Islamic Issues
ISLAM AND THE CONCEPT OF SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
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04 January 2012
(Sent for consideration in the Middle East Quarterly-MED Journal, Dec. 2011)
Noor Hanita ABDUL MAJID1,Ibrahim Udale HUSSAINI2 (corresponding author)* 1Kulliyyah of Architecture and Environmental Design, International Islamic University Malaysia 2Architecture Programme, Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University, Bauchi–Nigeria Email: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it +2348068135766, +60176212707
ABSTRACT
Although the terminology of ‘Sustainable Development’ may be a new concept in modern civilization, its implication in Islam is as old as the religion itself. This is because the principle of Sustainable Development is fervently entrenched in the fundamentals of Islamic resources management. This article has attempted to examine on the challenges of Sustainable Development from the perspective of the modern materialistic/secular world as well as that of conservative Islam. It further elaborates on its basic essence, and as a concept to integrate issues of the environment and the society, which entails maintaining our current rate of development while bequeathing suitable resources for later generations to thrive or develop. In all, the social, economic and environmental dimensions of Sustainable Development are precisely discussed; and in concurrence with Islamic principles of submission to the will of God.
Keywords: Islam, Environment, Sustainability, Development, Resources, Generations
The Idea of Worship in Islam
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11 November 2011
Islam teaches that man has been created as Allah’s vicegerent on earth. With his honorable vicegerency (khilafah) mission, man signifies both the climax and the epicenter of Allah’s act of creation and its divine purpose. As such, when completely submitting to the Will and Word of his Creator and Master – as man’s ultimate fate ought to be -- man elevates himself to the highest level in the hierarchy of life’s multifaceted constituents and beings, including angels. Man’s life, then, in its totality becomes one sweet song of worshipping, glorifying and praising Allah, the Lord of the universe. It becomes a form of worship (‘ibadah) where Allah in all the life interests and pursuits of man becomes the ultimate object of all hisspiritual cravings and desires.
“La Hijrah ba’d al-Fath” (No Migration after the Conquest): Implications for the City of Madinah
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27 October 2011
In the wake of the conquest of Makkah, in the eighth year after the Hijrah, most of the Arabian Peninsular communities wittingly entered the fold of Islam. Those who declined to do so - covertly or otherwise - peacefully accepted the rule of Islam and the Muslims. It was around this time that the Prophet (pbuh) proclaimed that there is no Hijrah (migration) to Madinah after the take-over of Makkah; there remained only jihad and niyyah (intending good in all actions) afterwards.[1] The Prophet (pbuh) used to encourage people from then on to stay where they were, and to contribute whatever they could in implementing and disseminating the Word of God elsewhere, since “To Allah belongeth all that is in the heavens and on earth…” (al-Baqarah 284), and “To Allah belong the East and the West: whithersoever ye turn, there is Allah’s Face. For Allah is All-Embracing, All-Knowing.” (al-Baqarah 115)
