FIXING SCARCITY. ADOPTIVE ECO-ECONOMIC PRICPLES FROM ISLAMIC MANUALS.

FIXING SCARCITY. ADOPTIVE ECO-ECONOMIC PRICPLES FROM ISLAMIC MANUALS.

the reason and purpose behind the creation of human beings are clearly transmitted by the holy verses of Quran. No doubt in the fact that conserving natural resources upon humans is a compulsory act. The concept of sustainable development in Islam can be yielded by ensuring consumer welfare and maintaining social justice and keeping balance for future generations within the participation of ruling principles of Islamic shareea.

For everything, which have power to satisfy the want of a person can be said as a resource. On the basis of exhaustibility, natural resources are classified into renewable and non renewable. Therefore, utmost care must be required in usage of resources, to keep a balance.

Quranic view on sustainable development

As Quran is the constitution for mankind, it says “all those things we created here in this earth are for you humans”. The beginning lineage of human beings to the last person has a share in the resources. Moreover the god itself kept a scale on all the resources. Thus negative actions will result in the de scaling and its side effects. Allah said that “we have made scale to all resources. We have made the sky up...” It warns the mankind on the negative impacts resulted in the land and sea on what they did.

Land reclamation in Islam

The he who one brings a dead land to life, he is rewarded sheds light towards the encouragement of land reclamation. For every single bird, animal or any other insect benefits from it, he is rewarded and regarded as charity in Islam. For every sapling he plants, Allah rewards. All these examples make a clear passage and testify the importance to the reclamation of land. Plants enrich soil and protect it from erosion by wind and water. The trees and plants hold water and result in proper ground water discharge. Moreover clean oxygen they provide is the driving force of every living thing. Besides it provides oil, perfume, wax etc.

Natural reserves

Wildlife protection is an essential part in Islam. No any kind of industrial development or extensive grazing is not allowed in such reserved areas. What prophet and caliphs initiated for its worthy and enrichment. Biosphere reserve is another term which comes under natural reserve. Once prophet said “I declare the Madeena sacred throughout the area between these two mountains. Leaves may not be eaten except for fodder”. No hunting, poaching, cutting of trees, shrubs and herbs are allowed in the premises of holy central mosque. At other places all these are allowed along with fish catching if it’s reasonable.

Water and related matters

The word water is repeated about sixty-six times in the Quran with its life giving properties. It’s an elixir, while coming ourselves to Quran” we send water from sky and in the morning you see the earth is green”. Islam denies monopolization of water if there is both upstream and downstream. After holding reasonable amount of water for irrigation a farmer has to send down balance of the water, to ensure the sustainability of water.

Jurists like Malik and Ibn Qudama spoke about the extraction of ground water and said “a person has no right to adversely affect his neighbors well by lowering water level and polluting aquifer. Water plays a socio-religious function. As Islam encourage cleaning most of the time, nobody is permitted to perform prayer with impurities. The quality of water requires for purification is ‘tahoor’. Urination, discharge of waste water, washing and bathing in the stagnant water is forbidden in Islam. Nobody is allowed to wash more than supposed while taking ablution even he is beside a running river.

All these encourage protection of water and awareness towards protection and prevent pollution. Few methods adopted in the awareness can be after the Friday prayers, where the chief priest of the mosque will perform a sermon including facts furnished with authenticated extracts from classical jurist manuals. As human beings are the co-owners of all the resources nobody is allowed to hold in without reason. Architectures in Islamic cities are in a way which will ease for the sufficiency and proper utilization of water. Artists designed special tanks and pools in Masjids for ablution and beverage basins for cattle in public. Offering water to others is part of charity and occasionally mandatory. Distribution of pamphlets and sticking of bills in public places can be adopted for the awareness campaigns.

Afforestation in Islam

The verse” whoever plants a tree and looks after it with care until it matures and become productive will be rewarded hereafter” appreciates Afforestation. Most of the metaphors and similes used in the Quran are related with green and trees. The prophetic teaching saying “even if one hour is left of the last hour and he have a palm shot in his hand, should plant it” is quite provoking verse for Afforestation. Special instructions of prophet not to cut trees and destroy water bodies in war time also emphasize the matter.

Air pollution

Release of excessive waste particles resulting in pollution of air is known as air pollution. Prophet discourages the people who make air polluted. We could see ban on those who ate onion and garlic to masjids and public mobs.

Poverty alleviation and responsibility towards disabled and poor

Alms giving is one among major integrals of Islam. The mentioned categories, which alms can be given are widely described in classical manual of jurisprudence. This way of poverty alleviation focuses on developing human resource by providing relevant job opportunities. The Islamic rulers appoint special crew to collect all the alms of people and ensure its supply to the needy. These will be under the supervision of baithul maal.

Other systems like Mudaaraba(partnership in labor and capital and sharing profits), Mushaaraka( partnership in capital and sharing profits) are private public partnership tools. Such tools help to alleviate poverty by providing income generating activities of the poor in partnership scheme.

Poor and disabled are also major part in building a community. Islam commands its followers to ensure his neighbor is in fine or not. The he who one fills his stomach where his neighbor stays hungry, does not belongs to our community. Islam forbids feasts and banquets where poor and rich are differentiated.

Encourage farming

Consumption and conservation of resources is so important. Besides production of resources plays a lion’s share in setup of an economy. The donation of caliph Umar a piece of farm land for the development is eye catching one. The farmers who grow crops with expense on irrigation and fertilizers do not need to pay zakath up to an extent. Once prophet warned a person who prolonged invocation which made farmers late working in fields, after obligatory prayers.

Human resource and its development

Human resource plays an important role in building of a country. If copious of other resource are present with no efficient human capital, the economy will face utter failure. So here comes the importance of human resource. As sustainable development is possible only if human resource are properly deployed. Prophet stressed his battalion not to kill any human with no reason. Recent accommodation measures did by few countries in emigrant matters is part of their void human resource. Food, shelter and education are the three major requirements of humans.

Acquiring knowledge, spiritual and material is important regarding a Muslim. Knowledge seeking is obligatory in Islam. As the prophetic teaching goes, he has to do it even it could be done in china.

Environmental protection

As Muslim, it’s compulsory to work towards the protection of environment. “The benefit of a thing is in return for the liability attached to it” is the fundamental legal principle established by prophet. The present natural catastrophes and disasters happens are of the result which human did with their dirty hands. Quran made us alert from such situations.

The mandate of the individual

The ultimate responsibility for right action lies with the individual who will be judged in the Day of Judgment for what he did in his life regardless of what the governing authority and their various administrative and municipal agents of court of law requested to him. People should understand that the environmental protection and conservation of resources are a part of Islamic law and duty of Muslims. All should remember the following instructions.

• No waste and over consumption of natural resources.

• No unlawful obstruction or destruction of any component of natural resources.

• No damage, abuse, befoulment or distortion of natural environment in any way.

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