Ramadhan in the Hijri Year (the Islamic calendar) of 1446 started on 1st March 2025. As part of my routine during Ramadhan, I usually do a study of one of the chapters in the Qur’an. This year, with the blog, I intend to do a reflection of natural phenomena found in the Qur’an. To frame it within the context of the key principles of:
- being still/silent
- observe
- reflect
- practice
this series will focus on the third key principle and give ideas on the fourth. If you would like to know more about the key principles, please click this link. If you want to see an example of how the key principles are applied, please click this link.
Earth
If fire is an element I am not familiar with, earth is. As a young child, I would be caked in mud from playing in my family’s padi fields. I remember fondly my first experience of digging a hole in our school garden to plant potatoes. And as a keen gardener, it does not feel right not to get my hands dirty when planting. I have always felt alive when touching the earth.
The living earth
Earth is essential to many lifeforms, not least the plants that grow out of it. I was reading the following verses from Surah Ash-Shu’ara 26:7-9 tonight
أَوَلَمۡ يَرَوۡاْ إِلَى ٱلۡأَرۡضِ كَمۡ أَنۢبَتۡنَا فِيہَا مِن كُلِّ زَوۡجٍ۬ كَرِيمٍ (٧)
إِنَّ فِى ذَٲلِكَ لَأَيَةً۬ۖ وَمَا كَانَ أَكۡثَرُهُم مُّؤۡمِنِينَ (٨)
وَإِنَّ رَبَّكَ لَهُوَ ٱلۡعَزِيزُ ٱلرَّحِيمُ (٩)
Do they not look at the earth― how many noble things of all kinds we have produced therein? (7) Verily, in this is a Sign: but most of them do not believe. (8) And verily thy Lord is He the Exalted in Might, Most Merciful. (9)
While there are other interpretations, but I am interpreting the Arabic word ‘ٱلۡأَرۡضِ’ in these verses as soil. In the above verses, God did not limit the ‘things’ that He has grown in the soil to just plants. In fact, we know of the fungi, bacteria, worms, and other microbial forms that thrive in the soil/earth. He links these things to be a sign of His Might and Mercy. And how can we deny it? The mycorrhizal fungi helps to connect plants and trees with each other as the communication highway. They also provide plants with nutrients while benefiting from the sugars plants produce. The millions of bacteria are necessary to break down organic matter, recycling them back to the earth. And so much more that we do not know about. These are but examples of His Mercy as much as the diversity showcase His Majesty and Oneness. A healthy earth is one teeming with life. Unfortunately, in our times, the health of the soil and land is deteriorating in many places. Not even the Amazon is spared.
Corruption of the earth
There are so many verses related to the word ‘ٱلۡأَرۡضِ’ but the earliest verse is in Surah Al-Baqarah 2:11
وَإِذَا قِيلَ لَهُمۡ لَا تُفۡسِدُواْ فِى ٱلۡأَرۡضِ قَالُوٓاْ إِنَّمَا نَحۡنُ مُصۡلِحُونَ (١١)
أَلَآ إِنَّهُمۡ هُمُ ٱلۡمُفۡسِدُونَ وَلَـٰكِن لَّا يَشۡعُرُونَ (١٢)And when they are told, “Do not spread corruption on earth,” they answer, “We are but improving things!” (11) Oh, verily, it is they, they who are spreading corruption but they perceive it not? (12)
There are levels of corruption and many different interpretation to these verses. But on the degradation of the earth/soil, we are seeing the effects that corruption has caused to our living earth. It all started with greed – cutting down the forests to make way for agriculture, mining, and commerce. Then ‘advances’ in agriculture meant adding pesticides and fertilisers to increase yield. Bigger and more destructive mining operations just to satisfy the economic growth; the want for more and more.
We are all caught in this economic bubble. One that will ultimately burst because the earth can, and likely, will no longer meet our insatiable demand for more. And so I am conscious in my work in sustainability that I may be falling in the same category. That I may be actually spreading further corruption while thinking I am improving things. It is therefore my responsibility to weigh my every action in light of not spreading corruption. More than that, it is my/our responsibility to fight against the corruption of the earth.
Treading lightly on the earth
So I come back to the verses that inspire the title of this blog as the guide to my actions. In Surah Al-Furqan 25: 63 -76, the description of the servants of the Most Gracious are described.
وَعِبَادُ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلَّذِينَ يَمۡشُونَ عَلَى ٱلۡأَرۡضِ هَوۡنً۬ا وَإِذَا خَاطَبَهُمُ ٱلۡجَـٰهِلُونَ قَالُواْ سَلَـٰمً۬ا (٦٣)
وَٱلَّذِينَ يَبِيتُونَ لِرَبِّهِمۡ سُجَّدً۬ا وَقِيَـٰمً۬ا (٦٤)
وَٱلَّذِينَ يَقُولُونَ رَبَّنَا ٱصۡرِفۡ عَنَّا عَذَابَ جَهَنَّمَۖ إِنَّ عَذَابَهَا كَانَ غَرَامًا (٦٥)
إِنَّهَا سَآءَتۡ مُسۡتَقَرًّ۬ا وَمُقَامً۬ا (٦٦)
وَٱلَّذِينَ إِذَآ أَنفَقُواْ لَمۡ يُسۡرِفُواْ وَلَمۡ يَقۡتُرُواْ وَڪَانَ بَيۡنَ ذَٲلِكَ قَوَامً۬ا (٦٧)
وَٱلَّذِينَ لَا يَدۡعُونَ مَعَ ٱللَّهِ إِلَـٰهًا ءَاخَرَ وَلَا يَقۡتُلُونَ ٱلنَّفۡسَ ٱلَّتِى حَرَّمَ ٱللَّهُ إِلَّا بِٱلۡحَقِّ وَلَا يَزۡنُونَۚ وَمَن يَفۡعَلۡ ذَٲلِكَ يَلۡقَ أَثَامً۬ا (٦٨)
يُضَـٰعَفۡ لَهُ ٱلۡعَذَابُ يَوۡمَ ٱلۡقِيَـٰمَةِ وَيَخۡلُدۡ فِيهِۦ مُهَانًا (٦٩)
إِلَّا مَن تَابَ وَءَامَنَ وَعَمِلَ عَمَلاً۬ صَـٰلِحً۬ا فَأُوْلَـٰٓٮِٕكَ يُبَدِّلُ ٱللَّهُ سَيِّـَٔاتِهِمۡ حَسَنَـٰتٍ۬ۗ وَكَانَ ٱللَّهُ غَفُورً۬ا رَّحِيمً۬ا (٧٠)
وَمَن تَابَ وَعَمِلَ صَـٰلِحً۬ا فَإِنَّهُ ۥ يَتُوبُ إِلَى ٱللَّهِ مَتَابً۬ا (٧١)
وَٱلَّذِينَ لَا يَشۡهَدُونَ ٱلزُّورَ وَإِذَا مَرُّواْ بِٱللَّغۡوِ مَرُّواْ ڪِرَامً۬ا (٧٢)
وَٱلَّذِينَ إِذَا ذُڪِّرُواْ بِـَٔايَـٰتِ رَبِّهِمۡ لَمۡ يَخِرُّواْ عَلَيۡهَا صُمًّ۬ا وَعُمۡيَانً۬ا (٧٣)
وَٱلَّذِينَ يَقُولُونَ رَبَّنَا هَبۡ لَنَا مِنۡ أَزۡوَٲجِنَا وَذُرِّيَّـٰتِنَا قُرَّةَ أَعۡيُنٍ۬ وَٱجۡعَلۡنَا لِلۡمُتَّقِينَ إِمَامًا (٧٤)
أُوْلَـٰٓٮِٕكَ يُجۡزَوۡنَ ٱلۡغُرۡفَةَ بِمَا صَبَرُواْ وَيُلَقَّوۡنَ فِيهَا تَحِيَّةً۬ وَسَلَـٰمًا (٧٥)
خَـٰلِدِينَ فِيهَاۚ حَسُنَتۡ مُسۡتَقَرًّ۬ا وَمُقَامً۬ا (٧٦)
For, [true] servants of the Most Gracious are [only] they who walk gently on earth, and who, whenever the foolish address them, reply with [words of] peace; (63)
and who remember their Sustainer far into the night, prostrating themselves and standing; (64)
and who pray: “O our Sustainer, avert from us the suffering of hell – for, verily, the suffering caused by it is bound to be a torment dire: (65)
verily, how evil an abode and a station!” -; (66)
and who, whenever they spend on others, are neither wasteful nor niggardly but [remember that] there is always a just mean between those [two extremes]; (67)
and who never invoke any [imaginary] deity side by side with God, and do not take any human beings life – [the life] which God has willed to be sacred – otherwise than in [the pursuit of] justice, and do not commit adultery. And [know that] he who commits aught thereof shall [not only] meet with a full requital (68)
[but] shall have his suffering doubled on Resurrection Day: for on that [Day] he shall abide in ignominy. (69)
Excepted, however, shall be they who repent and attain to faith and do righteous deeds: for it is they whose [erstwhile] bad deeds God will transform into good ones – seeing that God is indeed much-forgiving, a dispenser of grace, (70)
and seeing that he who repents and [thenceforth] does what is right has truly turned unto God by [this very act of] repentance. (71)
And [know that true servants of God are only] those who never bear witness to what is false, and [who], whenever they pass by [people engaged in] frivolity, pass on with dignity; (72)
and who, whenever they are reminded of their Sustainer’s messages, do not throw themselves upon them [as if] deaf and blind; (73)
and who pray “O our Sustainer! Grant that our spouses and our offspring be a joy to our eyes, and cause us to be foremost among those who are conscious of Thee!” (74)
[Such as] these will be rewarded for all their patient endurance [in life] with a high station [in paradise], and will be met therein with a greeting of welcome and peace, (75)
therein to abide: [and] how goodly an abode and [how high] a station! (76)
First and foremost, their characteristic is one who treads lightly on the earth. One who minimises the impact of their activities on the land. The very opposite of those who spread corruption. In this holy month, we should reduce our consumption and thus reducing our demand and impact on the land. We need to cultivate the constant awareness of the impact our of daily activities on the earth. Each action that we do, at a minimum, should have the least negative impact. A positive impact is far better as it counters the wide-spread corruption.
That is why another characteristic of the servants of the Most Gracious is spending on others in a balanced way. Spending on others instead of ourselves means not indulging ourselves. Instead we are sharing the bounties God has given us with others. But beyond that, such spending should not be wasteful or too little – no over-consumption. This Ramadhan, let us reassess what we are spending on.
The third characteristic is related to justice. The role of justice in stopping corruption is crucial. How many of big oil corporations get away with polluting and destroying the environment because of the influence they yield. It is the litigation efforts of ordinary people that brought about some checks on their activities. Upholding the truth and holding those in power to account is not easy. I admire those who do these – like the green activists and the brave journalists who would not be silenced. But we all can play a part for example by extending material support for the organisations walking the walk.
Another important characteristic is not to waste time with frivolity. In a culture of binge-watching and reality tvs, we are being lulled to sleep while the earth is being destroyed. We need to wake up and start using our time productively in pursuit of justice and balance. These things are only possible if we are always conscious of God, His Power and Mercy. That ultimate power belongs only to Him and to Him we all return.
Poem – Advice for the traveller
The earth is but a stop for us to rest on our journey back to God. So here is an advice to myself and fellow travellers.
Travel lighter, O dear One
If you wish to return
Shed your worldly burdens
It is time to let go, time to discard
Let nothing impede your progress
Travel lighter, O successful One
Light as a feather
Light as the floating clouds
Light as light itself
For the return journey is ever upwards
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