The Importance of a Green Ramadan

The blessed month of Ramadan is the ideal opportunity for protecting and connecting with the natural environment that our Creator has gifted to us. Saba Yasin explains the virtues and benefits of a Green Ramadan.

Ramadan is a golden opportunity for purifying ourselves, our souls and our surroundings. This includes the environment around us and all that it gifts us, in the form of ecosystems, nature, animals and natural beauty. The month of Ramadan is the perfect opportunity to “green up” our lifestyles and learn to live in the way of the Prophet ﷺ.

Ramadan sees overconsumption at its finest in our communities and we become overly extravagant in terms of using food resources. Learning moderation during this month is key. Here are some ways you can put this into practice:

·       Eat less meat – Prophet Muhammad ﷺ rarely ate meat and there are numerous Hadith warning against overconsumption of meat as it is one of the leading causes of climate change

·       Practice less is more – eat simply and avoid wasting food

·       Share your plates – Prophet Muhammad ﷺ also advised us to share, saying “food for two suffices three, and food for three suffices four”

·       Cook creatively and discover leftover recipes to reduce waste.

The blessed month of Ramadan gives us a chance to recharge our spiritual batteries. It gives us an opportunity to seek forgiveness and to reflect upon our actions as well as the signs of creation from Allah swt.

As Muslims, we have been given stewardship of the Earth which was gifted to us to look after and so as “khalifahs” of the Earth, it is our responsibility to ensure that the resources and environment are used in a sustainable way.

Take this opportunity and the blessings of Ramadan to echo the theme of love and care for the world we live in, which played a heavily influential part in the way our beloved Prophet Muhammad ﷺ lived his life.

Some of our tips for you this Ramadan are:

·       Recite Qur’an in your garden - Enjoy Allah’s gift of nature to you whilst reciting Qur’an

·       Environmental Charitable Giving - Ramadan is the month of giving. Give to causes tackling environmental causes. The root cause of poverty is linked heavily with our failure to protect eco-system services

·       Don’t over-purchase – Ramadan is not about how much food you can eat at Iftar, so keep your meals simple and eat modestly

·       Buy Fairtrade – As the Qur’an says: “Give full measure and full weight in justice, and wrong not people in respect of their goods” (11:85)

·       Plant a Tree or Flowerpot - Plants are constantly doing dhikr (remembrance) of Allah and are a source of Sadaqah Jariyah for you

·       Save water in wudu - The Prophet ﷺ used a “mudd” of water for his wudu (approx. 500ml). Revive this Sunnah and save water

·       Increase and spread knowledge - Use this month to increase your knowledge about your duty as a Muslim to nature and the environment

·       Take a seat – if you cannot walk to mosque/school/work, organise carpooling and reduce your carbon footprint

·       Keep in mind the Hadith of filling 1/3 of your stomach with food, 1/3 with water, and leaving 1/3 empty (Tirmidhi)

·       Walk to the Masjid – Revive this Sunnah and gain good deeds while taking in nature

·       Read a book – save energy from appliances

·       Do your part - “And it is He (God) who has made you successors (khala’ifa) upon the Earth…” – Qur’an 6:165)

Now is a perfect time for us to encourage ourselves and those around us to be the best possible stewards of the Earth and live as individuals who are compassionate to God’s beautiful creation.

Ramadan Mubarak!