Divine service with obeying and worshipping God-being is not only the case only human-being is called upon to be engaged in. According to Koranic verses, whatever creatures ranging from the smallest invisible ones to biggest invisible ones the universe includes are in a position to obey and praise God-being in their own way. One of the reasons to explain this is that the High Conscience who is the Creator of system which all the material and spiritual creatures belong to is the Most High, God himself. As far as the God is the high manager of system regulating everything that happen in the universe and activities held by creatures the act of observing the rules and laws put by Him however it might seem instinctive or deliberate is disclosed as act of obeying and worshipping God-being. Our Lord says: “Do you not see that God is He, Whom obeys whoever is in the heavens and whoever is in the earth, and the sun and the moon and the stars, and the mountains and the trees, and the animals and many of the people…” (Koran, 22.18).

The nature itself also being a source confirming that God has no partner in creating the universe is actually kind of Koran-like miracle bearing the divinity of Holy Writ and thus needs to be read and learnt to help understand the greatness of God-being. At this very point the nature gets accorded the divine status as God-built guiding system on the path of divine perception. So it should be accepted that producing respect towards the issues of protection and study of nature is to be considered as an activity human-being has to hold as part of his or her divine services.

Our Lord says: “ Who made good everything that He has created, and He began the creation of man from dust. Then He made him complete and breathed into him of His spirit…” (32, 7-9) Referring to other material components used by God to create human-being’s body in evolutionary order and sequence in other verses (23, 12-14) as well, our Lord also gets our attention to the spiritual component and reason of creation by saying “He breathed into him of His spirit”, hence urging us to understand the responsibility we should hold both before material-built nature and the God Himself at the same time and disclosing the different ways for us to be of conscientious attitude of this.

It is the level faith that indicates how well human-being’s attitude is manifested towards the environment. The reason why everything we contemplate in the environmental beauties - forests, meadows, mountain heights covered with snow, murmurous rivers,
blue seas, picturesque flora and fauna, dome of heaven, stars and so on look so beautiful is conditioned by God’s seal and paint they all bear as His creatures.

“Get painted with the paint of God, and who is better than God in painting? and Him do we serve” (2,138) – reads Koranic verse. God suggests that we take into consideration beauty, harmony and equilibrium He has set for the life of both human-being and universe as a whole.

So how damaging and destroying it appeared to be when we human-beings tried to subdue nature treating it in a rather hostile way. By draining rivers and lakes, polluting seas, cutting down forests the human being indifferent to divine instructions as a matter of fact gets inevitably doomed to be hostile to his or her own generation’s fate not to mention how it may prove undermining fate for generations to come.

Aggressions carried out against flora and fauna particularly recent times cost one dear for humanity harmed its physical existence and morality. It should be understood that any attempts aiming at upseting environmental balance set by God, corrupting harmony established by God and erasing paint put by God are due to be regarded as of blasphemy signs. Koran repeatedly cautions against the depraved destiny blasphemes are expected to gain in heavenly kingdom.

It is well known that the environment at the time when Koran was sent upon the prophet Muhammed was not as much harmed as it is nowadays. However, Koran applying to all times wants to restrain us from violence towards environment by reminding us in a miraculous way of what happens at present time: “Corruption has appeared in the land and the sea on account of what the hands of men have wrought, that He may make them taste a part of that which they have done, so that they may return” (30, 41). The talk here is about returning back to repentance that might be awakened or felt by perception of damage infringed upon nature.

Our Lord says: “Do they not then look up to heaven above them how We have made it and adorned it and it has no gaps? And the earth, We have made it plain and cast in it mountains and We have made to grow therein of all beautiful kinds (50, 6); “He it is Who sends down water from the cloud for you; it gives drink, and by it (grow) the trees upon which you pasture. He causes to grow for you thereby herbage, and the olives, and the palm trees, and the grapes, and of all the fruits; most surely there is a sign in this for a people who reflect. And He has made subservient for you the night and the day and the sun and the moon, and the stars are made subservient by His commandment; most surely there are signs in this for a people who ponder. And what He has created in the earth of varied hues most surely there is a sign in this for a people who are mindful” (16, 10-13). There are roughly five hundred verses similar to these all of which instill wise treatment of nature into the conscience of believers.

Soil, water, air, reaches of soil, forests, sunlight, moonlight and so on are common wealth for all. Nevertheless, we should not forget it is the very God who has the unshared right of property over these all. As He says: “His is whatsoever is in the heavens and whatsoever is in the earth; and most surely Allah is the Self-sufficient, the Praised” (22, 64). So the moral and ethic content of benefiting from the property belonging to God provides for respectful treatment of nature as human being should never see environment as source for his or her selfish satisfaction but rather should avoid squandering its resources for his or her natural increasing needs to be met. God cautions against squander also because there are some limits preset for restoration processes regulated by divine rules to be applied to losses the environment can undergo. So God holds human being responsible in particular for maintaining ecological balance on earth.. We should take to our account that unlike other creatures human being is the only one who is left free to think and act on his or her own with the status of God’s successor on earth, hence held responsible for well-being of the Globe. It depends on how he or she will act whether to get punished or blessed: “And He it is Who has made you successors in the land and raised some of you above others by grades, that He might try you by what He has given you; surely your Lord is quick to requite , and He is most surely the Forgiving, the Merciful” (6, 165). We believe God is capable of resuscitation of whatever He has once created in the sense of His ability to recompense for any losses. Of course, this may happen at His own will as “He is most surely the Forgiving, the Merciful” but there is a risk for human being either to be requited for wrongdoings as “Lord is quick to requite” too.

Human being with the status of God’s successor should not transgress the limits set for him or her in regard with managing environment but be guided by divine instructions because her or she is supposed to take into account that there are others who like human being were created by God as examples of animate communities: “And there is no animal that walks upon the earth nor a bird that flies with its two wings but (they are) genera like yourselves; We have not neglected anything in the Book, then to their Lord shall they be gathered” (6, 38); “Do you not see that Allah is He Whom do glorify all those who are in the heavens and the earth, and the (very) birds with expanded wings? He knows the prayer of each one and its glorification, and Allah is Cognizant of what they do” (24, 41). Human being also should not overlook the fact that God communicated also with bees: “And your Lord revealed to the bee saying: Make hives in the mountains and in the trees and in what they build. Then eat of all the fruits and walk in the ways of your Lord submissively. There comes forth from within it a beverage of many colours, in which there is healing for men; most surely there is a sign in this for a people who reflect” (16, 68-69). In other divine verse we see human being is described not as being t senior one in the animal kingdom but rather ordinary one of rank and file: “And Allah has created from water every living creature: so of them is that which walks upon its belly, and of them is that which walks upon two feet, and of them is that which walks upon four; Allah creates what He pleases; surely Allah has power over all things” (24, 45).

At the time of prophet Muhammed and later centuries Muslims treated environment as affected by Koranic instructions. For example, warnings against the wastefulness in using water which was regarded as a source of life and purity were conditioned by the ritual of ablution Muslims are supposed to perform before prayers. They tried to avoid wasting water when performing ablutions. In case when there was no water to use for ablutions they were allowed to perform it by soil, following this Koranic verse: “O you who believe! when you rise up to prayer, wash your faces and your hands as far as the elbows, and wipe your heads and your feet to the ankles; and if you are under an obligation to perform a total ablution, then wash (yourselves) and if you are sick or on a journey, or one of you come from the privy, or you have touched the women, and you cannot find water, betake yourselves to pure earth and wipe your faces and your hands therewith, Allah does not desire to put on you any difficulty, but He wishes to purify you and that He may complete His favor on you, so that you may be grateful” (5, 6). Koranic permit to use pure soil for lack of water to perform the mentioned ritual meant for believers that they were obliged to treat soil as much respectfully as they were to do with water.

Muslim communities at those times posed prohibitions over burning or uprooting trees, harassing or torturing animals and birds. Along with application of rules regulating human being’s relations with environment scientific researches were conducted in the related field. For example, Izzeddin Ben Abdusalam, a Muslim jurisprudent (lived in 14th century) had a writing titled “Draft Law On Animals Rights”.

Finally let us ponder over and over again on the following Koranic verses: “Have you considered what you sow? Is it you that cause it to grow, or are We the causers of growth? If We pleased, We should have certainly made it broken down into pieces, thenwould you begin tb lament: Surely we are burdened with debt: Nay! we are deprived. Have you considered the water which you drink? Is it you that send it down from the clouds, or are We the senders? If We pleased, We would have made it salty; why do you not then give thanks? Have you considered the fire which you strike? Is it you that produce the trees for it, or are We the producers? We have made it a reminder and an advantage for the wayfarers of the desert. Therefore glorify the name of your Lord, the Great. But nay! I swear by the falling of stars; And most surely it is a very great oath if you only knew; Most surely it is an honored Quran” (56, 63-77)

(translation from Azeri)

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