Islam on Conservation of Enviornment Trees and Woodlands in Hadiths of the Prophet (PBUH) Both in his practices and in various of his Hadiths, the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) attached great importance to planting trees, protecting existent ones, planting forests, as well as to conserving existent ones. A’isha, one of his wives, said: “His character was the Qur’an.” [Muslim, Musafirun, 139; Musnad, vi, 91, 111, 163, 188, 216.] His practices and conduct related to conservation of the environment should therefore be considered from the Qur’anic standpoint. For us his actions are sources of inspiration constituting his Sunna or practices, which we are obliged to follow. To put it another way, as in all matters, the exemplar of Islamic conduct related to the environment and the person who displayed it in most perfect fashion was God’s Messenger (PBUH). As this, and his commands concerning it, are learnt, our weighty responsibilities become clear. Some Hadiths of the Prophet connected with planting trees and protecting them: “If you have a sapling, if you have the time, be certain to plant it, even if Doomsday starts to break forth.[”al-Munawi, Fayd al-Qadir, iii, 30] “Whoever plants trees, God will give him reward to the extent of their fruit.” [Musnad, v, 415.] “Whoever reclaims and cultivates dry, barren land will be rewarded by God for the act. So long as men and animals benefit from it He will record it for him as almsgiving.” [al-Munawi, Fayd al-Qadir, vi, 39; Haythami, Majmau al-Zawaaid, iv, 67-8. “Whoever plants a tree, reward will be recorded for him so long as it produces fruit.” The Arabic word “Hima” means the land which is protected from grazing and tree-cutting. It is a system that aims to preserve particular areas for grazing where grass and trees are left untouched for a period of time during which grazing is prohibited, except under severe climatic conditions, such as draught. The Hima was established within Arabian Peninsula and other adjacent areas before Islam; However, Islam introduced more equity within Hima management and resource sharing. Prophet Mohammed declared that Hima only for God and his messenger. The prophet laid down general guidelines that transformed the Hima to become one of the essential instruments of conservation in Islamic Law. Therefore, he abolished the pre-islamic practice of making private reserves for the exclusive use of powerful individuals and changed it to be used for the public welfare. The concept was based on organizing, maintaining, regulating and utilizing natural pasture, and rangelands in a way fitting with local ecosystems and practises within certain instructions. When Islam came to being (610-633), prophet Mohamed (571-634) issued a law stating that Muslims should share 3 things (resources): pasture, water and fire (energy) meaning that Hima should be put at the disposal of public interest. He further ordered that in Hima areas plants and grass should be allowed to grow, flourish and regenerate abundantly for the bereft of all animals (obviously including livestock and birds). During the rule of Khalifa Omer (633-644), he advised one of his governors to prevent the livestock of rich people from grazing in Hima areas because they can afford other atternatives while the poor cannot. In Islamic Law, a valid Hima should meet the following four conditions: Constituted by the Imam, the legitimate governing authority. Established in the way of God for public welfare. Should not cause hardship to local people or deprive them from resources. Realize more benefits to society than damage. Hima system.
Posted on: Sat, 18 Oct 2014 04:00:00 +0000
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