2nd Week : Islam & Social Sustainability, Islam & Environmental Sustainability, Islam & Economic Sustainability.

photo credit: hdaktsr

From this lecture, I learned that the concept of sustainable development in Islam can be defined as “the balanced and simultaneous realization of consumer welfare, economic efficiency, attainment of social justice, and ecological balance in the framework of an evolutionary knowledge- based, socially interactive model defining the shuratic process”. The shuratic process is the consultation or participatory ruling principle of Islam.

In the Quran, there are a huge number of verses and several sayings of the Prophet Muhammad s.a.w indicate the great importance that has been given to environmental concerns and the responsibility of man to the environment. 

Below is the verse mentioned in the Quran from Surah Al- Baqarah verse 30:

وَإِذْ قَالَ رَبُّكَ لِلْمَلاَئِكَةِ إِنِّي جَاعِلٌ فِي الأَرْضِ خَلِيفَةً قَالُواْ أَتَجْعَلُ فِيهَا مَن يُفْسِدُ فِيهَا وَيَسْفِكُ الدِّمَاء وَنَحْنُ نُسَبِّحُ بِحَمْدِكَ وَنُقَدِّسُ لَكَ قَالَ إِنِّي أَعْلَمُ مَا لاَ تَعْلَمُونَ ﴿٣٠﴾

"And [mention, O Muhammad], when your Lord said to the angels, “Indeed, I will make upon the earth a successive authority.” They said, “Will You place upon it one who causes corruption therein and sheds blood, while we declare Your praise and sanctify You?” Allah said, “Indeed, I know that which you do not know”.

Everything that happened around the world cause by us, vicegerents of Allah s.w.t, for instance waste generation, rivalries among communities/ societies, wars between nations, water pollution, have showed us that we as Khalifahs failed to take responsibility to take care of this world that had been assigned to us from Him as an obligation.