Incorporating Environmental Education in Islamic EducationThe Need of the Hour

Dr. M. Aslam ParvaizDirector, Islamic Foundation for Science & Environment

New Delhi, India

ABSTRACT

(Islamic theology, as it is taught today, is focused mainly on three principles, namely, belief (aqa’id), prayer (Ibaada) and practices (muam’laat). Though under practices, one's duties towards Allah (huqooq ullah) and towards fellow beings (huqooq ul-ibaad) are dealt, their main focus, by and large, remains socio-economic. This is despite the fact-that Quran speaks a lot about various components of environment and the balance amongst them. A paradigm shift is needed here. Islamic Education System (IES) should incorporate Environmental Education (EE) from an Islamic perspective. The role of man as custodian (khalifa) of earth and its resources, establishment of balance (al-mizan) among various environmental components, establishment of justice (adl), respect for life and peace (amn), judicious use of resources and prohibition of extravagance (israaf), forbiddance to spread corruption, chaos and pollution (fasaad), conservation of resources (amana) and their equitable distribution (eita), social development (zakaat), land reclamation (ihya’al-mawat), establishment of reserves (al-hima), sanctuaries (al-haram) and charitable endowments (auqaaf) should be an integral part of such an education system. It's operational level should be four tiered, one each for primary, secondary, senior secondary and one open, for those who seek lateral entry in this education system or opt for open system of schooling.

Two models have been developed by Islamic Foundation for Science & Environment (IFSE). One is for the modern or secular system of education, wherein students are taught about Islamic principles, laws and guidelines related to specific environmental issues and topics as taught in schools. It acts as a supplement to basic knowledge and makes them realize that "environmental consciousness" is their deenee (religious) duty.

The second model of curriculum is developed for students of Deenee Madaaris (Theology Schools) through which they are exposed to the interface that exists between Islam and Environment. This curriculum is a part of one year special training program being run for madarsa graduates at Dar-ul-Umoor, Mysore, India since 2001. The results are remarkable and deserve to be shared and discussed.)

The early man believed that he is surrounded by hostile forces bent on destroying him. He was overawed by strong winds, thunder, fire, darkness and other similar natural phenomena. He believed that he would be able to survive only if he placated and appeased these forces and hence he personified and deitified them. Tormented by a sense of utter helplessness, he thought he could save himself only by arousing the pity of gods.

He sought to appease the raging storm, the turbulent river or crashing thunder by methods which had found effective in pacifying an enraged neighbour or a furious enemy

Islamic View :

The Quran places man in a meaningful relationship with nature. It describes nature as friendly to man, responsive to his intellect and sympathetic to his moral endeavour. Both nature and human beings have been created by a wise, benevolent and merciful Allah and consequently there is no conflict between them. In fact, Quran exhorts man to acquire knowledge of nature and utilize it for his development and benefit of entire humanity in the light of Divine Guidance. The Almighty has made all natural forces subservient to him:

“And He has made the sun and the moon, both constantly pursuing their courses, to be of service to you; and He has made the night and the day, to be of service to you.”(14:33)1

“And has subjected to you all that is in the heavens and all that is in the earth; it is all as a favour and kindness from Him. Verily, in it are signs for a people who think deeply.” (45:13)

“He it is Who created for you all that is on earth -----” (2:29)

There are many such verses which ascertain and elaborate this injunction. Quran asserts that the physical world is not a shadow or mirage. It is real and with a purpose:

“And we created not the heaven and the earth and all that is between them without purpose! That is the consideration of those who disbelieve ----.” (38:27)

Quran further says that the universe was created bil haqq, which means that it is true and has a purpose:

“Allah created the heavens and the earth with truth. Verily, there is surely, a sign for those who believe.” (29:44)

Therefore it is the duty of the faithful, the believers or Momin to observe the truth spread before his eyes. And to observe these signs of Allah, he needs the tool of knowledge – both perceptual and conceptual2. Through perceptual knowledge we become aware of, and deal with, the immediate physical environment. Through conceptual knowledge we go beyond concrete facts and cognize the unity which underlines the multiplicity of the world. Both the kinds of knowledge have their source in our senses. The Quran accords full recognition to the role of senses in the process of acquiring knowledge :

“And follow not that of which you have not the knowledge; surely the hearing and the sight and the heart of each of those ones will be questioned.” (17:36) 3.

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Those who do not make proper use of their senses and mental abilities, sink to the level of animals or even worse:

“And surely, we have created many of the jinn and mankind for hell. (Because) they have hearts wherewith they understand not, and they have eyes wherewith they see not, and they have ears, wherewith they hear not (the truth). They are like cattle, nay even more astray; those! They are the heedless ones.” (7:179)

In sharp contrast to such people are those who ponder upon Allah’s creations:

“Verily, in the creation of the heavens and the earth, and in the alternation of night and day, there are indeed signs for man of understanding. Those who remember Allah standing, sitting, and lying down on their sides, and think deeply about the creation of the heavens and the earth, (saying): Our Lord! You have not created (all) this without purpose ----.” (3:190-91)

When such people approach nature with the attitude of the believers (Mominoon), they feel it in their bones that it has a meaning and a purpose. With their intellectual honesty, they cannot but admit that certain things in it are beyond their comprehension. With humility they confess that they do not know, but they have a conviction that if they persist in seeking more knowledge, one day they will understand it. The Quran speaks of those who study nature and try to discover the laws that govern it as, ‘man of knowledge and insight’; because Quran says:

“Verily, in the heavens and in the earth are signs for the believers. And in your creation, and what He scattered (through the earth)of moving (living) creatures are signs for people who have faith with certainty (Iman). And in the alternation of night and day, and the provision (rain) that Allah sends down from the sky, and revives herewith the earth after its death, and in the turning about of the winds, are signs for a people who understand.” (45:3-5)

Faith or believe (Iman) in Allah may not follow from purely logical arguments, it springs from the direct experience of order, harmony and beauty in nature. The Quran says that these are the visible signs (Ayat) of the invisible Being:

“These are the Ayat (signs, pointers, proofs, evidences, verses, lessons, revelations) of Allah, which we recite to you (O Muhammad) with truth. Then in which speech (saying) after (that of) Allah and His Ayat will they (non-believers) believe?”(45:6)

According to Quran, Iman in Allah has a dual source. Contemplation of the outer world of nature (Afaq) and of man himself (Anfus) guides us to the power that manifests itself in both. By insisting that nature provides a path way to Allah, the Quran concedes the validity of Islam as a ‘natural way of life’ or Deen. It adds, however, that Iman induced by the contemplation of nature, should be reinforced by Revelations. It is the confluence of the two streams of influence that produces the Iman of a true believer or Momin. When Iman is actually expressed through a way of life and when it inspires to

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follow and protect the Laws of Allah and thus reforms the conduct of a person, it is called Taqwa. Both Iman and Taqwa are essential features of a true believer (“Momin”).

The Natural World Order :-

Islam, the way of life for humanity, is not a religion in the conventional sense of the word. It is a complete guidance for mankind and hence called Deen. The Quran uses the word Deen in different contexts and meanings. It has been used for way, law, constitution (12:76); the collection of moral, spiritual and worldly principles, system, way of conduct (33:5; 40:26), obedience (16:52) and for peace and order (8:39).

In contrast to Deen, which is a complete way of life, religion is a kind of private relationship between man and his Creator. It is essentially founded on the idea of salvation, which was born out of the belief that man’s sojourn on earth was one of bondage. How to extricate himself from that bondage thus becomes the main object of his life. Islam, on the other hand, is neither such a relationship between man and Creator, nor is it characterized by the experience of an individual of a subjective nature, but it is essentially a ‘code of life’, regulating the conduct of affairs concerning the individual as well as the collective life of human beings. Secondly, it does not consider man’s life on earth a period of bondage, hence the idea of salvation (in that particular context) does not arise. On the contrary, having assigned to man a very high position in the universe, Islam expects him to take up the challenge of life boldly in order to harness the bounties of nature for the development of his own self as well as the entire humanity.

Besides, Islam has also presented a distinct concept of the Creator. The distinguishing feature of the Islamic concept lies in the belief that Allah not only created the universe, but also laid down definite laws to regulate the scope and functions of the various objects comprising it. The knowledge of the Divine Laws relating to the external universe is derived from a close observation of nature, scientific experiments and discussions. The Laws relating to human life and the regulation of its conduct are communicated through Revelations conveyed to mankind through Messengers. Thus, Islam as a Deen, also distinguishes itself from the material concept of life which takes no cognizance of the Divine Guidance.

The Contradictions of Faith and Practice :-

The Divine Guidance and Laws have been, from time to time and place to place, communicated to all people of the world. The Rusul (Messengers of Allah) received them through Revelations and delivered them to their people. Ironically, in every area there have been people of vested interests who refused to follow Divine Guidance and changed it soon after the demise of the Messenger. As a result, none of the Revelations remained original and free from corruption and tempering. The situation change with Quran, the last revealed book. Allah promised to protect it and hence, as it was revealed, it was remembered by heart. The practice continues till date and millions of people round the world remember every verse of it by heart. However, even a cursory survey of Muslims in different parts of the world reveals scores of contradictions and differences in their

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beliefs and practices. Any detailed discussion about the causes of these differences is beyond the scope of this chapter, but it does merit a brief mention as it is central to the theme of this chapter.

There are two main reasons for this factionalism. As Islam spread to newer lands, it imbibed new socio-cultural values. The new converts, by and large, tried to retain their values and customs however un-islamic they may be, and hence developed an amalgam which was believed to be Islam. Secondly, the vested interest groups, which were mainly capitalist and power seekers, found Quranic teachings lethal to their survival. The Quranic injunctions about equity, justice, equal distribution of resources, opportunity to all, non discrimination, honour to every human being, judicious use of resources, at the one hand and its proclamation that the ultimate owner and ruler is Allah, the Almighty whose Laws shall prevail, seemed disastrous to them. As a strategy they encouraged sectarianism, devised different interpretations of Quranic Laws4, encouraged groupism based on different commentaries and fabricated history. Ultimately the Quranic message, the Deen, got buried in the plethora of contradicting literature. The concept of total submission to Laws of Allah was replaced by certain rituals called prayers. People were made to believe that these prayers are enough to “please” Allah, to seek “salvation” and earn the promised paradise. This drastic and disastrous change in the concept of Islam changed the attitude of Muslims as well. Now there was no pursuit of knowledge, the urge to discover and explore nature disappeared as it was no more considered a part of Islam. Knowledge was redefined and bifurcated into “worldly” and “religious” knowledge ---- thus the Deen disappeared and a new ‘religion’ was born retaining the name of Islam, for obvious reasons. By and large, it is this Islam which is practiced by majority of Muslims either by ignorance or by sheer convenience.

The Indian Scenario :-

India is a secular country, inhabiting second largest Muslim population in the world. Educationally, Muslims are most backward of all the religious groups present in the country. Economically also, they are among the backwards5.

The educational system of Muslims in Indian subcontinent shows a dichotomy which is unique to them and has already been explained earlier. The modern system of education is the one in which they are most lagging. The reasons are many, chief being their anti-colonial attitude at the time of its introduction6. When the Science and Technology was developing in the Muslim world, it was propagated mainly through the medium of Persian and Arabic languages which were the chief languages spoken and understood by majority of Muslims. At the time, when scientific movement was taking roots in Europe, Muslim world was facing colonial adventurism7. It was the most tragic co-incidence. The new scientific developments and methodologies were now propagated through English language which was considered ‘colonial’ and hence anything written and communicated through English was virtually forbidden. Besides, armed with new technology, the colonial forces started spreading their tentacles. Muslims felt threatened and decided to completely shut the doors for anything and everything coming through colonial powers. They rejected colonial educational system and hence got cut off from the contemporary disciplines. They devised their own education system and unfortunately, branded all natural and physical sciences as colonial and rejected them8.

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This new system was called Dars-e-Nizami (Lessons of Nizam) as it was compiled and prepared by Mulla Nizamuddin Muhammad (1677-1748) in the later half of the 17th

century. It incorporated following disciplines9 :

1. Accidence and syntax grammar.2. Logic3. Philosophy4. Mathematics5. Rhetoric 6. Jurisprudence7. Principles of Jurisprudence8. Theology9. Commentary, and10. Hadith.

This parallel system of education was introduced in all Madrasas which are usually associated with every large mosque in a locality. This practice has continued since then. The average duration of course is seven years and the degree of Aalim (Learned Man) is conferred to those who complete it. These are the people who after graduating from the Madrasas lead the Muslims prayers in mosques, deliver religious sermons and issue Fatwas (Religious Decree) about contemporary issues and present day problems. As they remain totally cut off from sciences as well as other new fields of studies, they remain totally unaware of all the modern age issues related to nature, science and technology.

As explained in the early part of this chapter, scientific pursuit is essential for understanding Allah’s Laws as they operate in nature. A blending of scientific and Revealed knowledge is a must if one wishes to practice Islam as a Deen. Any lopsided attitude or shunning any of these two streams reduces the deen to a mere religion ---- and precisely this is what has happened. The people of ‘religious school’ or Madrasas have confined themselves to language skills, logic and philosophy (most of which is outdated now) and to commentaries written centuries ago with the knowledge available at that particular time. Unfortunately, the due emphasis on understanding Quran and interpreting it in today’s context and with present day knowledge is missing in most of these Madrasas. As they do not have contemporary knowledge, they can hardly use it to understand Quran and its full meaning.

The modern system of education on the other hand, developed either in a non-religious environment or under the impact of other religions. As Muslims did not adopt it, they could not blend or integrate it with Islamic teachings and principles. Hence Muslim graduates from this system, considered education, like all other groups, as a means to get a good job and thus to improve their life style and social status. They never got a chance to understand the concept of education and the purpose of seeking knowledge as explained in Quran. Hence they also failed, by and large, to understand Islam as a Deen. It was reduced to a religion for them as well.

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Environmental Activism: -

It must be clear from foregone discussion that the dichotomy in Muslim education system has totally segregated contemporary knowledge from religious education. As a consequence, religious leaders and graduates from Madrasas neither know anything about environment, its components and the need to maintain its balance, nor they consider it a part of their religion. Same is true for all other contemporary issues. Similarly, Muslim theology departments of various universities in India, including Aligarh Muslim University, Jamia Millia Islamia and Jamia Hamdard, focus exclusively on ‘religious studies’. Not a single person in these departments is working on the interface of Islam and Science or Environment. It is no surprise therefore, if we do not have any leadership among Muslim scholars on environmental issues or any environmental movement. There is no one to motivate and enlighten Muslim masses. The environmental movement initiated by different NGOs and Government organizations have also bypassed them as either side lacked initiative. However, there are a few specks of light in this otherwise dark and dismal scenario. A few movements have started to introduce modern knowledge to Madrasas and to re-establish the lost linkage between Islam, Science and Nature. These would be mentioned here briefly:

Islamic Fiqh (Jurisprudence) Academy10 :-

It is an independent organization established in 1988 with an aim to provide solutions to present day problem faced by Muslims. Its activities include publishing books, on contemporary issues, organizing awareness lectures and training programs. It holds an annual gathering where eminent theologians from different schools of thoughts as well as modern scholars are invited to discuss selected current issues. It has discussed issues right from Insurance to birth control and cloning to organ transplant.

It also tries to introduce new understanding and promotes fresh ideas in Madrasas. A very important initiative in this direction has been the Madrasa training program started in 1991. Under this program extension lectures by experts from various fields were organized in different Madrasas. The author was also invited once to deliver a lecture on environment and the need for its preservation in a Madrasa situated in a remote town of Uttar Pradesh. The response was overwhelming and very positive.

Unfortunately, Academy has not included any of the environmental issues in its annual sessions. Sometime back, a few enthusiasts initiated the idea and prepared a detailed questionnaire on various environmental issues like pollution, depletion of ozone layer, consumptions of fossil fuels, deforestation, nuclear wastes and green house effect. It was dispatched to important theologians of different sects and their opinion was sought. Subsequently, it was discussed in a core committee of the academy, where unfortunately it was not approved. Though nothing was put on record, it is believed that the proposal was rejected on the ground that it would alienate common masses from the religious leadership. It was feared that if these issues are brought up for screening under Islamic

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Laws, there would be no option but to forbid all sorts of environmental degradation and to issue Fatwas against such activities. This totally un-Islamic attitude of the people who claim to be religious leaders, happens to be the most important reason for the lack of any environmental awareness among common Muslim masses. Any environmental movement or activism in these people is still a far cry. However, there still is a ray of hope. The right thinking people in the academy are still active and the author, being a member of its academic committee, is in touch with this group. Most probably a compromise formula would be worked out and some benign issues would be selected for religious scrutiny. Though it may not attack the cancer initially, but at least a beginning would be made in the right direction and subsequent strides can be crafted at a later stage.

Centre for Promotion of Science11:-

The Centre located within the campus of Aligarh Muslim University, was established in 1985 by Mr. Saiyid Hamid, the then Vice-Chancellor of the University. (Late) Prof. Israr Ahmed of Physics Department, who had initiated this idea, took charge of the Centre as its Director. The Centre was established primarily to introduce science to Madrasa people. It conducts refresher courses of seven to ten days duration for students and teachers of Madrasas. During this training program, experts from different field, including environment, are invited to interact with the participants. Although it is a good attempt, but being a limited one, it has failed to bring about any significant or perceptible change in the Madrasa’s style of teaching or course content.

Islamic Foundation for Science & Environment12 :-

Islamic Foundation for Science and Environment (IFSE) is a voluntary non-profit organization that was established in 1994 mainly to integrate Muslims with the scientific movement and to explain and clarify the Islamic point of view viz-a-viz science and environment. It has been working with a two pronged strategy. First, it is trying to spread scientific and environment related awareness among Muslim masses of this sub continent. It is publishing a popular science and environment monthly in Urdu called ‘Urdu Science Monthly’, since February 1994. It is the first and only popular science and environment monthly published in the country. The main target readership is students and products of Deenee Madrasas. Secondly, it is trying to emphasize the need to interpret Quran in today’s context and in its right perspective. What are its teaching about scientific and learning pursuits, conservation of resources and environment. The Foundation has established a good rapport with the people of Madrasa system and a meaningful dialogue has been started. An attempt has also been made to convince them to include these issues in their Friday sermons delivered every week to large gatherings practically in every mosque.

Occasionally, book exhibitions and other outreach programs are also arranged in different Madrasas. School and Madrasa students are encouraged to write on relevant topics of science/environment and annual awards/cash prizes are given on best three entries from either stream. A regular question and answer column appears in the magazine and readers are encouraged to ask any question related to science/environment or their interpretation in Islam. The best question is given a cash prize every month and many Madrasa students have got this prize.

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The foundation is official consultant to Islamic Fiqh (Jurisprudence) Academy on matters of science and environment and has helped the Academy to dwell upon contemporary issues like Cloning, Nature of Gelatin, Biotechnology etc.

In 2000 a short course program was devised and started for modern education system schools. Under this program the students are taught Quranic principles about : 1. Nature, its resources and their conservation, 2. Role of man on this planet, 3. The purpose of seeking knowledge ---- understanding the working of nature and growing in tandem with it, 4. Serving the humanity with acquired knowledge --- putting other’s interest before self interest --- the Quranic model of selfless and serving society. Besides, orientation lectures for the students of Madrasas were also started from the same year. The response was overwhelming and the message was very well taken.

The main thrust of these programs is to co-relate environmental consciousness, activism and conservation efforts with Islamic teachings and to make people realize that it is their religious (Deenee) duty to care for the environment as well as resources.

Tipu Sultan Advanced Study and Research Centre13:-

The Tipu Sultan Advanced Study and Research Centre (TSASRC) is a premier institution established by the “Sheriff Foundation” at Srirangapatna near Mysore to impart Islamic and moral education in thrust areas of science and technology. The Islamic Studies and Community Service Programs is the major program of the Centre which was started in May 2002. It is aimed at providing integrated education to the graduates of Madrasa system by imparting an in-depth understanding of science, environment and other frontiers of knowledge. The topics taught include Hadith and Fiqh and interpreting Islamic values and approach on current issues. In addition, the candidates are also given an exposure to science and environment, IT applications, personality development, community management etc.

This residential program of education and training is of one year duration and the first batch of twenty students has already passed out. The author is associated with this program as visiting faculty since its inception. He has designed their syllabus for science and environmental studies. The book “Science of Signs”, covering this syllabus is being prepared by the author.

This is the most recent and most significant step in the direction of sensitizing Muslim Ulemas about modern subjects including environment. It is most likely that this institution, and other similar ones if established in future, would be able to bring about a meaningful change in Muslims mindset.

Conclusion :

The foregone discussion gives more of an insight in to the reasons for the lack of an environmental activism among Indian Muslims. A lot of work needs to be done at grass roots level to sensitize Muslims about the significance of environmental issues for our survival. That indeed, it is a part of Islam, the Deen, is beyond any doubt. What remains doubtful is cooperation from orthodox clergy.

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References:

1 Study the Noble Quran Word-for-Word (Volume 1-3), Riyadh: Darussalam publishers, 1999.

2 Mohammad Aslam Parvaiz, "Islam on Man & Nature" in Encyclopedia of Religion and Nature, Ed. by Bron R. Taylor & Jeffrey Kaplan: Theommes Continuum, U.K., 2005, p.876.

3 The Quran, Translated by M.H. Shakir, New York: Tahrike Tarsile Quran Inc., 1999.

4 Rafiq Zakaria, The Struggle within Islam, India : Viking, 1988, p131.

5 Dr. Salamatullah, Hindustan Mein Musalmanon Ki Taleem (Urdu), India : Maktaba Jamia, 1990, p20.

6 Dr. Salamatullah, Hindustan Mein Musalmanon Ki Taleem (Urdu), India : Maktaba Jamia, 1990, p44.

7 Rafiq Zakaria, The Struggle within Islam, India : Viking, 1988, p155.

8 Dr. Salamatullah, Hindustan Mein Musalmanon Ki Taleem (Urdu), India : Maktaba Jamia, 1990, p50.

9 Prof. Akhtar Rahi, Tazkira Musan’nifeen Dars-e-Nizami (Urdu), Pakistan : Maktaba Rehmania, 1978, p18

10 Islamic Fiqh Academy, website : www.ifa-india.org

11 Centre for Promotion of Science, website : www.angelfire.com/sc3/cps

12 ifse.blogspot.in

13 Tipu Sultan Advance Study & Research Centre, website : http://darulumoor.indiabuildersco.com

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Note on Contributor

Dr. Mohammad Aslam Parvaiz, who has a doctorate in plant physiology from Aligarh Muslim University, is currently Principal of Zakir Husain Delhi College of Delhi University. His research and teaching experience is spread over more than twenty five years. He is a science communicator and has five books and more than 350 popular science articles to his credit. He heads the Islamic Foundation for Science and Environment (India), a voluntary, nonprofit, charitable organization. Through this platform, he spreads scientific and environmental awareness and aptitude to the population in general and to students of Madrasas (Islamic theology schools) in particular. He is founder and editor of Urdu Science, India’s first and only popular science monthly magazine published in Urdu. He writes books and conduct awareness programs for students and teachers of Deenee Madaaris and schools. Besides, he has contributed chapters to books and encyclopedia published by various western universities and publishers, notable is his chapter “Scientific Innovation and al-Mizan” in “Islam and Ecology” published by Harvard University Press (2003), and “Man and Nature in Islam” in “Encyclopedia of Religion and Nature” published by Continuum Publishers, U.K (2005). He has been invited to deliver lectures on Islam and Science/Environment by universities like Harvard, Yale and Toronto, besides many other Institutions and Organizations. He was awarded an “International Visitor-ship” by the U.S. Government in 1995 to participate in the program “Environmental Education in U.S”. He has visited Belgium, Canada, France, Indonesia, Jordan, Kuwait, Malaysia, Morocco, Nepal, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Spain, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom and United States of America.

Dr. Mohammad Aslam Parvaiz, Director, Islamic Foundation for Science & Environment665/12, Zakir Nagar, New Delhi – 110 025, Indiaemail: maparvaiz@googlemail.comMobile : (0091)-98115-31070, 99110-54593

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