‘The Quran is Green’

The lecture was delivered by well-known Islamic scholar, talk show host and environmental activist Dr Abdul Munim Bellah. The lecture revolved around the Islamic interpretation of environment embodied in the verses of the Holy Quran.

Dr Bellah, who is also a successful medical practitioner and alchemist thinker, stressed that human beings must be responsible for the survival of plants as they are God-given and are essential for man’s survival. According to Islam, man is considered the Khalifa, a trustee or vicegerent of God and a custodian of the earth.

Dr Bellah explained the stand of Sunnah — prophetic teachings — towards the preservation of plants and quoted verses where different types of plants were mentioned in the Holy Quran.

Dr Bellah pointed out the significance of the topic in the current context when the earth is threatened by environmental challenges such as global warming and desertification. Plants play a pivotal role in healing the earth as they provide the much-needed resources for man’s survival as well as serve as natural absorbants of carbon emissions.

He said the Holy Quran is rich in wonderful verses about plants, their names, types, uses and benefits. Plants nearly give us everything we need. Human beings are asked to look after trees and all plants. Man must respect plants as he cannot do without them. They sustain and maintain human beings.

Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) used to ask companions to plant a tree in compensation for certain sins. He even asked them once to collect pieces of wood to set a fire, yet cautioned them not to pull a branch from a tree but to collect only the falling twigs. No holy book in the world mentions plants as the Quran does, Dr Bellah said.

In her opening speech, Habiba Al Marashi, EEG Chairperson, said EEG takes pride in organising a lecture that has established a clear link between the divine power, man and his surroundings. Al Marashi said, “I am sure that the call for environmental responsibility exists in the tenets of every religion. The Holy Quran, representing the fundamental teachings of Islam, clearly cautions human beings against upsetting the balance in nature that has been crafted by the hand of Allah, the Almighty.”

The month of Ramadan rekindles the sense of purpose, spirituality and responsibility. EEG’s message to the community during the month of Ramadan is to be aware of and observe the guidelines provided by the Holy Quran in preserving the environment, she said.

The message conveyed in the lecture is an added boost to the current efforts of EEG to plant one million trees in the UAE. EEG calls upon all sectors of society to support this campaign and contribute to providing a substantial carbon sink in the world together with other countries supporting the Billion Trees Campaign of the United Nations Environmental Programme, Al Marashi said.