‘We offered the Trust to the heavens, the earth, and the mountains, yet they refused to undertake it and were afraid of it; mankind undertook it–they have always been inept and foolish.’ (33:72)[1]
Among the innumerable mercies Allah ta'ala has bestowed upon His creation in the Shari’a is the relationship between humanity and the natural environment. The Qur’anic narrative establishing a khalifat Allah fi’l-ard or vicegerent is fundamentally unique within the monotheistic tradition in which humanity’s relationship to earth is described as steward rather than an owner. Both in the passages of the sacred text and the prophetic traditions pertaining to creation demonstrate an inherent harmony ingrained within the core dimensions of Islam. As with many Qur’anic injunctions, there is an infinite revealing of knowledge taking place with the unfolding of time and our increased understanding of creation through the evolution of the sciences. As modernity illustrates, however, it is only by the Grace of Allah that the seeker of knowledge strives to comprehend revelation utilizing the blessing of the intellect. Dismissing the Divine element in the quest for understanding is to our spiritual peril as environmental degradation is to our existence.
Among the innumerable mercies Allah ta'ala has bestowed upon His creation in the Shari’a is the relationship between humanity and the natural environment. The Qur’anic narrative establishing a khalifat Allah fi’l-ard or vicegerent is fundamentally unique within the monotheistic tradition in which humanity’s relationship to earth is described as steward rather than an owner. Both in the passages of the sacred text and the prophetic traditions pertaining to creation demonstrate an inherent harmony ingrained within the core dimensions of Islam. As with many Qur’anic injunctions, there is an infinite revealing of knowledge taking place with the unfolding of time and our increased understanding of creation through the evolution of the sciences. As modernity illustrates, however, it is only by the Grace of Allah that the seeker of knowledge strives to comprehend revelation utilizing the blessing of the intellect. Dismissing the Divine element in the quest for understanding is to our spiritual peril as environmental degradation is to our existence.
