.

Let us do the right thing"

When a forefather with tears in his eyes,

Raised his hands to the darkening skies,

And said, "Oh Lord... Please keep safe

My children and my children's children,

For what I could have done for them I have,

And now I leave them in Your hands."

.......................

The Ego & The Environment. Oh my beloved friends, I am a little worried. For I fear the day when we shall account for all our deeds done to our environment, all our actions and omissions. For all the times we could have acted to do the right thing but did not. My lazy ego often tells me... 'Naaw... you don't need to think too much about the environment and sustainable development and consumption... that is the problem for the politicians, the experts, the university professors, the... (ad infinitum)." According to our lazy ego, it is everyone else's problem but ours.

But Marshall Mcluhan, a Canadian philosopher in a statement referencing the Operating Manual for Spaceship Earth (1967), clarifies most succinctly, 

"There are no passengers on Spaceship Earth. We are all crew."

Crew and Viceregents. So there is indeed no escaping our responsibility for this beautiful Earth, which is not ours, but in truth, God's grant to humanity. But the Angels of God, in their wisdom and foresight raised the query of our fitness to crew the Spaceship Earth, or in the words of the Holy Quran, to be the Khalifah (viceregents of God) upon this Earth...

Behold, thy Lord said to the angels: "I will create a vicegerent on earth." 

They said: "Wilt Thou place therein one who will make mischief therein 

and shed blood?- whilst we do celebrate Thy praises and glorify Thy holy (name)?" 

He said: "I know what ye know not."

(Quran 2:30, Yusuf Ali)

We are full of mischief, the Angels alleged. And as history unveils itself through time, indeed, we brought a lot of mischief and oppression to the Earth. But closely parallel to the evil, is the goodness inherent in Man, made manifest and clear by the Prophets and Saints of God, authorised by God to advise, admonish and encourage Man towards good and to reject all evil and all falsehood. 

So we are the Khalifahs (viceregents) on Earth. So what is new? But today is different from any other day in the past, you see. For our economy, our industries and apparent insatiable appetite for consumption has led to a point when Man can actually physically and permanently do harm to the Earth.

Back to the Basics. The way forward for us as a community, is the same way as revealed by the Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w.s.) in verse 2:30 above, that is to find the answer from and through God Almighty. After all, did He not say unto the Angels, 

"I know what ye know not."

We are asking continuing support and guidance from the Flag of Guidance, Sayyidina Alamul Huda Muhammad (s.a.w.s), lest we be branded by our children as the generation that took a paradise from Allah the Most Compassionate, and passed on to them a dying planet.

May Allah the Ever Generous save us from our most selfish and wicked desires!

Pray for humanity, sunshine. And pray for Spaceship Earth.

wa min Allah at-taufiq

Hate has no place in Islam

Love will show the Way

All Muslims must be Environmentalists - little children and little khalifahs..

The word 'Khalifah' is a commonly used term referring to the caliphs of the Muslim Caliphate that stretched for close to 1400 years ending only in 1923 with the abdication of the last Ottoman caliph.

Its actual meaning, after extensive 2-minutes search on Google, encompasses 'a civil or religious leader of a Muslim state considered a representative of God on earth'. It can also mean a lieutenant or regent of God, ie mankind as a whole.

I often see the bumper sticker 'Little Khalifah' on cars here in Malaysia. No doubt, placed there by proud Muslim parents. I don't mind, I think it is kinda tacky but it's cute. Nevertheless, I also believe that like most forms, names, words and labels, the meaning must be understood.

For me, the word Khalifah attracts obligations. It does not attract dominion or authority. For in the words of a prose posted earlier -

Khalifah...

The Best Master is the Best Servant

The Best Servant is the Best Master

So the term Khalifah is a spiritual designation weighed with responsibility and accountability. It encompasses our obligations to our family, our neighbours, our people, our country and humanity. It encompasses how well we treat the environment, the animals and crop that we have domesticated and cultivated, as well as the wild animals and fauna in the forest and desert, and the fishes and mammals that swim in the seas and rivers. We are responsible for the air that we breath and the water that we use. Every drop of water wasted, every pollutant spilled into the stream, every smoke, smog and pollution our factories spit into the clean air - all these we are responsible for.

Perhaps it is better that our little Khalifah children all remain little, if they but knew the breadth of their responsibilities to mankind and mother nature when they grow older and becomes accountable for their actions and omissions.

I do think that all Muslims should be, by their own definitions, environmentalists... And I do believe that everyone else, by reason, should be environmentalists too. After all, it is not as if we have another Earth to migrate to if we destroy this one...

Something to think about this Friday, sunshine.

wa min Allah at-taufiq

Hate has no place in Islam

Love will show the Way