In an age marked by ecological crises, species extinction, and environmental collapse, many seek guidance on how to live in harmony with the Earth. While modern environmentalism emerged only recently, Islam—and particularly the life and teachings of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ—offers a deeply rooted ecological ethic that emphasizes balance, stewardship, and reverence for all living things.
This article explores Prophet Muhammad’s ﷺ ecological vision, highlighting his teachings on the sanctity of creation, biodiversity, conservation, and the spiritual consequences of disrupting nature.
What is Ecology?
- In 1866, the German biologist Ernst Haeckel coined the term “Ökologie” (Ecology) from the Greek oikos (house) and logos (study), meaning “the study of the household of nature.”
- He defined it as: “The total relations of the animal both to its organic and inorganic environment.”
This is widely considered the formal birth of ecology as a biological discipline.
While ecological thinking existed in earlier natural philosophy, ecology as a structured biological science was introduced with Ernst Haeckel in 1866, and developed over the next century into one of the core subfields of biology. Today, ecology is vital not only in academic biology but also in environmental science, conservation, agriculture, and climate studies.
The Earth as a Trust (Amānah)
Central to Islamic ecology is the concept that humans are stewards (khalīfah) of the Earth, entrusted by God to protect and maintain it. The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ repeatedly emphasized this role—not as dominators of nature, but as caretakers accountable for their treatment of all creatures.
“The world is green and beautiful, and Allah has appointed you as His stewards over it.”
— (Sahih Muslim)
This Hadith portrays the Earth as both a blessing and a responsibility. The Prophet ﷺ did not regard nature as a resource to be exploited, but as a living trust, filled with divine signs (āyāt).
Ecosystem Degradation
In a lesser-known yet powerful narration reported by Jābir ibn ʿAbd Allāh (RA) and preserved by al-Bayhaqī in Shuʿab al-Īmān, the Prophet ﷺ is quoted as saying:
وَعَنْ جَابِرِ بْنِ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ قَالَ: فُقِدَ الْجَرَادُ فِي سَنَةٍ مِنْ سِنِي عُمَرَ الَّتِي تُوُفِّيَ فِيهَا فَاهْتَمَّ بِذَلِكَ هَمًّا شَدِيدًا فَبَعَثَ إِلَى الْيمن رَاكِبًا وراكبا إِلَى الْعرق وَرَاكِبًا إِلَى الشَّامِ يَسْأَلُ عَنِ الْجَرَادِ هَلْ أُرِيَ مِنْهُ شَيْئًا فَأَتَاهُ الرَّاكِبُ الَّذِي مِنْ قبل الْيمن بقبضة فنثرهابين يَدَيْهِ فَلَمَّا رَآهَا عُمَرُ كَبَّرَ وَقَالَ سَمِعْتُ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ يَقُولُ: إِنَّ اللَّهَ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ خَلَقَ أَلْفَ أُمَّةٍ سِتُّمِائَةٍ مِنْهَا فِي الْبَحْرِ وَأَرْبَعُمِائَةٍ فِي الْبَرِّ فَإِنَّ أَوَّلَ هَلَاكِ هَذِهِ الْأُمَّةِ الْجَرَادُ فَإِذَا هَلَكَ الْجَرَادُ تَتَابَعَتِ الْأُمَمُ كَنِظَامِ السِّلْكِ «. رَوَاهُ الْبَيْهَقِيُّ فِي» شُعَبِ الْإِيمَانِ “
During the final year of the caliphate of ʿUmar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb (RA), locusts disappeared. He became deeply concerned and dispatched riders to Yemen, ʿIrāq, and al-Shām (Greater Syria) to investigate whether any locusts had been sighted. One rider returned from Yemen with a handful of locusts. ʿUmar scattered them in front of him and said “Allāhu Akbar”, then recounted a hadith of the Prophet ﷺ:
“Indeed, Allah created a thousand animal families: six hundred in the sea and four hundred on land. The first of these nations to perish is the locusts. When the locusts perish, the nations will follow like beads falling from a string.” [Mishkat al-Masabih: H#5463]
This prophetic insight reflects a profound ecological awareness:
- It affirms the Quranic verse: “There is not a creature on the earth or a bird flying with its wings, but they are nations like you…” (Surah al-Anʿām 6:38)
- The Prophet ﷺ presents locusts, seemingly insignificant creatures, as a keystone species—whose disappearance marks the beginning of ecological unraveling.
- He draws a cosmic connection between species collapse and global consequences, echoing what modern science calls ecological cascade or chain extinction.
Umar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb’s (RA) Concern for Locusts
The seriousness of this hadith is reflected in an incident during the caliphate of ʿUmar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb (RA). In the year of his death, locusts were not seen for some time. Deeply concerned, he sent riders to Yemen, Iraq, and Greater Syria to inquire if locusts were found. When a rider returned with a handful of them, ʿUmar scattered them in front of himself and said “Allāhu Akbar,” expressing relief. He then recalled the hadith of the Prophet ﷺ regarding the destruction of locusts and the perishing of other species.
This story reflects the early Muslim awareness of species loss as a spiritual and ecological warning. It also shows how leadership in Islam was tied not just to human affairs, but to monitoring the signs of divine order in nature.
“Umam” — Linguistic and Qur’anic Meaning
In Arabic, “ummah” (أمة) means a nation, community, or group with a shared characteristic, and its plural is “umam” (أُمَم). While it’s often used for human communities, the Qur’an explicitly applies it to non-human creatures:
“There is not a creature on Earth nor a bird flying with its wings, but they are umam like you…”
(Qur’an – Surah al-Anʿām 6:38)
This verse universalizes the concept of “ummah” beyond humans to all species or categories of animals. It affirms that animals have structured societies, or at least divinely ordained groupings, akin to human civilizations.
“Umam” as Biological Groupings — A Modern Interpretation
In modern biological taxonomy, life forms are grouped into hierarchical categories:
- Kingdom → Phylum → Class → Order → Family → Genus → Species
If we bridge the classical term “umam” with modern biology, possible parallels emerge:
| Islamic Term | Possible Biological Parallel |
|---|---|
| Ummah (Umam) | Could correspond to taxonomic families or orders |
| Qawm / Shaʿb (other Qur’anic terms) | Could refer to more specific groupings (e.g., genus or species) |
| “Nations” in sea and land | Reflects marine vs terrestrial life classifications |
So, when the hadith states:
“Allah created a thousand umam: six hundred in the sea, and four hundred on land…”,
It could be interpreted (from a contemporary lens) to mean:
- 600 major marine taxonomic groupings
- 400 major land-based groupings
This would reflect a divinely balanced distribution of life forms, with numerical precision meant to stress abundance and diversity — not necessarily exact figures, but to emphasize ecological complexity.
Locusts as a Representative “Ummah” of Insects
In the hadith narrated by ʿUmar (RA), the locusts are singled out:
“The first of the umam to perish will be the locusts; when the locusts perish, the nations will follow like beads from a string.”
Interpretations:
- Literal: Locusts as a species or group will die off first — signaling ecological imbalance.
- Symbolic: Locusts represent the larger insect class or even the entire terrestrial invertebrate system, whose disappearance would disrupt global food chains (they are primary food for birds, reptiles, and small mammals).
- Ecological: Locusts could be viewed as keystone insects whose absence destabilizes multiple food webs, similar to beads falling off a string (a chain reaction of extinctions).
This prophetic metaphor aligns well with modern ecological cascade theory, where the loss of a single key group can lead to collapse across multiple ecosystems.
Synthesis: Islamic Terms and Biological Concepts
| Islamic Term | Classical Understanding | Modern Interpretation |
|---|---|---|
| Ummah/Umam | Communities or nations | Taxonomic groupings (Family/Order/Class) |
| Locusts (Jarād) | A specific type of insect | Insect keystone or indicator species |
| Perishing of Umam | Cosmic/ecological collapse | Mass extinction cascade or ecosystem collapse |
Conclusion
Your observation opens the door to a rich dialogue between traditional Islamic language and modern scientific taxonomy. The term “umam” in hadiths may very plausibly parallel biological families or orders, especially in the context of biodiversity and ecological balance.
Thus, the Prophet’s ﷺ use of “umam” was not just rhetorical or poetic—it may reflect a divinely guided insight into the structured diversity of life, anticipating the very concepts that ecology and biology would only formalize centuries later.
Conservation, Mercy, and Restraint
Prophet Muhammad’s ﷺ teachings were replete with acts of mercy toward animals, plants, and the environment:
- Do not cut trees unnecessarily, especially during war (as commanded to military expeditions).
- He forbade killing animals for sport or mutilating them.
- He praised a man who quenched a dog’s thirst and condemned a woman who confined a cat without food or release.
- He warned against wasting water, even when using it from a flowing river.
“Whoever plants a tree and a person or animal eats from it, it will be a charity for him.”
— (Musnad Ahmad)
Such teachings cultivate a culture of environmental compassion and restraint, built on taqwā (God-consciousness).
Environmental Ethics in the Qur’an
Though this article focuses on the Prophet’s sayings, his understanding was always rooted in the Qur’an. Verses such as:
“Corruption has appeared on land and sea because of what the hands of men have earned…”
— (Surah al-Rūm 30:41)
warn that moral corruption leads to ecological destruction—a theme echoed in the Prophet’s concern when natural balance was disturbed.
Modern Echoes: The Sixth Mass Extinction
Modern scientists warn that we are in the midst of a human-driven sixth mass extinction, with species disappearing at 100–1,000 times the natural rate. Climate change, deforestation, pollution, and overexploitation are rapidly degrading ecosystems. In this context, the Prophet’s ecological wisdom offers a timeless reminder:
- Every creature is part of a divine system.
- The loss of even the smallest species—like the locust—is not trivial, but symbolic of greater imbalance.
- Environmental collapse is not just a scientific issue but a spiritual failure and a moral crisis.
Impact of Climate Change on Insects
Insects are highly sensitive to climate change due to their small size, cold-blooded physiology (ectothermy), and close dependence on environmental conditions. As the climate shifts, insects face a range of biological, behavioral, and ecological disruptions — some populations thrive, others collapse, and many shift their ranges. Below is a detailed look at how climate change affects insects:
1. Temperature Changes
Warming Speeds Up Insect Metabolism
- Insects are ectotherms, so their body temperature and activity levels are tied directly to ambient temperature.
- Warmer temperatures can:
- Accelerate growth and reproduction in some species (like mosquitoes).
- Shorten life cycles, leading to more generations per year.
- Disrupt timing between insect life stages and food availability.
Heat Stress and Mortality
- Extreme heat events (heatwaves) can kill eggs, larvae, or adults, especially pollinators like bees.
- Some insects have narrow temperature ranges and are vulnerable to heat-induced mortality.
2. Phenological Shifts (Seasonal Timing)
Mismatches in Ecosystem Timing
- Insects may emerge earlier due to warmer springs, but plants they rely on may not bloom early enough.
- Pollinators like butterflies and bees may miss critical windows to feed, affecting survival and reproduction.
3. Range Shifts
Poleward and Elevational Movement
- Many insect species are moving toward the poles or higher altitudes in response to warming.
- This can:
- Bring invasive species into new habitats (e.g., locusts, mosquitoes).
- Leave behind populations in habitats that are becoming uninhabitable.
- Expose local ecosystems to new diseases or crop pests.
4. Extreme Weather Events
Droughts, floods, and storms:
- Can destroy insect habitats, especially in wetlands, forests, and agricultural systems.
- Heavy rains can wash away insect eggs and larvae.
- Drought can reduce plant availability, starving herbivorous insects and their predators.
5. Impact on Agriculture: Pests and Pollinators
Pollinator Declines
- Heat, drought, and pesticide use (exacerbated by climate-stressed farming) are causing sharp declines in bees, butterflies, and moths.
- Loss of pollinators threatens global food production.
Pest Outbreaks
- Warmer winters allow invasive or harmful pests to survive and expand:
- Bark beetles damaging conifer forests.
- Fall armyworms and locusts spreading into new farmlands.
- Mosquitoes breeding year-round in some regions.
6. Genetic and Evolutionary Pressure
- Climate change imposes rapid evolutionary pressure on insects.
- Some species may adapt genetically, while others face extinction.
- Small, isolated populations may lose genetic diversity, reducing their ability to cope.
Summary Table
| Climate Impact | Effect on Insects |
|---|---|
| Rising Temperatures | Altered growth, survival, and reproduction |
| Seasonal Shifts | Mismatches with food sources and pollination |
| Range Shifts | Expansion of invasive species, extinction of local ones |
| Extreme Events | Habitat loss, disrupted life cycles |
| Pollinator Declines | Threat to food security and ecosystems |
| Pest Surges | More crop damage and disease vectors |
| Evolutionary Pressure | Risk of extinction or forced adaptation |
Real-World Examples
- Locust outbreaks have worsened due to climate fluctuations—warmer seas increase cyclones, which create moist soils ideal for breeding.
- Bumblebee populations in Europe and North America are shrinking due to heat stress.
- Mosquito-borne diseases like malaria and dengue are spreading to new latitudes due to warmer climates.
Insects are the foundation of many ecosystems, and their disruption sends ripples through food chains, pollination systems, and agriculture. Climate change is reshaping insect populations in complex and often dangerous ways, with both winners and losers. Protecting insect diversity is now a critical task in addressing the broader climate and ecological crisis.
Conclusion: A Prophetic Environmentalism
The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ was not only the Messenger of God and a guide for human ethics, but also a guardian of the Earth’s sacred order. His teachings urge us to view nature with reverence, treat animals with compassion, and use resources with moderation.
At a time when the Earth groans under the weight of human neglect, returning to the Prophet’s ecological guidance is not only spiritually enriching—it is urgently necessary.
“The Earth is green and beautiful, and Allah has appointed you as His stewards over it.”
Let this saying of the Prophet ﷺ not remain a slogan, but a call to action.
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