.png)
'The improvement in air quality over the past month of the coronavirus lockdown has led to 11,000 fewer deaths from pollution in the UK and elsewhere in Europe, a study has revealed.'
...wrote the guardian in an optimistic article in the midst of chaos.
Despite this year being a devastating year for many due to Covid-19, we can not deny the positives that came out of staying at home. During lockdown, the environment changed for the better as, carbon emissions fell rapidly, the air quality improved, and the environment overall became healthier and cleaner.
'We could see long-lasting positive environmental change after the pandemic. But it’s all down to how we move on after lockdown.' clarifies Martha Henriques from BBC Future.
Reading these articles made me think about what Islam teaches us about the environment and what we Muslims should do as the country eases out of its second lockdown.
'And do not commit abuse on the earth, spreading corruption.' [Qur’an 2:60]
This quranic quote shows that we should not corrupt the Earth by means such as littering and deforestation. Instead, we should strive to be eco-friendly, being aware of what would harm our environment in the short-term or the long-term and resorting to other ways, even if that means changing our lifestyle.
'If a Muslim plants a tree or sows seeds, and then a bird, or a person or an animal eats from it, it is regarded as a charitable gift for them.' [Hadith Bukhari]
Here, we are encouraged to not only avoid harming nature but to help it to grow into a more beautiful, beneficial place for every being. This brings me to a very important point I wanted to raise and that is protecting sea life. Over the past decade, large amounts of litter have entered our oceans, killing marine mammals and harming sea life. The amount is unfortunately immense and the consequences, dreadful as '100,000 marine mammals and turtles and 1 million sea birds are killed by marine plastic pollution annually.'*
But what can we do? Plastic pollution can be reduced by not buying plastics you don't need and purchasing reusable forms of the product instead, for example reusable, eco-friendly shopping bags.
Another solution can be seen in the hadith and is also rewardable:
'Removing harmful things from the road is an act of charity.' [Narrated by Abu Dharr Al-Ghafari]
Our prophet has encouraged us to protect our community and our environment here, calling it an act of 'charity' and that's what it really is. If you think about the long term consequences of your actions next time you're walking on a beach and remove some plastic bags lying around in the sand, or you see a large rock that could be harmful to anyone on the road, or even just throwing random pieces of litter in the nearest bin you'll not only be a good person and save the future but our planet but also be rewarded. So if it's such a simple action, why not do it?
Lastly, I'll end this with a beautiful quote from the Hadith:
'Whoever plants a tree and diligently looks after it until it matures and bears fruit is rewarded.'
Yes, so if you have a garden, try to plant a tree if you can!! Trust me,you'll be helping everybody if you do.
Overall, Islam teaches us to nurture our planet, to care for it and to avoid any action that could lead to the corruption of our environment so we should all try as much as possible to!!
Comments