The Muslim Declaration on Nature - Assisi 1986

 

The Muslim Declaration on Nature – Assisi 1986

 

By His Excellency Dr. Abdullah Omar Nasseef

 

This Muslim Declaration on Nature was one of original Assisi Faith Declarations created in 1986, for a meeting held in Assisi by WWF-International and the Alliance of Religions and Conservation (ARC). The meeting stemmed from an idea by HRH the Prince Philip, to invite five leaders of the five major world religions – Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Islam and Judaism – to come and discuss how their faiths could help save the natural world. www.arcworld.org

The essence of Islamic teaching is that the entire universe is Allah’s creation. Allah makes the waters flow upon the earth, upholds the heavens, makes the rain fall and keeps the boundaries between day and night. The whole of the rich and wonderful universe belongs to Allah, its Maker. It is Allah who created the plants and the animals in their pairs and gave them the means to multiply. Then Allah created mankind – a very special creation because mankind alone was created with reason and the power to think and even the means to turn against his Creator. Mankind has the potential to acquire a status higher than that of the angels or sink lower than the lowest of the beasts.

The word ‘Islam’ has the dual meaning of submission and peace. Mankind is special, a very particular creation of Allah. But still we are Allah’s creation and we can only properly understand ourselves when we recognise that our proper condition is one of submission to Allah who made us.

“For the Muslim, humankind’s role on earth is that of a Khalifah – vicegerent or trustee of Allah. We are Allah’s stewards and agents on Earth. We are not masters of this Earth; it does not belong to us to do what we wish. It belongs to Allah and He has entrusted us with its safekeeping.”

And only when we submit to the Will of Allah can we find peace: peace within us as individuals, peace between man and man, and peace between man and nature. When we submit to the Will of Allah, we become aware of the sublime fact that all our powers, potentials, skills and knowledge are granted to us by Allah. We are His servants and when we are conscious of that, when we realise that all our achievements derive from the Mercy of Allah, and when we return proper thanks and respect and worship to Allah for our nature and creation, then we become free. Our freedom is that of being sensible, aware, responsible trustees of Allah’s gifts and bounty.

For the Muslim, mankind’s role on earth is that of a Khalifah – vicegerent or trustee of Allah. We are Allah’s stewards and agents on Earth. We are not masters of this Earth; it does not belong to us to do what we wish. It belongs to Allah and He has entrusted us with its safekeeping. Our function as vicegerents, Khalifahs of Allah, is only to oversee the trust. The khalifah is answerable for his/her actions, for the way in which he/she uses or abuses the trust of Allah.

Islam teaches us that we have been created by Allah, that we will return to Allah for Judgement, and that we are accountable for our deeds as well as our omissions. The khalifah will have to render an account of how he treated the trust of Allah on the Day of Reckoning. The notion that describes the accountability of the khalifah is akhirah (the Hereafter). Islam is the guidance of how to live today so that we can face the akhirah: it is the Message which informs us of what will be involved in that reckoning.

The central concept of Islam is Tawhid – the Unity of Allah. Allah is Unity and His Unity is also reflected in the unity of mankind, and the unity of man and nature. His trustees are responsible for maintaining the unity of His creation, the integrity of the Earth, its flora and fauna, its wildlife and natural environment. Unity cannot be had by discord, by setting one need against another; it is maintained by balance and harmony. Therefore, Muslims say that Islam is the middle path and we will be answerable for how we have walked this path and how we have maintained balance and harmony in the whole of creation around us.

So unity, trusteeship and accountability, that is tawhid, khalifah and akhirah, the three central concepts of Islam, are also the pilars of the environmental ethics of Islam. they constitute the basic values taught by the Qur’an. it is these values which led Muhammad, (peace be upon him), the Prophet of Islam, to say: ‘Whosoever plants a tree and diligently looks after it until it matures and bears fruit is rewarded’, and ‘If a Muslim plants a tree or sows a field and men and beats and birds eat from it, all of it is a charity on his part’, and again, ‘The world is green and beautiful, and Allah has appointed you as His stewards over it.’ Environmental consciousness is born when such values are adopted and become an intrinsic part of our mental and physical make-up.

And these are not remote, other-wordly notions, they concern us here and now. If you were to ask me what the notion of the Hereafter has to do with here and now, my answer might surprise you. I would say nuclear power and biotechnology. Both of these are very present here-and-now issues. Both have benefits and costs. Both have implications for the health and well being of mankind and nature. If I sincerely intend to be Allah’s khalifah, His steward on Earth, then I must have an opinion about them and prepare myself to make chioces about them, because I will be accountable for what mankind has wrought with these devices in the Hereafter.

Islam is a very practical world view. It seeks, in all its principles and injunctions, to give pragmatic shapes to its concepts and values. Indeed, the notion of tawhid and khalifah have been translated into practical injunctions in the Shari’ah (Islamic Law). Surah Shari’ah institutions as haram zones, inviolate areas within which development is prohibited to protect natural resources, and hima, reserves established soley for the conservation of wildlife and forests, form the core of the environmental legislation of Islam.

The classical muslim jurist, Izzad-Din Ibn Abdas-Salam, used these aspects of the Shari’ah when he formulated the bill of legal rights of animals in the thirteenth century. Similarly, numerous other jurists and scholars developed legislations to safeguard water resources, prevent over-grazing, conserve forests, limit the growth of cities, protect cultural property, and so on. Islam’s environmental ethics then are not limited to metaphysical notions; they provide a practical guide as well.

Muslims need to turn to this nexus of values, this way of understanding themselves and their environment. The notions of unity, trusteeship and accountability should not be reduced to matters of personal piety; they must guide all aspects of their life and work. Shari’ah should not be relegated just to issues of crime and punishment, it must also become the vanguard for environmental legislation.

We often say that Islam is a complete way of life, by which it is meant that our ethical system provides the bearings for all our actions. Yet our actions often undermine the very values we cherish. Often while working as scientists or technologists, economists or politicians, we act contrary to the environmental dictates of Islam. We must imbibe these values into our very being. We must judge our actions by them. They furnish us with a world-view which enables us to ask environmentally appropriate questions, to draw up the right balance sheet of posibilities, and to properly weigh the environmental costs and benefits of what we want, what we can do within the ethical boundries established by Allah, without violating the rights of His other creations.

 

If we use the same values, the same understanding in our work as scientist or technologist, economist or politician, as we do to know ourselves as Muslims – those who submit themselves to the Will of Allah – then, I believe, we will create a caring and practical way of being, doing and knowing; a true Islamic alternative to the environmentally destructive thought and actions which dominates the world today.

 

Posted in: @Parliament of World Religions

Article, Special Feature

Courtesy

Copyright @Parliament of World Religions

Written by Dr. Abdullah Omar Naseef

February 20, 2015

 

Dr Abdullah Omar Nasseef Attends Islamic-Catholic Committee Meeting in Rome

 

WMC’s President attends Islamic-Catholic 

Committee Meeting in Rome in 2008

Dr Mozammel Haque

There can be no true and lasting peace without Justice. This statement came out from the 14th meeting of the Islamic-Catholic Liaison Committee held in the Vatican, on 11-13 June 2008, corresponding to 7-9 Jumada at-Thani, 1429 A.M. The Catholic delegation was headed by Cardinal Jean-Louis Tauran, President of the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue, Vatican City. There were ten participants from the Muslim world and ten from the Vatican and other Churches. Usually, the Committee pick up the current topic for discussion every year. Some scholars from both sides prepare papers for presentation.

This year the theme was "Christians and Muslims as Witnesses of the God of Justice, of Peace and of Compassion in a World Suffering from Violence". There were six papers: three from the Muslim world and another three from the Catholic group.

Speaking about the subject, Dr. Abdullah Omar Nasseef, the President of the World Muslim Congress, who attended the meeting, told me in an interview, while he was passing through Heathrow airport on his way back to Saudi Arabia: "The papers were on 'God is God of Mercy' and we are witnesses of the Mercy of God. Islam and other religions call for justice and kindness and harmony among the people. This is what we emphasized. This year the discussion was very good and straightforward; because we know all religions call for peace and order and kindness and cooperation between the religions".

Dr. AI-Moqri Abou Zyad al-ldrissi from Morocco spoke on the subject 'God is the God of Mercy'. He also spoke on the Mercy from the Life of the Prophet (peace be upon him) and his behaviour. Dr. al-ldrissi is an MP in the Parliament of Morocco and the Chairman of the Moroccan-Russian Friendship Organization. He is also a good writer. A Member of Parliament from Algeria, an ex-Minister, also spoke about Justice, Islam, and so on and there were two more speakers. There was Sheikh Professor Shaheed of the Supreme Muslim Council of Ireland. He is the chair of the European Muslim Council.

"There were some absentees. Some of the members failed to attend the meeting and sent their apologies, such as the apologies which came from AI-Azhar. The Muslim World League was not there and also some other members," said Dr. Nasseef.

The Pontifical Council released a statement about the meeting, which had the theme "Christians and Muslims as Witnesses of the God of Justice, of Peace and of Compassion in a World Suffering From Violence."

Statement

The Vatican statement said, "The topic was treated from a religious point of view according to the teaching of our two religious traditions."

The committee agreed on five points, the first being that "from the inherent dignity of each human being stem fundamental rights and duties."

They added: "Justice is a priority in our world. It requires, beyond the implementation of the existing legal provisions, the respect of the fundamental needs of individuals and peoples through an attitude of love, fraternity and solidarity. There can be no true and lasting peace without justice.

"Peace is a gift from God and also requires the commitment of all human beings, and particularly believers, who are called to be vigilant witnesses to peace in a world afflicted by violence in many forms.

"Christians and Muslims believe that God is compassionate and therefore they consider it their duty to show compassion towards every human person, especially the needy and the weak." Finally, the committee affirmed that "if authentically practiced, effectively contribute in promoting brotherhood and harmony in the human family."

The Islamic-Catholic Liaison Committee, with four international Islamic organisations convening annually, came into being in 1995, about years ago when Dr. Nasseef was in the Muslim World League as Secretary General. In 1998, an agreement was signed with AI-Azhar, one of the world's oldest universities and Islam's most widely known and respected institution of higher learning. And there were regular meetings. Sometimes there were special and extraordinary meetings on some issues such as 9/11 and some other issues. Generally, the Islamic-Catholic Committee meets once in a year.

After the meeting, the participants of the Islamic-Catholic Meeting were taken to the Pope Benedict XVI. About the meeting with the Pope, Dr. Nasseef said, "he was kind and welcomes everybody, he encourages the dialogue and is looking forward that the religions can cooperate to bring peace and harmony between people and to eliminate some of the difficulties which are being faced here and there." Cardinal Jean-Louis Tauran and Archbishop Pier Luigi Celata, the President and the Secretary, respectively, of the Vatican dicastery participated.

International Islamic Conference for dialogue

Replying to my queries about the International Islamic Conference for Dialogue at Makkah al-Mukarramah, Dr. Nasseef said, "The Pope mentioned very briefly. He is looking forward that according to the wishes of King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia some regular arrangements can be made for religions to work together and there is international dialogue between religions and civilizations groups. He is hoping that this will happen."

Dr. Nasseef also added, "The Pope was encouraging. And the Cardinal Tauran, head of the Catholic delegation and in-charge of inter-religious dialogue in the Vatican City, was very positive and his words were very encouraging.” – M. H.

 

First Published in

The Muslim World, January Issue, 2008,

Published by Motamar al-Alam-Al-Islami,

Islamabad Pakistan