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Greening Our Deen

Consume less – Conserve more – Care for the environment

ٱلهذى له وٲت وما فى ٱلرض وله ٱلحمد فى ٱلخرة وهو ٱلحمد لله ـ ۥ ما فى ٱلسهم

( يعلم ما يلج فى ٱلرض وما يخرج منہا وما ينزل من ٱلسهماء وما١ٱلحكيم ٱلخبير )

حيم ٱلغفور يعرج فيہا وهو ٱلره

Praise be to God, to whom belongs all that is in the heavens and earth, and praise

be to Him in the life to come.

He is the All Wise, the All Aware.

He knows all that goes into the earth and all that comes out of it;

He knows all that comes down from the heavens and all that goes up to them.

He is the Merciful, the Forgiving. (Qur’an 34:1 - 2).

I bear witness that there is no deity, no object worthy of any act of

worship except Allah, the One without any partners, associates or equals.

And I bear witness that Muhammad is His servant and messenger.

سلمون حقه تقاتهۦ ول تموتنه إله وأنتم م أيہا ٱلهذين ءامنوا ٱتهقوا ٱلله ـ ي

You who believe, be mindful of God, as is His due, and make sure you devote

yourselves to Him, to your dying moment. (Qur’an 3: 102).

ـ وٲحدة وخلق منہا زوجها وبثه من ي ن نهفس ہما أيہا ٱلنهاس ٱتهقوا ربهكم ٱلهذى خلقكم م

ا ونساءا كثيرا ٱلهذى تساءلون بهۦ وٱلرحام رجالا ليك وٱتهقوا ٱلله كان ا م إنه ٱلله رقيبا

People, be mindful of your Lord, who created you from a single soul, and from it

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created its mate, and from the pair of them spread countless men and women far

and wide; be mindful of God, in whose name you make requests of one another.

Beware of severing the ties of kinship: God is always watching over you.

(Qur’an 4:1).

ا ) وقولوا قولا سديدا أيہا ٱلهذين ءامنوا ٱتهقوا ٱلله ـ لكم ويغفر لكم ٠٧ي ـ م ( يصلح لكم أ

ور ا ) سوله ذنوبكم ومن يطع ٱلله ظيما ا (٠١ۥ فقد فاز فوزا

Believers, be mindful of God, speak in a direct fashion and to good purpose, and

He will put your deeds right for you and forgive you your sins. Whoever obeys

God and His Messenger will truly achieve a great triumph. (Qur’an 33: 70-71).

-- &&& --

Today’s Khutbah is dedicated to the Green Khutbah Campaign which aims to

mobilize Muslims to become responsible stewards of the environment by

caring for all of God's creations.

The Green Khutbah Campaign, which coincides with Earth Day 2013, is

asking all of us to join the growing world-wide movement of Muslims who are

returning to a simpler lifestyle with a 3 Cs action plan - consuming less,

conserving more and caring for the environment.

We will look to the Islamic principles to 'Green Our Deen' and promote

greater environmental awareness.

This day is also is a time for us to reflect on the fragility and fine balance of the

universe and to remind us to be good stewards of God’s creation.

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What a wondrous universe Allah has created! - "in the alternation of night and

day,"(Qur’an 2:164); "in the water which God sends comes down from the sky

to give life to the earth when it has been barren"(Qur’an 2:164); "in the

changing of the winds," (Qur’an 2:164); "in the mountains over you” (Qur’an

2:63); “in the birds with wings outspread,” (Qur’an 24:41); in “the gardens,

springs” (Qur’an 26:147) – we cannot be but awe struck by these Qur’anic

descriptions of Creation.

But ….

We are failing this Trust from Allah.

We are failing in our stewardship of the planet, upsetting the balance of the

environment.

Our affluence and extravagant lifestyle comes at a high environmental cost.

Our consumption, indeed overconsumption, has done a great wrong and a

great injustice to the planet.

Human beings are defiling Allah’s creation - from our use of water to our

extraction of fossil fuels to our creation of vast amounts of waste.

The Earth is warming and we, humans, are the cause - that's the overwhelming

and undeniable conclusion of scientists.

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Our actions are not only threatening our own health and quality of life but our

future generations.

ملوا لعلههم ظهر ٱلفساد فى ٱلبر وٱلبحر بما كسبت أيدى ٱلنهاس ليذيقهم بعض ٱلهذى

يرجعون )١١(

“Corruption has flourished on land and sea as a result of people’s actions

and He will make them taste the consequences of some of their own

actions so that they may turn back.” (Qur’an 30:41)

The environmental crisis is not just a scientific problem or an environmental

one but the result of a deep, inner crisis of the soul - it is a moral issue.

We need to return to our sacred sources, the Qur’an and Prophetic traditions,

as well as the example of our righteous predecessors, to re-calibrate our

relationship to the Earth, its environment and all of God’s Creation.

We will be doing this today by looking to these sources to understand what it

means to live a Green Deen.

Let us be reminded that ….

Islam is based on the understanding that Allah is One (Tawhid), and

everything comes from Allah – He is the Creator and Sustainer.

Everything in the natural world is a sign (Ayat) of Allah’s creation.

Islam seeks for us to establish justice (‘Adl) and to maintain the Earth’s

delicate balance (Mizan).

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We are required to honor the trust we have with Allah (amana) and be

stewards of the Earth (Khalifah).

The six principles of a Green Deen, which many scholars and Muslim

environmentalists have studied and discussed, are covered in the book ‘Green

Deen – What Islam Teaches About Protecting the Planet’ by Ibrahim Abdul-

Matin.’

This year’s Green Khutbah Campaign is based on the principles in this

excellent book.

What are the six principles of a Green Deen?

1. Living a Green Deen means recognizing that Allah is the One God who is

the Creator and Sustainer of everything (Tawhid) - that He created us

and the natural world and the universe.

وٲت وما فى ٱلرض وما بينہما وما تحت ٱلثهرى ) له ـ (٦ۥ ما فى ٱلسهم

“Everything in the heavens and on earth, everything between them,

everything beneath the soil, belongs to Him.” (Qur’an 20:6).

2. Living a Green Deen means seeing everything in the natural world as a

sign (Ayat) of our Creator.

ولى ٱللب ت ل ـ ف ٱلهيل وٱلنهہار لي ـ وٲت وٱلرض وٱختل ـ ـ إنه فى خلق ٱلسهم

(١٩٧)

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“There truly are signs in the creation of the heavens and earth, and in the

alternation of night and day, for those with understanding.” (Qur’an

3:190).

3. Living a Green Deen means understanding that Allah created us directly

from the Earth and we must be stewards of the earth (Khalifa) - taking

care of it, protecting it and managing it in a sustainable way.

يب ت ل ـ درج ٮف ٱلرض ورفع بعضكم فوق بعض ـ لوكم وهو ٱلهذى جعلڪم خل

سريع ٱلعقا وإنهه فى ما ءاتٮكم حيم ) إنه ربه (١٦١ۥ لغفور ره

“It is He who made you successors on the earth and raises some of you

above others in rank, to test you through what He gives you [Prophet],

your Lord is swift in punishment, yet He is most forgiving and merciful.”

(Qur’an 6:165).

4. Living a Green Deen means knowing that we have undertaken a trust

(Amana) with our Creator to protect the planet.

وٲت وٱلرض وٱلجبال فأبين أن يحملنہا وأ ـ لى ٱلسهم رضنا ٱلمانة شفقن إنها

ن إنهه ـ نس ا جهولا ) منہا وحملها ٱل (٠٧ۥ كان ظلوما

“We offered the Trust to the heavens, the earth, and the mountains, yet

they refused to undertake it and were afraid of it; mankind undertook it –

they have always been inept and foolish.” (Qur’an 33:72).

5. Living a Green Deen means treating the Earth like a mosque and the

natural world with fairness and justice (‘Adl).

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ن ـ حس يأمر بٱلعدل وٱل إنه ٱلله

“God commands justice, doing good.” (Qur’an 16: 90).

ـي ي ياہي لٱ ي ن مايءٱ نن ماي ن ٱ م يقٱ ٲلٱ ٱٲلٱٱبين س ٲٱط

“You who believe, uphold justice.. (Qur’an 4: 135).

6. Living a Green Deen means recognizing and respecting the perfect

balance (Mizan) that Allah has created the universe with and living in

balance with the natural world.

ن ) ـ نس لهمه ٱلبيان )٣خلق ٱل ( وٱلنهجم ١( ٱلشهمس وٱلقمر بحسبان )١(

( أله تطغوا فى ٠( وٱلسهماء رفعها ووضع ٱلميزان )٦سجدان )وٱلشهجر ي

( وٱلرض ٩( وأقيموا ٱلوزن بٱلقسط ول تخسروا ٱلميزان )٨ٱلميزان )

(١٧وضعها للنام )

“He created man and taught him to communicate. The sun and the moon

follow their calculated courses; the plants and the trees submit to His

designs; He has raised up the sky. He has set the balance so that you may

not exceed in the balance: weigh with justice and do not fall short in the

balance.” (Qur’an 55: 3 – 10).

These 6 principles for a Green Deen are reminding us that to be a Muslim

means affirming the integral relationship between our faith and the natural

world.

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Indeed, the signs (ayaat) in the Universe are "messages for those who reason

and think" – testifying to the presence and infinite generosity of the One God

Who has laid out the Universe as the ‘outspread book’ (al-kitab al-manshur)

containing signs mirroring the signs of the ‘written book’, the Qur’an (al-kitab

al-mastur).

We cannot be Muslim without a connection to all of creation.

We cannot be Muslim without being responsible stewards of the environment

by caring for all of Allah's creations.

Although the evidence of environmental damage is stronger than ever, the

public is starting to tune out due to the recent economic crisis and a lack of

political leadership.

Recent findings, which were gathered by a GlobeScan Radar annual tracking

poll, show that concerns about the environment have reached a two-decade

low since the start of the financial crisis.

But Muslims cannot tune out from the environmental damage.

It is a matter of faith – tuning out would mean that we are disregarding our

moral responsibility to Allah’s creation.

Those who violate or abuse the Trust are described in the Qur’an as those who

corrupt, degrade and bring ruin on earth (mufsidin fi’l-Ard).

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The corrupters (mufsidin fi’l-Ard) abuse the Trust (amana) and are in clear

contrast to the stewards of the earth (khulafa fi’l-Ard).

As such, we must be, not just ‘friends of the earth’, but its guardians.

Let us supplicate …..

O Allah, forgive us for every blessing which You bestowed upon us but

which we used in disobedience to You.

O Allah, we beg Your forgiveness for those of our words which have not

been matched by our deeds.

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PART 2: Conserve More – Consume Less – Care for the Environment

All Praise be to Allah and His choicest blessings on our beloved Prophet

Muhammad, peace be on him, and on his family, companions and the righteous

ones until the Last Day.

The environmental crisis is asking us to look at ourselves - how we act, behave

and live.

This year’s Green Khutbah Campaign, is requesting each one of us to live a

simple, sustainable lifestyle by committing to follow the 3 C action plan:

1) Consume less

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2) Conserve more and

3) Care for the environment

Let us resist the consumer-based culture and thinking that seeks to preoccupy

and distract us in a vicious cycle of consumption.

هكاثر ) (٧مقابر )( حتهى زرتم ٱل ١ألهٮكم ٱلت

“Striving for more distracts you until you go into your graves.” (Qur’an

102, 1- 2).

We must resist greed that leads us to abuse God’s resources for one day the

Earth will unburden itself and tell all.

ن ما لها ٧( وأخرجت ٱلرض أثقالها )١ها )إذا زلزلت ٱلرض زلزال ـ نس ( وقال ٱل

ث أخبارها )٣) أوحى لها )١( يومٮذ تحد ا ١( بأنه ربه ( يومٮذ يصدر ٱلنهاس أشتاتا

لهم ) ـ م يروا أ (٦ل

“When the earth is shaken violently in its [last] quaking, when the earth

throws out its burdens, when man cries, ‘What is happening to it?’; on that

Day, it will tell all because your Lord will inspire it [to do so].” (Qur’an 99,

1 – 6).

Living simply is the Islamic way.

ۥ ل يح ٱلمسرفين إنهه ول تسرفوا

“..but do not be wasteful: God does not like wasteful people.” (Quran 6:

141).

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ۥ ل يح ٱلمسرفين إنهه وڪلوا وٱشربوا ول تسرفوا

“..and eat and drink[as We have permitted] but do not be extravagant: God

does not like extravagant people.” (Quran 7:31).

Consuming less is the Prophetic example.

The Prophet, peace be on him, said: “No man fills a vessel worse than his

stomach. A few mouthfuls that would suffice to keep his back upright are enough

for a man. But if he must eat more, than he should fill one third (of his stomach)

with food, one third with drink and leave one third for easy breathing.” [Ahmad].

One area of conservation Muslim must spearhead is water conservation as

water is integral to Muslim life, worship and practice.

وجعلنا من ٱلماء كله شىء

“….We made from water every living thing” (21:30).

Here are a few practical suggestions to help us conserve water…

Turn the water off while you are brushing your teeth or making wudu.

Do not let water run continuously.

Have a shorter shower.

Ensure that you turn the taps off tightly to avoid dripping.

Turn the temperature on your water heater down.

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Other simple suggestions which are easy to implement….

Reduce waste by ensuring that your household is implementing a recycling

program.

Find further uses for things instead of just discarding them.

Re-use items.

Save items that you will use again.

Be consumer wise – buy in bulk to reduce waste.

Purchase products and services from companies that are

environmentally conscious.

Purchase products that have been recycled or are recyclable.

Living a sustainable life means conserving more.

Save energy by turning off lights when you leave a room.

Ensure that windows and door frames are sealed properly to avoid heat

or cool air from escaping.

These seemingly small steps will lead you down the road to becoming an eco-

conscious Muslim and live a Green Deen.

We conclude with a tradition of the Prophet Muhammad, peace be on him, that

is a most striking statement in the religious traditions about the environment.

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This tradition summarizes the ethical position of Islam with regard to the

environment.

The Prophet Muhammad, peace be on him, is reported to have said, “"If the

Judgment Day comes when one of you is holding a seedling in his hand, if you

are able to plant it before the Day arrives, do so. " (Imam Ahmad, Al Bukhari in

Al Adab Al Mufrad (479)).

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O Allah, forgive us, have Mercy on us, guide us, support us, protect us,

provide for us and elevate us.

Our Lord, accept our repentance, cleanse us of our misdeeds, answer our

prayers, substantiate our pleas, guide our hearts, straighten our tongues

and banish all ill-will from our breasts.

And we send peace and blessings on our beloved Prophet Muhammad,

peace be on him.

-- &&& --

References:

Abdul Matin, Ibrahim (2010). Green Deen: What Islam Teaches about Protecting the Planet.

Berrett-Koehler Publishers.

Abdel Haleem M.A.S (2005). The Qur'an. Oxford University Press.

Environmental Concerns "At Record Lows": Global Poll (2013). Retrieved March 30, 2013,

from http://www.globescan.com/commentary-and-analysis/press-releases/press-releases-2013/261-environmental-concerns-at-record-lows-global-poll.html

Other useful resources: http://khaleafa.com/greenkhutbah/