By Ar. Zain Mankani | Photographs by Author
Preamble
According to the Rio declaration, Sustainable Development means fulfilling the needs of the current generation without compromising the needs of future generations. Reducing disparity between different population groups and preserving the Earth’s ecosystem are also essential components of sustainability.
It is easy to see that, at its core, sustainability is predominantly a rights issue. It aims to conserve the Earth’s resources as well as its ecosystem for future generations who have a right to utilize these resources in the same way as the current generation. Moreover, different population groups have an equal right to natural resources as well as man-made environments and their access and use of the resources or facilities may not be restricted on the basis of class, gender, race, religion or ethnicity. If we understand sustainable development in this manner, we can begin to appreciate that sustainability may be comprehensively ensured by a code of conduct that protects the rights of not just different groups of people, but of all creatures that inhabit the earth, or will inhabit the earth in the future.
Islamic Monotheism as the Foundation of Sustainability
It is also clear that such a code of conduct may only be offered by an ideology based on monotheism, which sees all creation as the work of a single Divine entity. Islamic monotheism is just such an ideology. The monotheism of Islam is not based on the numerical unity of the Divine Being. Rather, Islamic monotheism, or Tawheed, is an expression of the simplicity of His essence. It reflects the fact that the Perfect Being is not a composite of essence and attributes; that His Attributes are identical with His Essence, and not accidents so that anything may be added to or removed from Him 1. Since there is none like Him, all existence (i.e., all goodness) flows from Him and Him alone.
This conception of monotheism then gives rise to an understanding of the rights of individuals. All men have equal rights due to their being creations of the same God2. Gender, race or ethnicity does not preclude people from being accorded basic human rights. Distinctions based on social class become unwarranted and unacceptable. Hence, there is no cause for any disparity between different population groups. Rather, the existence of such disparity becomes a social manifestation of disbelief in the Unity of God. Advocating disparity, benefitting from it or even accepting it may be seen as concealed polytheism.
On the contrary, Tawheed means to remove disparity and distinction. Tawheed is a verb and its literal meaning is to unite, or make one. It means, to consolidate a society that is broken up into various classes, and from it create a social order without class division3.
Tawheed and Ecological Balance
This concept of disparity may be extended further in order to gain an understanding of other aspects of sustainability, and their relation to Islamic Monotheism. Just as monotheism implies that there should be no class distinction, and all human beings should enjoy the same rights; so it also implies that all living creatures, and not just humans, have a right to inhabit the Earth. This is because all living creatures have been created by the One God, and because the Earth is not divided into different domains regulated by different deities, but is one single system with interdependent parts. A malfunction in one part, therefore, effects the whole system; and a negative impact on one species, adversely effects the entire order.
Patterns of production and consumption that deplete the Earth’s resources without replenishing them serve to upset the balance. They may adversely affect populations of living creatures that thrive on those resources, or damage their habitats. In addition, unbridled exploitation can deprive certain human communities, or future generations, of the fair use of those resources.
Hence, the Quran lays tremendous importance on maintaining this balance. In the 55th chapter of the Holy Quran, God mentions the Sun and the Moon, the herbs and trees and the sky before exclaiming that He has set up the balance, and warns men not to be disrespectful of the balance and not to make the measure deficient.4
The sun and the moon follow a reckoning.
And the herbs and the trees do adore (Him).
And the heaven, He raised it high, and He made the balance
That you may not be inordinate in respect of the measure.
And keep up the balance with equity and do not make the measure deficient.
This balance or measure (al-Mizan), which is mentioned in three consecutive verses (verses 7-9), has a very broad meaning and includes the ecological order that sustains the Earth.5 The sun and the moon, as well as the trees and shrubs, are all part of this order and they uphold the balance, so that a deficiency in one component can negatively impact the whole system. It is this order that must not be upset or subverted. Today, we understand this balance, which holds everything on Earth in a close-knit loop. A depletion of the Ozone layer, or increase in levels of carbon-dioxide in the atmosphere, can have far-reaching consequences. Similarly, uncontrolled deforestation will impact all life on Earth. Although the cutting down of trees and the unrestrained use of this resource may benefit a small group of people, it deprives others of their right to enjoy a thriving eco-system. This includes the future generations who would inherit a planet with depleted resources and who, in comparison to the former generations, would live in disparity. Moreover, this deforestation and exploitation destroys the natural habitat of many species, who are therefore robbed of their right to inhabit the Earth.
In the following verse, God states that he has created the Earth for all living creatures.
And the earth, He has set it for living creatures
Therefore, all living creatures have a claim to the Earth and their right to it must be respected. This respect is also necessitated by the fact that all creatures on Earth are connected by the Divinely-established balance, so that the reduction in number of one species adversely affects others and eventually humans as well. For example, a decline in the population of honey bees can jeopardize agricultural production of crops such as soybeans, apples, cherries, cucumbers, and about 70 other food crops that rely on bees for pollination.6
Tawheed and Social Equity
Poverty eradication is recognized by the Rio Declaration as an “indispensable requirement” for sustainable development. As principle 5 of the declaration explains, this is ‘in order to better meet the needs of the majority of the people of the world’. Islam is vehemently opposed to a social system where the needs of the majority are compromised in order to satisfy the insatiable demands of a select few.
‘The principle of Tawheed assigns equal rights to all human beings on all the resources of the world, which are Divine bounties. All opportunities and possibilities belong equally to all human beings, so that everyone can derive benefit from these resources according to his needs.’7
A society where people are divided into haves and have-nots is in direct contravention to Islamic Monotheism. In an Islamic society, class-distinction and class-struggle have no meaning. A society where some are privileged and some are oppressed, is not a Monotheistic society.8
This is because essentially, in the Ideology of Islam, there are only two tiers – one of the Creator, and the other of His creation. All created things, from an insignificant particle of matter to the most individuated human being, are equal in the sense that they are all His creatures and are under His dominion.9
There is no one in the heavens and the earth but will come to the Beneficent God as a servant. 10
For development to be sustainable, it must be undertaken in a manner that ensures that all people, regardless of class, gender, race, religion or ethnicity may benefit from it. It must necessarily be inclusive and accessible. But more importantly, it must not become a source of division in society on the basis of social class – because this strikes at the very core of Islamic Ideology, that is Monotheism.
If we look at the global picture, we can see certain countries that are prosperous and are steadily moving towards a “green” economy, but also other countries where large sections of the population live in squalid conditions, and where adults and children serve as labor to mine minerals. Developed countries use these minerals to build green economies, while contaminating fresh water sources, reducing natural habitats, and causing potentially irreparable damage to the ecosystem in the countries where these minerals are extracted from.
Can we term this kind of development sustainable? On the global level it creates tremendous disparity between people whose share of the resources should actually be equitable. It upsets the environmental balance in one corner of the globe in order to set right the balance in another corner. Modern methods of mining for Lithium required for electric car batteries, for example, can potentially lead to ‘industrial-scale habitat destruction, chemical contamination and noise pollution, as well as high levels of water consumption’11. Similarly, solar panels contain toxic materials like lead and cadmium that can leach from broken panels into the ground. They are often classified as hazardous waste and are not economically viable to recycle, ending up in large land-fills 12. A large proportion of such wastes may be illegally traded and end up in developing countries. Europe and North America, which are the largest producers of electronic waste, often sell this waste, classified as second-hand products or falsely described as plastic or mixed metal scrap, to West African counties like Ghana and Nigeria, or to China, Hong Kong, Pakistan, India, Banglaesh, and Vietnam in Asia. 13
Such development, which seeks to improve the quality of life in one region of the globe while causing ecological damage in another, cannot be termed as sustainable from the Islamic perspective. Islamic Monotheism views the entire globe, including all its resources and the creatures that inhabit it, as one close-looped system. And it views all human beings, everywhere on Earth, as creatures of the One God, with one and the same set of rights. Hence, disrupting the ecological balance in one place, tips the scales elsewhere also. And similarly, causing deprivation in one region leads to consequences for other regions as well.
Sustainable Development in an Islamic Republic
For an Islamic Republic, like Pakistan, it is important to have a development policy that is based on the principles of sustainability, as understood from the perspective of Islamic Monotheism. First and foremost, this means that development must be equitable, and there should be no discrimination amongst the provinces, so that one or two provinces become the focus of all developmental work, while others are neglected. Similarly, just as on the global level, we can see certain developed nations exploit the resources of other, third-world states so that they do not receive the bulk of the benefits of their natural resources, and are also left to deal with the destruction of local ecology and natural habitats; so too at the national level, the policy must ensure that some provinces do not exploit and benefit disproportionately from the resources of other provinces, while leaving them to deal with the negative consequences of exploitation.
Discrimination of this nature, between populations of various provinces, is a kind of negation of the principle of Tawheed, and leads to the establishment of a multi-tier society where people of different ethnic backgrounds are assigned to different tiers within the social order. Moreover, it creates disparity in the standard of living of various groups within the country, which is contrary to the principles of sustainable development, as well as contrary to the spirit of Islam.
God says,
And Allah has made some of you excel others in the means of subsistence, so those who are made to excel do not give away their sustenance to those whom their right hands possess so that they should be equal therein; is it then the favor of Allah which they deny? 14
In other words, to maintain a disproportionate difference in the standard of living of different groups of peoples, is tantamount to denying the favor of Allah. There are also many traditions in this regard, which state that one’s quality of life should not be different than that of one’s dependents15. At the root of this concept of equality is the Islamic idea of brotherhood, and the principle of Islamic Monotheism, according to which all men are equal on account of being creatures of the same God.
Tawheed and
Sustainable Design
How is social equity possible through architecture? How can architecture contribute to social justice and how can it be a manifestation of the Islamic principle of Monotheism?
To answer this question, Islamic Monotheism must be seen as an ideology that has to be implemented at various levels of social order. At the highest level, it is reflected in accepting the Earth along with its delicate ecosystem as part of one interlinked structure, designed by a single intelligent Creator. At the global level, we must see various nations, regardless of their race or their political ideology, as belonging to the same family of human beings. At the national level, people of different ethnicities must be treated in an equitable manner and given their due rights. They must be adequately compensated for the resources that are extracted from their ancestral lands. At the city level, planning must be equitable so that all citizens have equal access to available resources; such as public open spaces, recreational areas as well as schools, colleges, hospitals and libraries, regardless of their socio-economic standing. Finally, an equitable living standard must be ensured through well-planned and well-designed social housing schemes.
The architecture of such housing schemes, or of the public architecture in such a community, must not rely on unsustainable methods of construction because all of Earth’s resources are part of the balanced eco-system designed by Allah (SWT) and depleting these resources offsets the balance. Moreover, it deprives future generations, who have an equal right to these resources, from their justified use.
Architecture that relies on unsustainable patterns of production and consumption contributes towards “making the measure deficient” and there are negative consequences to this for the entire ecosystem, of which we humans are also a part. Islamic hadith literature therefore discourages the cutting down of trees and encourages their plantation. If a Muslim plants a tree, or sows seeds, and humans or animals eat from the produce, it is considered an act of charity on his behalf 16. Cultivating barren land, that does not belong to anyone, makes it the property of the one who cultivates it 17. Moreover, the Prophet (PBUH) forbade the cutting of trees in the holy city of Madinah18.
Architecture that is grounded in Islamic Monotheism must refrain from the use of materials whose production, transportation, installation, maintenance and recycling contributes to disturbing the balance and making the measure deficient. This naturally includes non-renewable resources, because once their measure has been reduced, it cannot be easily restored. But it also means refraining from reliance on materials whose production and use releases harmful gases into the environment and destroys the equilibrium of atmospheric gases that maintains all life on Earth.
Furthermore, the use of these materials must be done with the objective of attaining human perfection, which is the Divine Purpose of creation. Actions that damage the very environment required by humans to sustain life are in direct opposition to this noble objective.
‘The principle of Tawheed specifies that the absolute right of ownership of all the world’s resources belongs solely to God. Nobody else can claim an independent right of ownership over anything. All things are given only as a trust into the custody of man, to be used as means for attaining human perfection and edification.’ 19
REFERENCE
1. Imam Ali (as), Sermon 1, Nahjul Balagha.
2. Ayatullah Sayyid Ali Khamene’i, Six Speeches on the Subject of Tawhid, P.140, published by Darusthaqalain.
3. Ibid, P.158.
4. The Holy Quran, Chapter 55, V.5-9
5. Tafseer-e-Namoona, Commentary of Surah al-Rahman, Verses 7-13
6. Michael Bianco, Jenny Cooper, and Michelle Fournier, Honey Bee Population Decline in Michigan: Causes, Consequences, and Responses to Protect the State’s Agriculture and Food System, Michigan Journal of Public Affairs Volume 11, Spring 2014
7. Ayatullah Sayyid Ali Khamene’i, Tawheed as a Social Approach, The General Pattern of Islamic Thought in the Quran, published by Islamic Propagation Organization.
8. Ayatullah Sayyid Ali Khamene’i, Six Speeches on the Subject of Tawhid, P.54, published by Darusthaqalain.
9. Ibid., p31.
10. The Holy Quran, Chapter 19, V.93
11. Oliver Balch, The Curse of ‘White Oil’: Electric Vehicles’ Dirty Secret, The Guardian, 08 December 2020. Web link: https://www.theguardian.com/news/2020/dec/08/the-curse-of-white-oil-electric-vehicles-dirty-secret-lithium
12. Michael Shellenberger, If Solar Panels Are So Clean, Why Do They Produce So Much Toxic Waste?, Forbes, 23 May 2018. Web link: https://www.forbes.com/sites/michaelshellenberger/2018/05/23/if-solar-panels-are-so-clean-why-do-they-produce-so-much-toxic-waste/?sh=4912ed36121c
13. United Nations Environmental Program (UNEP) Report, 2015: Illegally Traded and Dumped E-Waste Worth up to $19 Billion Annually Poses Risks to Health, Deprives Countries of Resources. Web link: https://www.unep.org/news-and-stories/press-release/illegally-traded-and-dumped-e-waste-worth-19-billion-annually-poses
14. The Holy Quran, Chapter 16, V.71
15. Tafseer-e-Namoona, Commentary of Surah an-Nahl, Verse 16
16. Sahih Bukhari, 2320; Sahih Muslim, 1553a
17. Sahih Bukhari, 2335; Sunan Abi Dawud, 3073; Sunan Ibn Majah, 2489
18. Sunan Abi Dawud, 2038 & 2039
19. Ayatullah Sayyid Ali Khamene’i, Tawheed as a Social Approach, The General Pattern of Islamic Thought in the Quran, published by Islamic Propagation Organization.
