Finding Allah in Nature: How Faith Informs My Climate Activism

Earlier this year, I attended an Islamic lecture titled “Me, Myself, and Allah” with Dr. Haifa Younus. I almost hadn’t attended the lecture because usually classes like these are a little heavy on the budget, especially for a college student. I was, fortunately, convinced by a close friend to buy my ticket and attend the two day discussion on self-esteem, mindfulness or tawakkul, solitude, and practical lifestyle changes. It’s safe to say in hindsight that this class shifted my mindset on a lot of things such as prayer, my connection with Allah—and especially nature.

That’s right—nature. Amidst a discussion on Allah consciousness (rather than Allah fearing—which is a whole other topic for another day), Dr. Younus mentioned that Allah teaches us to look both in and out but especially around to take in knowledge. It didn’t click in that moment, but several months later, while I was reading a book titled The Biology of Wonder: Aliveness, Feeling and the Metamorphosis of Science by Andreas Weber, two important things collided: the environment and faith. 

The environment has always been something that I was passively interested in. As a biology major, my department found every possible excuse for us to study nature. Whether I was deep in the woods of my campus surrounded by buckthorn or in a lab diligently documenting every movement my zebrafish made, I was always immersed in nature. I have always had a profound love of plants and wildlife, but it wasn’t until Dr. Younus’ class and The Biology of Wonder that I connected that curiosity and appreciation with my religion.

Nature and our connection to it, our desire to be close to it is an intrinsic part of aliveness.

We see ourselves in nature, and the connections we have to plants, animals, and people are necessary for our continued well-being. We also see the greatness of Allah, our creator in the beauty and perfection of nature. Through a continued observation and immersion in nature, I’ve developed a deeper connection with Allah.

Amidst a moment of self-reflection, asking myself why climate justice was important to me, I came across reminder after reminder in the Quran that echoed my own feelings about how we should respect the Earth. 

One of the central messages about the environment in the Quran is the preservation of natural resources. Balance and harmony are fundamental tenets of Islam, with the Quran and Sunnah reminding us that our reliance on the Earth should motivate us to treat all aspects of life with the utmost respect and dignity. When that respect and dignity is not applied, however, verses like the following serves as a reminder of the errors we commit: 

“Mischief has appeared on the land and sea, because of (the need) that the hands of man have earned, that (Allah) may give them a taste of some of their deeds: in order that they may turn back (from evil).” (Ar-Rum: verse 41). 

This verse demonstrates the destruction of the earth is related directly to human abuses. Allah reminds us constantly that belief in God and respect for nature come hand-in-hand.

We cannot in good faith participate in practices that harm other living animals, disrupt ecosystems, and ultimately destroy the Earth without consequences in our relationship with the Almighty.

So what is this destruction that Allah warns us about in the Quran? Climate change is garnering all the attention lately, and it’s partly because of the buzz that youth climate activists have created. Some people refer to this issue as the “climate crisis,” because there’s something going on with this climate of ours—and it’s not good. 

The climate crisis can best be described as the rise of global temperatures, which increasingly affects the expression of extreme weather. These phrases, climate change and climate crisis, can be misleading because the climate isn’t the issue. The Earth has had changing weather patterns, including extreme weather, since the beginning of time. What’s changed since the industrial revolution is that the increased carbon dioxide emissions due to the widespread burning of non-renewable fossil fuels have aggravated weather patterns to the extent that we have a true crisis on our hands. 

Another way people describe this phenomenon is climate violence. Why violence? Because the changes in the climate are affecting people to such an extent that systemic and structural inadequacies are being exposed. These inequities are showing us that certain communities are overlooked where the government is supposed to provide exit strategies, proper and adequate urban planning, land management, and urban drainage. Climate violence sits at the nexus of the climate crisis and the communities the crisis disproportionately impacts along age, gender, and racial lines. It’s not enough to say that the climate crisis is going to affect everyone, because it will. But we have to ask the question of who will be impacted at a much higher rate and with increased severity. The answer is always going to be Brown and Black people, as well as other vulnerable communities such as the elderly, women, and youth. 

With my faith, these disparities run immediate red flags. To know that marginalized people, or anyone, should be impacted so severely by the climate crisis because of gross negligence in urban planning and drainage and development is unthinkable. Islam tells us that we should love everyone and take care of the creations of Allah with the utmost care and respect. 

The Quran tells us that small actions like planting trees, an act deeply loved by Allah and the Prophet (Peace be Upon Him), is one way to follow an environmentally aware and faith connected philosophy. Additionally, in line with conservation, conserving water when performing ablution is also one way to connect the environment and faith. 

Of course there are systems-level changes that we should all seek, but all change starts with change in the heart.

In order to see this phenomenon of climate change as something all-encompassing and yet deeply personal, we have to develop a sense of understanding that ties the survival of this Earth with our own survival.

That understanding can only come with a full circle search for knowledge, both inwards and outwards, towards the environment around us.