TC, would you mind highlighting the relevant scriptures for us?

freediver wrote on Aug 12^th, 2013 at 12:33pm:


Here are some examples of the importance of caring for the environment and nature in Islam:


The Prophet often emphasised the importance of cleanliness, with sayings such:

“...Cleanliness is half of belief...”
- Saheeh Muslim


The Prophet was reported to have forbade polluting water supplies.

The Prophet also put many restriction on cutting trees - in particular fruiting and flowering trees and established reserves   wherein no trees could be cut at all.

On migrating to Medina, the Messenger of God organized the planting of trees and of date groves. He made the forests and green spaces conservation areas, where every sort of living creature lived. These were called sanctuaries (hima). For example, a strip of land approximately twelve miles wide around Medina was proclaimed a sanctuary and made a conservation area. We know that he proclaimed other areas, similar to this, sanctuaries. All these show the paramount importance —as a religion— Islam gives to nature conservancy and protection of all nature’s living creatures.



Improving land and planting trees

Anas reported that the Messenger of God said: "Never does a Muslim plant trees or cultivate land and birds or a man or a beast eat out of them but that is a charity on his behalf.
- Saheeh Muslim


“Whoever plants trees, God will give him reward...”
- al-Musnad

“Whoever reclaims and cultivates dry, barren land will be rewarded by God for the act. So long as men and animals benefit from it He will record it for him as a charity.”
- Haythami, Majmau al-Zawaaid


“Whoever plants a tree, reward will be recorded for him so long as it produces fruit.”
- Haythami, Majmau al-Zawaaid


The Prophet said: "A Muslim who plants (trees) and from their fruits the human beings or the beasts or birds eat, that will be counted as an act of charity on the Day of Judgement."
- Saheeh Muslim



Preservation of animals and their species


Even pest animals are not allowed to be exterminated or completely wiped out, but species must be preserved. When the culling of pest dogs became necessary in Madina, the prophet forbade the complete extermination of dogs describing them as a nation (species).


"There is not an animal [that lives] on the earth, nor a being that flies on its wings, but [forms part of] communities like you..."
- the Quran, al-Anam, v.38


If without good reason anyone kills a sparrow, or a creature lesser than that even, the living creature will put his grievance to God on the Day of Judgement, saying: ‘So-and-so killed me for no purpose.
- an-Nasaa'i


“We were on a journey with God’s Messenger when we came across a bird the size of a sparrow with two chicks. We seized the chicks, whereupon the hen started beating its wings and screeching. God’s Messenger turned and when he saw what we had done, asked: ‘Who separated those chicks from their mother? Return them at once!’ So we left them free.”
- Abu Dawood




Conserving and not wasting the Earth’s resources:


O children of Adam!...waste not by excess, for God loves not the wasters.
- the Quran, al-Araf, v.31


“The Messenger of God appeared while Sa‘d was taking the ablutions. When he saw that Sa‘d was using a lot of water, he intervened saying: "What is this? You are wasting water.” Sa‘d replied asking: “Can there be wastefulness while taking the ablutions?” To which God’s Messenger replied:  “Yes, even if you take them on the bank of a rushing river.”
- Musnad & Ibn Majah



Altering nature is evil

...And he [Satan] said: "I will take an appointed portion of your servants; Verily, I will mislead them, and surely, I will arouse in them false desires; and certainly, I will order them to slit the ears of cattle, and indeed I will order them to change the nature created by God."...
- the Quran, an-Nisaa, v.118-9


So direct your face toward the religion in orthodoxy; the pure natural disposition of God which He created mankind upon. Do not change God's Creation. That is the correct religion, but most of the people do not know.
the Quran, ar-Rum, v.30

Some of them are actually pretty good. Not sure about the merits of attempting to cultivate dry, barren land though. Many scientists attribute rising desertification in the middle east and Africa at least partly to this.

How are you supposed to interpret "don't change God's creation"?

True Colours wrote on Aug 12^th, 2013 at 8:25pm:


Then why exactly are Muslim countries the dirtiest places on earth? Instanbul is the only clean Muslim city I have seen, and even then the locals go to great lengths each day to mess the place up. If it wasn't the army of street cleaners it would be as disgusting as Cairo.

Quote:


Which is an easy law to live by in the Islamic world. How exactly do you go about polluting rivers of shlt anyway? They should collect the radioactive water in Japan and dump it in the Nile. It would be a win win as far as cleaning the earth up.

True Colours wrote on Aug 12^th, 2013 at 11:57am:







........that True_Colours should be touting what a person like Prince Charles promotes.

And that a person like Prince Charles, should be promoting - ISLAMIC 'spiritual principles'.







Q.
Remind me....
How do moslems refer to unbelievers again ?

Don't moslems call us infidels ?



Q.
What is the root of the word 'infidel' ???

Dictionary;
infidelity = = the action or state of being sexually unfaithful.






Yup.








Are the high echelons of Christendom [today] our moral examples ?

Do you think so ?

Or should our society respect Prince Charles, because his is a 'prince' among men ?




Isaiah 1:21
How is the faithful city become an harlot! it was full of judgment; righteousness lodged in it; but now murderers.
22  Thy silver is become dross, thy wine mixed with water:
23  Thy princes are rebellious, and companions of thieves: every one loveth gifts, and followeth after rewards: they judge not the fatherless, neither doth the cause of the widow come unto them.



Jeremiah 9:24
......let him that glorieth glory in this, that he understandeth and knoweth me, that I am the LORD which exercise lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness, in the earth: for in these things I delight, saith the LORD.
25  Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will punish all them which are circumcised with the uncircumcised;
26  Egypt, and Judah, and Edom, and the children of Ammon, and Moab, and all that are in the utmost corners, that dwell in the wilderness: for all these nations are uncircumcised, and all the house of Israel are uncircumcised in the heart.








1 Samuel 16:7
But the LORD said unto Samuel, Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him: for the LORD seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the LORD looketh on the heart.

True Colours wrote on Aug 12^th, 2013 at 8:25pm:


Can you cite the verse where the profit supposedly forbade polluting water supplies or did you pluck that from your ass?

The dopey profit did say polluted water was not polluted-
Quote:

The false prophet said water is not defiled by dead dogs, menstrual blood or stinking things!

There is no verse in the Quran where Allah tells you to boil drinking water to make it safe to drink yet there are many verses where boiling water is used for the purpose of torture.

Why did allah the most merciful of those who show mercy neglect to tell muslims to boil their drinking water yet include many verses about torture using boiling water, was Mohammad a fraud?
Quote:


What did the poor little Geckos  do to piss Mohammad off, did they break a treaty?
Quote:

freediver wrote on Aug 12^th, 2013 at 9:38pm:


No. The improvement of desert land does not create desert - if that improvement means planting trees and improving the quality of the soil.

I have seen properties in Australia where semi-Arid land has been turned into lovely gardens simply by improving the soil quality and planting shrubs and trees.


What mainly causes desertification is the removal of existing trees and shrubs in semi-arid land.

Islam promotes the planting of trees, not their removal.

Using copious amounts of water in irrigation, can cause salinity. This can be exacerbated by the removal of existing trees that would normally prevent rising water tables. Islam discourages the wasting of water, the removal of trees, and encourages the planting of new trees.

I have witnessed myself the greening of the desert in Saudi Arabia - especially around the region of Jeddah and Mecca.






The Saudis have planted drought resistant trees many areas such as in the outskirts of Mecca:





You find these greening of the desert projects going on all over Saudi Arabia.

In Jubail:




In Tabuk:




In Madina:















In Jeddah:




In Riyadh:





http://arabianmusings.files.wordpress.com/2012/07/me-pups-in-diplomatic-quarter_-riyadh-saudi-arabia.jpgw=593


freediver wrote on Aug 12^th, 2013 at 9:38pm:


When interpreting the Quran, scholars do not look at a vrse in isolation but rather try to look at supporting texts to understand them.

One of the verses regarding changing God's creation mentions the pagan practice of slitting the ears of cattle - and the mutilation of ears is still practiced in Western cultures today:



One could extend this to other practices such as cutting off sheep tails, and other forms of mutilation practiced in Western farming.

I also interpret it as a warning that man should not unnecessarily alter God's creation. For example, I try to avoid eating foods that are contaminated with pesticides. I also avoid GMO foods when possible.


There are hadeeth where prophet Muhammed explained the benefits of eating wholemeal/grain bread over highly processed wheat breads. in light of these evidences, I try to avoid processed foods as well.