on This Earth

My first blog post about the four key principles and how to use them was about the rain, linked here. The rain is so vital for life and so it is concerning when there has been little rain in Scotland. I was in Glen Affric in the last week of April and was surprised at how dry the ground was. Where the red moss was once full of water, they are barely wet. And I could hear the crunch of the dried sedge and grass when I stepped on them.

It has also been nearly 4 weeks since there is significant rainfall in Edinburgh. In fact it has been a relatively dry winter. While the trees are not telling me that they are stressed yet, I am worried that it won’t be long before they do. Especially if the rain keeps away as it is forecasted to be. It may not necessarily be drought conditions but it is worrying.

I wrote in my ramadhan reflection on the river, linked here, that water is a physical manifestation of God’s mercy. It is thus that we should be grateful for this beautiful gift. The way to show our gratitude is not to be wasteful and use it wisely. The Prophet Muhammad s.a.w. once said,

“Do not waste even if performing ablution on the bank of a fast-flowing large river.”
(Al Thirmidhi)

That is because in Islam, water is a communal resource – and that meant for all of God’s creations, not just humans. That is why in this blog post, I am calling on all of us to save water. The ways to save water can be divided into three and I will give examples for each category.

Retain

Following the example of Prophet Joseph a.s., harvest and store as much of the rain water as you can. I remember that my grandmother used to have a basin outside her house. When it rained, water would fall off the eaves of the house into the basin. I have a water butt attached to my drain pipe that serves the same purpose.

Another way to retain water is to have ponds. In fact, that is a great way not only to store water but create a habitat that supports many other species. Even if you may not have enough space for an actual pond, a container pond is an option. I have a barrel pond in my garden with a goldfish and water snails. Birds and other animals come visit regularly.

One of the best way to retain water is to have vegetation, especially trees and shrubs. Vegetation improves the ability of soil to adsorb water. Also they slow down the rain and spreading it due to the canopy of leaves. Dead wood too are useful to slow down water run-offs and rivers so that the land can adsorb the water.

Reduce

I refer back to the saying of Prophet Muhammad s.a.w. about not wasting water while making ablutions. Minimising our water consumption is important. Besides using less water in ablutions (for Muslims), you can also

• opt for a shower instead of a bath
• reduce the time of the shower
• do not keep the tap running when brushing your teeth, or washing the dishes
• use your washing machine less by maximising the washing load
• for those with gardens, do not use a hose to water your plants
• instead use the rainwater that you stored for the plants and try to figure out the minimal amount of water they need

Reuse

Water recycling is also possible, especially if you’re not using harsh chemicals in your shower or washer. Here, you can collect the water you have used for your ablutions, shower, hand wash, washing dishes etc. Then you can use them to water the plants, grass, or even trees outside.

Other

I hope that the ideas I have put forward in this blog helps open your mind to other possible ways to save water. There are also other types of actions to help save water.

In these times when water is being “commoditised” i.e. turned into a commodity, we need to urge our governments to prevent selling water rights to private companies. They are exploiting these sources which should be for communal good and profiting from them.

Raising awareness of the need for water conservation is also important. Most people do not realize the impact of their actions. They also do not realize the impact of the government’s and private companies’ actions.