FROM space Earth looks like a great blue gem. This planet that we live on is a gift from God to mankind.
Everything has been created by God in due proportion and each has a unique role to play. Upset this balance and we will be upset too.
Looking back at history, we can see the devastating effects of poor planning on natural balance. Sometimes they can result in the loss of lives.
The Highland Towers tragedy is still fresh in many minds. Last Wednesday, a little under nine years since its collapse, history repeated itself, a few hundred metres away.
We must be aware that man’s dependence on nature is great. We depend on it for the air we breathe, the water we drink, the food we eat and even the homes we live in. Sadly, it is a fact so often ignored.
In the last verse of Surah al-An’am in the Quran, it is stated to the effect that: “It is He who has made you His agents, inheritors of the earth. He hath raised you in ranks, some above others that He may try you in the gifts He hath given to you for thy Lord is quick in punishment, yet He is indeed Oft-forgiving, Most Merciful.” There are several things that can be learnt from this verse. First, God has said man is created as His agent or vicegerent on earth. To put it simply, man has been entrusted with the responsibility of looking after and developing the world. This huge responsibility must be carried out with great care.
There is no room for greed, mistakes or improper management when it comes to development.
The second thing we learn from this verse is that God has showered us with many gifts as a test to see how we manage them. In today’s context, we are living in a modern world surrounded by sophisticated and stateof-the-art technology. How do we conduct ourselves in this environment? How do we reconcile modern living with the natural world? Or perhaps, a better question would be: How do we treat nature in meeting today’s demands for rapid development? Interestingly, the third matter mentioned in the verse is how God is quick to punish. Is it not possible that the disasters and tragedies that befall us are a form of punishment because we have failed to manage our development vis-a-vis the natural environment properly? This question is something we have to ask ourselves with sincerity. The answer that follows must equally be truthful.
At the end of verse 165 of Surah al-An’am, God mentions that “He is indeed Oft-forgiving, Most Merciful”. This is an important reminder that whenever we have done something wrong, we must seek His forgiveness and return to the right path.
With regard to nature and the environment, we must ensure that we treat them with respect. We must remember that nature and the environment are created by God to be used by mankind. More importantly, their care is a great responsibility entrusted by God to mankind. It is our task to manage wisely, lest we want to bring on more natural disasters.
Unbalanced development that ignores environmental conservation will only lead to ruin. The benefit of this type of development would be temporary. Landslides, erosion and flash floods can have appalling consequences on their victims.
Although there appears to be progress, it will not last long if conservation is not factored into developmental programmes. In actual fact, hills and mountains (as well as the rest of the natural world) that are created by the Almighty have a significant and crucial role in strengthening the environment. This matter is explained in clarity in verses 6 to 11 of Surah Qaf, which means: “Do they not look at the sky above them? How We have made it and adorned it and there are no flaws in it? And the earth We have spread it out, and set thereon mountains standing firm, and produced therein every kind of beautiful growth (in pairs) to be observed and commemorated by every devotee turning to God.
“And We send down from the sky rain charted with blessing, and We produce therewith gardens and grains for harvests, and tall palm trees, with shoots of fruit stalks, piled one another, as sustenance for God’s servants, and We give new life therewith to land that is dead: thus will be the Resurrection.” As the vicegerent of the planet, we must be aware of our duty to be responsible in developing the world. We must realise that God’s creations have a reason to exist. Nothing is created by God without any purpose or use. As consumers of the environment, we must be wise so that we do not fulfil our needs at the expense of the environment.
We should always remember that we coexist with the natural world. It is not possible for us to live without the natural environment that surrounds us. Sadly, this is one simple but important fact that is often forgotten by most of us. It is as if we can live without nature. More often than not, this arrogance is what triggers tragedies. Only when disaster strikes would we remember. The Malay proverb “Sudah terhantuk baru terngadah” probably best represents this situation. And as simply as we forget the impending consequences and ramifications of our actions, we also have this tendency to blame God or fate when something goes wrong. “This is the work of God” is usually uttered when tragedy strikes. No doubt everything that happens has been predetermined by God, but this does not mean that we can leave it to fate without making sure that tragedies and disasters cannot be averted by conserving the environment and carrying out properly planned development.
It is also unfortunate that we have such short memories. Nine years ago, people were talking about the Highland Towers, and the need to ensure that such a tragedy would not recur. Today, something similar has occurred, ironically near it.
Are we going to wait another nine years before doing something concrete? Or are we going to wait for another tragedy to strike before taking preventive action? These questions can only be answered by ourselves.
We must not fail to remember that this is our planet. It is our duty to look after it. We want a better future. And for that, we have to be careful not to sacrifice the only “home” that we have.
