A while ago, I started reading an interesting book titled “Green Deen” by Ibrahim Abdul-Matin. I have only read through the first couple of chapters so far, but have managed to find lots of interesting thoughts on living green. I also have to say that I do not fully agree with everything in the book, yet I still find it of great benefit in organising my thoughts and opening my eyes on certain environment-related subjects, as well as presenting interesting ideas and concepts I have never really thought of before.
Abdul-Matin discusses the concepts in his book from an Islamic point of view, but let us forget about religion for a little while and look at those concepts as ones relating to humanity, and not to faith. We are all living on this Earth, and we all have the same responsibility in protecting it, and minimizing the damage it is suffering from due to our practices. So as a tribute to our mother earth on this day, I shall mention and discuss some of the interesting points and words of wisdom I found in the chapters I have read so far.
In his book, Abdul-Matin talks about the world being a place where everything is sacred; and treating it as such would mean treating the natural world in a just and fair manner. “Everything in creation is made to exist in a perfect balance” and seeing the earth as the sacred place it is means respecting this balance. We need to ensure that all creation on this earth has access to its resources, as all of God’s creation are irrevocably connected; which means that if one species does not get their share in resources, the original balance in which the Earth was created will be disrupted, thus causing disruption to all other species- Harming one thing, is like harming everything…
An interesting idea that Abdul-Matin also stresses on is how we are supposed to leave the Earth a better place than we found it- a concept he was raised by. Appreciating our environment, and taking care of self, others, and the planet are things we ought to do in order to leave the Earth a better place. This concept takes away the passivity most people live in, and strengthens the concept of actively working in our communities towards living a green life, and minimizing the damage we are creating on a daily basis due to wrong choices and practices. Yes, every single day we are making wrong choices that are supported by contemporary marketing which tells us that our value increases when we purchase items of higher economic value. We do it to feel relevant, and end up over consuming items and resources; over consuming Mother Earth.
To Be Continued…
