6.Islam teaches us how to care for the environment
Islam recognises that human beings are the custodians of the earth and all that is on it, including vegetation, animals, oceans, rivers, deserts, and fertile land. God provides us with the things we need to survive successfully and flourish, but we are obligated to care for them and preserve them for future generations.
In 1986 Prince Phillip the then president of the World Wildlife Fund invited the leaders of the world’s five major religions to meet in the Italian city of Assisi. They met to discuss how faith could help save the natural world, the environment.
What follows is from the Muslim statement in the Assisi Declarations on Nature:
Muslims say that Islam is the middle path and we will be answerable for how we have walked this path, how we have maintained balance and harmony in the whole of creation around us.
So unity, trusteeship and accountability, that is Tawhid (Oneness and uniqueness of God), Khalifah (Vicegerent) and Akhirah (Hereafter), three central concepts in Islam, are also the pillars of the environmental ethics of Islam. They constitute the basic values taught by the Qur’an. It is these values which led Muhammad, the Prophet of Islam, to say: ‘Whoever plants a tree and diligently looks after it until it matures and bears fruit is rewarded.’
For all these reasons Muslims see themselves as having a responsibility towards the world and the environment, all of which are the creations of Allah.
Unlike many other religions, Muslims do not have any specific festivals in which they give thanks for the harvest or the world. Instead they give thanks to Allah regularly for his creation.[1]
7.Islam is respect
Another beautiful aspect of Islam is respect for humanity and the universe in which we live. Islam states clearly that it is the responsibility of each member of the human race to treat creation with respect, honour and dignity. The most deserving of respect is the Creator Himself and of course respect begins with loving and obeying His commandments. Total respect for God allows all the manners and high standards of morality that are inherent in Islam to flow into our lives and the lives of those around us. Because Islam binds respect to peace, love and compassion this involves respecting the honour, reputation and privacy of others. Respect involves staying completely away from the major sins of backbiting, lying, slander, and gossip. It means avoiding sins that will sow discord among the people or lead to destruction.
Respect also includes loving for our brothers and sisters what we love for ourselves. It involves treating others the way we expect to be treated and the way we hope God will treat us – with compassion, love and mercy. Major sins put a barrier between humanity and God’s Mercy and cause all the torment, misery and evil in this world and the hereafter. God commands us to stay away from sin and to strive against our own destructive character flaws. We live in an age where we often demand respect from others but may not respect those around us. One beauty of Islam is that it allows us to regain lost respect by submitting wholeheartedly to the will of God. However if we do not understand how and why we surrender to God’s will we cannot gain respect we want and need. Islam teaches us and God reminds us in the Quran that our sole purpose in life is to worship Him.
“And I (God) created not the jinn and mankind except that they should worship Me (Alone).” (Quran 51:56)
8. The Equality of men and women
Quran states that all believers are equal and that only righteous deeds elevate one person above another. Believers therefore have an immense respect for pious men and women and Islamic history also tells us that both men and women served and showed righteousness in all areas. A woman, like a man, is obligated to worship God and fulfill His rights and the rights of His creation. It is thus required that every woman testify that there is none deserving worship but God, and that Muhammad is His Messenger; to pray; to give charity; to fast; and to make the pilgrimage to God’s House if she has the means and ability to do so. It is also required that every woman to believe in God, His angels, His scriptures, His Messengers, the Last Day, and to believe in God’s decree. It is also required that every woman worship God as if she sees Him.
“And whoever does righteous good deeds, male or female, and is a (true) believer in the Oneness of God such will enter Paradise and not the least injustice, even to the size of a speck on the back of a date-stone, will be done to them.” (Quran 2:124)
Islam however recognizes that equality does not mean that men and women are the same. It takes into account their differences in physiology, nature and temperament. It is not a question of superiority or inferiority, rather a question of natural abilities and having different roles in life. The laws of Islam are just and fair and take these aspects into consideration. Men have been assigned the duty to work and provide for their family and women have been assigned the role of motherhood and homemaking. Islam states however that that the roles are not exclusive nor are they inflexible. Women can work or serve society and men are able to take responsibility for their children or their household. It is interesting to note that where women choose to work the money they earn is their own however a man must provide financially for the whole family.
9. Humankind is able to regret past actions and reform
Muslims believe that all members of humankind are able to reform; in addition they believe that the possibility of successful reform is greater than the probability of failure. This belief is derived from the fact that God has given humankind the means to reform, not once but over and over again right up until close to the Day of Judgement. God sent Messengers and Prophets to each and every nation. Some we know from the Quran and the traditions of Prophet Muhammad, others are known only to God.
“And for every community or nation there is a Messenger; when their Messenger comes, the matter will be judged between them with justice, and they will not be wronged.” (Quran 10:47)
God does not hold any person responsible until he has been clearly shown the right way.
“...And We never punish until We have sent a Messenger. ” (Quran 17:15)
At the same time we are responsible to search for the truth and upon finding it we should accept it and reform our lives accordingly. The past bad actions can be left behind. There is no sin that cannot be forgiven!
“Say, 'O My servants who have transgressed against themselves [by sinning], do not despair of the mercy of God. Indeed, God forgives all sins. Indeed, it is He who is the Forgiving, the Merciful.'” (Quran 39:53)
A person should take advantage of God’s mercy by sincerely repenting for the past or if one is not a believer, by converting to the religion of Islam. Every person must work towards his salvation by combing faith, belief and action.
10. God loves beauty in all its forms
Prophet Muhammad said, “No one will enter Paradise who has an
atom’s weight of pride in his heart.” A man said, “What if a man likes his clothes to look good and his shoes to look good?” He said, “God is beautiful and loves beauty. Pride means denying the truth and looking down on people.” [1]
Beauty is the opposite of ugliness. The beauty that exists in creation attests to God’s beauty as well as His power. He who created beauty is the most entitled to beauty. And indeed Paradise is adorned with beauty beyond imagining. God is beautiful and this is why the greatest of all pleasures in Paradise is to look upon God’s Face. God says,
“[Some] faces, that Day, will be radiant. Looking to their Lord.” (Quran 75: 22-23)
He refers to His names as being the Most Beautiful:
“And the Most Beautiful Names belong to God, so call on Him by them...” (Quran 7:180)
Noted Islamic scholar Ibn al-Qayyim had the following to say about beauty in Islam:
“God is to be acknowledged for beauty that bears no resemblance to anything else, and He is to be worshipped by means of the beauty which He loves in words, deeds and attitudes. He loves His slaves to beautify their tongues with the truth, to beautify their hearts with sincere devotion, love, repentance and trust in Him, to beautify their faculties with obedience, and to beautify their bodies by showing His blessings upon them in their clothing and by keeping them pure and free of any filth, dirt or impurity, by removing the hairs which should be removed, by circumcision, and by clipping the nails. Thus they recognize God through these qualities of beauty and seek to draw close to Him through beautiful words, deeds and attitudes. They acknowledge Him for the beauty which is His attribute and they worship Him through the beauty which He has prescribed and His religion.”[2]
source:
The Religion of Islam
