Skyscrapers, efficient transportation, and advanced technologies are part of the physical development of a country. Physical development is imperative to enhance the life quality of citizens. On the other hand, it also symbolises the advancement of knowledge and civilisation.
However, a powerful and advanced civilisation is no exception to the jeopardy of destruction. A poor core value that leads to misconduct is evident to be one of the sources of destruction of many civilisations in the past.
As long as humans refuse to learn from the past and repeat the same conduct made by previous civilisations, they are bound to end up with the same demise. Learning from the past is crucial for improvement. In fact, in verse 10, Surah Muhammad, Allah SWT has emphasised, “Have they not travelled through the land and seen how was the end of those before them? Allah destroyed (everything) over them, and for the disbelievers is something comparable.”
Nowadays, as much as humans build and develop nations, they also cause a great deal of environmental degradation. In return, the damaged environment also brings suffering to humans such as in the form of climate change, flood, and landslide.
Causing environmental degradation is a form of misconduct that results from a poor core value. Therefore, as we progress on physical development, it must be parallel with the cultivation of core values. Core values that are translated into good attitudes known as al-mahmudah repel the tendency to perform wrongdoings (al-mazmumah) towards the environment. From the Islamic point of view, the main core value that needs to be anchored is the remembrance of Allah in daily activities including the physical development of the country.
The remembrance of Allah is often associated with routine worship such as prayer, fasting, and pilgrimage. However, remembering Allah is not limited to those routine worship. It also includes other activities such as learning and working. In fact, remembering Allah in every action is highlighted in the Quran, Surah al-Nisa’, verse 103 that stated, “And when you have completed the prayer, remember Allah standing, sitting, or (lying) on your sides
Besides, daily activities that are intended for the sake of Allah and bring benefit to society and other beings are also considered as part of worship, and thus rewarded by Allah SWT. At the same time, by having every action performed for the sake of Allah, people can safeguard their desires from falling into transgression.
Doing permissible things in an extreme manner is a form of transgression. There are a number of examples to describe transgression and its effect. Transgression in terms of overutilization of forest resources leads to deforestation, desertification, soil erosion, and natural disasters. Transgression in terms of exploiting natural resources to satisfy greediness leads to endangerment and extinction of species. It consequently leads to ecosystem imbalance.
Transgression in spending natural resources is prohibited even from the Islamic perspective. For example, Prophet Muhammad SAW has commanded his followers not to overuse water even if at the running stream. The main lesson from his command is to use any resources in moderation even if there is so much of it in fear of wastage. Furthermore, conserving resources is part of sustainable development goals. Wasting resources is straying away from sustainable development goals (SDG).
Another aspect of sustainable development goals is to ensure responsible consumption and production. Responsible consumption and production link to other SDGs such as clean water and sanitation, conserving life on land, and protecting life below water.
Therefore, failure or refusal to adhere to responsible consumption and production will affect the other SDGs as well and thus leads to many environmental destruction. In the worse scenario, humans will suffer from the backlash due to the destruction that they caused.
In recent years there are incidents of river pollution, such as the Kim Kim River toxic pollution and raw water source pollution in Selangor. These two incidents cost a lot of damage to society. These two incidents respectively caused heavy poisoning of locals and a series of water disruptions.
Indeed, the adverse effects of these irresponsible acts ultimately turn back to humans. This is exactly what was emphasized in the Quran, Surah al-Rum, verse 41, that stated, “Corruption has appeared throughout the land and sea by (reason of) what the hands of people have earned, so He may let them taste part of (the consequence of) what they have done that perhaps they will return (to righteousness).”
In order to return to righteousness, people must strive to nurture a compassionate and loving heart. A compassionate and loving heart can be displayed by being kind towards others. In the context of this article, it is crucial to have compassion for the environment including forests, animals, marine life, and climates. By having compassion towards these matters, people are able to feel guilty when performing wrongdoings and consequently try not to repeat the same behaviour.
Last but not least, after struggling to keep on track by doing the right things, the ultimate weapon of a believer is to ask for guidance and protection from Allah by performing du‘a. One of the important du‘a is, “O Allah! I seek refuge from evil character, evil actions, and evil desires.” This prayer is important to shield ourselves from the influence of performing bad deeds and simultaneously protect others from the harm of our bad tendency.