Safei-Eldin Hamed, Ph.D Texas Tech University

1. Reflections on the Relationship between Science and Spirituality: A Multi-disciplinary Colloquium April 13th, 2005 Lubbock, TX Seeing the Environment through Islamic Eyes Safei-Eldin Hamed, Ph.D Texas Tech University

2. Seeing the Environment through Islamic Eyes • Harvard University Conferences (1998) • The Key Question: What role can religion play in addressing our global environmental crisis? • What are the Islamic values pertaining to natural resources management and environmental planning? • Is it practically possible to derive from the Islamic jurisprudence a set of environmental planning and Management guidelines?

3. ISLAMAND ECOLOGY RELIGION, ETHICS, AND THEENVIRONMENT:

4. Questions to the World • What is required to attain sustainable developmenton earth ? • How should we build capacity for that goal?

5. Questions to the Muslim World • How can the Muslim environmentalist respond to the global problems of pollution and natural resources depletion? • What is the Islamic approach to achieving an environmentally sustainable development world community?

6. The Issue of the Real and the Ideal Intentions Actions Value System (Theoretical) Institutions (Practical) • Stewardship (Khilafa) • Hisbah (Office of public inspection) • Equilibrium (Mizan) • Waqf (Endowment) • Communities on earth (Ummah) • Iqtaa (Land grants) • Justice (Adl) • Ihya (Development of waste lands) • Moderation (Taowsot) • Hema (Reserved zone) • Haram (Forbidden area)

7. Stewardship (Khilafa) • “Then We appointed you stewards in the earth after them, to see how you would behave”. • (Qur’an, 10:15)

8. Equilibrium (Mizan) • “And the earth We have spread out, set thereon mountains firm and immovable; and produced therein all kinds of things in due balance.” • (Qur’an 15:19)

9. Equilibrium (Mizan) • We made from water every living thing” (Qur’an 21:30) • “It is He who has made the sea subject, that ye may eat thereof flesh that is fresh and tender.” (Qur’an 16:14) • “And He caused rain to descend on you from heaven to clean you therewith.” • (Qur’an 8:11)

10. Communities on earth (Ummah) There is not an animal that lives on earth, Nor a being that flies on its wings, but forms part of communities like you. (Qur'an, VI: 38)

11. Why revitalizing traditional Islamic institutions? • The size of the Muslim world • 75 developing countries • Urbanization, industrialization & pollution. • The need for appropriate ethics • Islam’s unique paradigm and environmental values • Development as a question of values • The historical record of Shari’ah • The failure of borrowed economic models and development systems • The widening gap • The failure of governmental institutions

12. Call for new ethics • A new ethics, embracing plants and animals, as well as people, is required for human societies to live in harmony with the natural world on which they depend for survival and well being” • IUCN, World Environmental Strategy, 1980

13. Is sustainable development possible? • The newly established agencies • The existing legislation • Should we anticipate any change? • Do we have a blue print for revitalizing Islamic models? • The size of the Muslim world • Who sets the goals? • Which models are pursued? Which are resisted? • Do we know whether prevailing norms and practices are compatible to the ideals of the Shari’ah and the principles of sustainability? • Can Muslim countries afford the costs of information? • How do leaders perceive the information age? • How independent and ethical can a development planner be? • How much public involvement and Shura would existing governments allow?

14. Ideas for the future Sustainability of the earth is vital for the future well-being of humanity. This can only be attained through solidarity of purpose and a commitment to environmental ethics and values.

15. Ideas for the future Islam could play an important role in this venture, particularly since it has been for sometime a rich, yet untapped source of environmental ideas and ideals.