Islam & Issues in the Natural World (Edexcel GCSE Religious Studies B)

Muslim Responses to Threats to the World

Threats to the Natural World

• Humans are using the earth’s resources in irresponsible ways and are damaging the world as a result

  • Global warming or the greenhouse effect is the term for the increased temperature on earth 

    • This occurs as a result of burning fossil fuels, oil, and gas

    • The gases created form an insulating layer around the earth and the increase in temperature is causing effects such as the melting of ice caps and extreme weather events

  • Pollution is a major problem – the land, sea, and air are becoming increasingly contaminated by waste products 

  • Natural resources are being harmed or destroyed

  • Natural resources are being used up at an unsustainable rate, and this is upsetting natural ecosystems

    • For example, commercial fishing is upsetting marine ecosystems

• These threats have been increasing throughout the last century

• Many scientists warn that humans must change urgently to allow the planet to heal and thrive

Muslim Response to Threats to the Natural World

• Because Muslims believe that Allah is the Creator of everything, this means they:

  • Have a responsibility to care for His creation

  • Should not waste the resources Allah has provided

• They would say that Allah created the world with love 

  • This means they must repay him by showing the same love for the world in the way they treat its resources

• Therefore Muslims have a duty to respond to the various threats facing the natural world

• Muslims believe that Allah created humans as the most important part of creation

  • This means humans have a special responsibility to care for the rest of what He created

• This responsibility is known as stewardship

Stewardship & Humanity's Role as Stewards

• Islam teaches that all humanity has the responsibility of stewardship of the planet

• Being a steward is also known as being a khalifah, or trustee, of the world

• Muslims believe that they are commanded to be khalifahs or stewards in the Qur’an

• The Hadith also teaches this

• This means Muslims must care for the earth and all of its resources 

• They should keep the harmony and balance of everything intact to pass on to the next generation, so that they can enjoy the same beautiful world

• Allah will judge everyone by their actions and the way they live their life

• If any Muslim has mistreated the planet they will be called to account in the akhirah

• Many Muslims become involved in conservation or recycling projects to show their care for the world

  • For example, a UK-based scheme called Muslims for Humanity plants trees throughout the country to improve the local environment

  • They would say that their actions are putting into practice the Hadith teaching that all actions that care for the natural world are seen as a charitable gift for Allah

Differing Muslim Responses to Animal Rights

Animal Rights

• Animals are valued as part of Allah’s creation 

• Muslims believe that they should be treated with respect

• Muslims differ in their responses to exactly how animals should be treated in two cases: 

  • Animal experimentation 

  • The use of animals for food

Responses to Animal Experimentation

• Animal experimentation refers to using animals in scientific or medical research

• Because of the time in which it was revealed, there is no direct teaching about this in Scripture

  • Therefore Muslims apply the principle of stewardship to the issue

• Some Muslims take this to mean that no animal experimentation should ever happen at all, as animals are Allah’s creation and they have a duty to care for them

• Many Muslims would say that there are certain conditions where animal experimentation is acceptable 

  • For example, if it would help humans to find cures for diseases which could potentially save human lives

  • In these cases, the animals should still be treated humanely

• Muslims would not support animal experimentation for unnecessary reasons, such as testing cosmetics, or any experimentation that would cause the animal too much suffering

  • The Hadith warns of this

Responses to the use of Animals for Food

• Islam teaches that some animals were created by Allah and given to humans to eat

• This is supported by several teachings in the Qur’an, including these verses

• There are three main categories of food in Muslim teaching

  • Halal is permitted food, prepared in accordance with Muslim teachings

    • This involves farming and slaughtering meat in a certain way, reciting the name of Allah and using methods described in the Hadith

• Haram is forbidden food, which is considered impure

  • For example, pork

  • Muslims must not eat any meat that has been killed using a violent method, or sacrificed to any god other than Allah, according to the Qur’an (Surah 2:173)

• Tayyab which is pure and wholesome food

• Some Muslims choose to be vegetarians and not to eat any meat at all, even halal meat

Utilitarianism & Animal Rights

• One ethical theory Muslims may use in dealing with the issue of animal rights is utilitarianism

• This is a theory that states that when making moral decisions, a person should try to achieve ‘the greatest good (happiness) for the greatest number’

• In the case of animal experimentation, this means that using animals to find a cure for a disease that could potentially affect thousands or millions of people would be justified

• Using animals as food for humans could also potentially be justified

• Other utilitarians would disagree with this position and say that humans should not treat any other species as less important than them. The philosopher Peter Singer calls this ‘speciesism’ and says that animals should be recognised as having rights, just as humans do. He taught