Eleventh episode in Beauties of Islam series by Yusuf Estes.
Episode Title : The relationship between human beings & his environment.
Yusuf Estes – Beauties Of Islam – EP11
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Salam Alaikum, peace be unto you. And welcome to this edition of the beauties of Islam.
I'm your service this your host. And for the next few minutes, I'd like to talk to us about something very important. The concept of the relationship in Islam, between the human being and his environment. Often we hear people talk about the environment, we're concerned about the plants, we're concerned about the ozone, we're concerned about the way the shape of the earth, the the geographical and physical things that are taking place, we worry, you know, what is our relationship with our creation, the things around us?
I look to the trees, and I wonder what is my relationship supposed to be to these trees, to these flowers over here? What should be my relationship to the animals to the fish and the birds in the sky? What should be our relationship? Actually, we find that 1400 years ago in Islam, the relationship of the human being to his surroundings was well defined. The her on the speech of the law, and the teachings of Mohammed are very clear on these points. There's something in the Arabic language called a Whoa, they are hall or the surroundings, the conditions of the person? And what should it be? How should our relationship be to those things around us? And that's what I wanted to
talk about this particular aspect, this beauty of Islam.
When we think about it, we said, well, you know, we need these trees to make houses. So that's cut them down. But if we do so indiscriminately, we just wipe them out, eventually, there won't be anything there to preserve the soil, the soil then is turned into what dust and it becomes a desert.
And the same would be true of any of the plant life, if we indiscriminately eliminate it, wipe it out, what what would be left?
The same for the animals, if we don't concern ourselves about the birds,
or the animals or the fish, and we wipe them out without any concern about what will be the future, then we're going to have a very serious problem.
And it's happened we've watched it happen in my life has actually. And, you know, we've seen some animals that became extinct in the last 50 years, 40 years, 20 years. And even today, there are many that are listed on the endangered species.
These lists are serious is not something to disregard. But how about this, if the human beings had paid close attention 1400 years ago, to the teachings of Muhammad peace be upon him and the teachings of the Quran? Maybe.
Maybe we wouldn't be in a predicament that we find ourselves in today. Because look at what Islam is taught us. It teaches us that everything has rights, the Arabic word has, everything has. Everything has rights. Of course, the first of all right to the rights that a law, God Almighty, the one and only creator of the whole universe. He has the most rights on us. It's his right to be worshipped alone without any partners and this should be mentioned, this should be mentioned frequently, because it is something that we forget all of the worship and all the Thanksgiving.
Go to him that's his right. He says in the Quran like this. Yeah, you then Amanullah tequila haka to cut a lotta mutanda ella anti muslim know, the meaning here he's saying, Oh, you who believe the believers. He's telling, have Taqwa for a law because it's his right that you have this taqwa. That means God consciousness or piety, or God fearing attitude. Because in fact, you see, all of this is due to him because he's the only creator. He's the only sustainer so we give him his rights. But immediately after that is the rights that the Prophet peace be upon him has the Prophet Muhammad peace be upon him, it has the right to be followed in a lot of talks about it in his speech, the
Quran when he says cool in tune to he buena LA, Tabby, only you become law. Well, you know what
he's saying here, that Muhammad peace be upon him we should say something to the people because people will say I love Allah, Allah, Allah. And then it says, say to them, if you really love Allah, follow me from Prophet Muhammad. Peace be upon him. Then allow will love you.
And he will forgive your sins, because he's the forgiver and he is the merciful
Really makes you think, doesn't it?
So after a law and after is messenger who that has the most rights?
And then we know in Islam because the Prophet Muhammad peace be upon answered this question, a man came to Prophet Muhammad peace be upon him in he said, after a law in his messenger who has the most rights on me, he said, Your mother,
and then who said your mother, and then hope, your mother, and then your father,
look what we understand right away from this, that the mother has so much rights, we've talked about this in some of our other programs. But specifically, we're going to talk now about the priority of rights, and the mother has these big rights. And then the Father has these big rights, because your parents have so much rights over you.
But after the parents who, one of the things we learn in Islam right away is your body, the physical body that you walk around in every day, this is the creation of a law, he's giving you this body. And it has right the body has the right to be properly exercised, it has the right to be fed, it has the right to rest the right to sleep, the right that the body has over you is very important.
But what are some of the other rights? And let's do this, I'm gonna let you absorb and digest what I've been talking about. I want to take a break right now and then come back to this very important beauty of Islam.
Stay right there. We'll be right back. We're back and you're watching the beauties of Islam. I'm used to Festus, we've been talking about the relationship of the human being to his environment, his surroundings, we found that the first and foremost right is the right of a law to be worshipped alone without partners. We also discovered that the right after alone is messenger go to the parents, the parents have so many rights. Your body has rights. Your wife or husband, they have rights on you, your children have rights.
your siblings, can you believe this? In Islam, it's clearly teaching us what are the rights of your brothers and sisters, aunts, uncles, cousins, and it's called the the
ties of kinship in English. But it's actually in Arabic. Rom, talking about the mercy place where we were all conceived, we all came from the womb of the mother and don't break these ties. So it means that every one of my relatives have rights on me. My cousins, aunts, uncles, grandparents, all have rights on me, and I must give them the right
after the human beings then what we've talked about the in general, in some of our programs, we even talked about enemies have rights. We've talked about prisoners have rights. Everybody has rights. But after that, what are the rights of animals in Islam? Well, the Prophet Muhammad peace be upon him. He actually heard animals speaking to him telling him about the bad treatment that some people had given them. And he said these animals have rights. This camel has rights. This donkey has rights. Dogs have rights, cats have rights. And all of this is spelled out clearly in Islam. One lady went to * simply because she let her cat starve to death out of her meanness. She loved this
poor cat to starve to death, she wouldn't feed it or give it a chance to find anything to eat.
Another lady was saved in Paradise, even though she'd committed some very bad sins, but she was forgiven by Allah, because she had the mercy to go back down into deep well, and bring water out to give to a poor animal, a little dog that was dying.
If we understand the rights that these animals have, who would never ever torture any animal This is forbidden in Islam. Do you know that sometimes children will pull off the wings of a butterfly and think it's funny to watch the poor butterfly flapping with only with one wing. This would be forbidden in Islam,
even stomping on the insects, you know, killing insects for no reason. This is not forbidden in Islam. You can't do that. It's forbidden.
But now after the insects, even the insects having rights, what about plants? Do they have rights? The trees, flowers, do they have rights? Well, actually Islam Yes they do. Because even during the time of war, when there's battles going on and people are concerned about life and limb, here is an order coming from Prophet Muhammad peace be upon him to his companions, telling them that even though you're going into battle, you're going into war. Be careful of what do not kill any innocent people. Do not bother the religious people or the old people or the
The women or the children, you're only in battle with these guys who are in combat, you can come back to them, and nothing more than that. But even then he continues and says, And be careful of the animals don't destroy any of the animals, those herds of sheep, or goats or cows, whatever we mustn't bother them. And also, don't bother the plants don't hurt any of the plants that are growing. This means trees, flowers, wheat grain, don't do that. Don't mess with the creation of a law, you don't have that right, you are only going to battle against those battling you. And let's look at this. And if they stop, you have to stop. This is from the Quran. these teachings are not
something that are just suggestions. These are commandments, commandments of a law and commandments of the profitable law. And if people would pay a little more attention to this is a little less attention, don't worry about themselves all the time, they find that this is an amazing teaching, the relationship that we have to the surroundings is very important. And if it exists, it's mentioned. Look at that somebody even said one time that they came to Islam because of a beautiful teaching, they found that even the relationship of other universe or another galaxy, other planets, they said, Is there anything in Islam talking about other worlds?
And the brothers told him Yes, as a matter of fact, look what Islam is teaching us. In Islam, there's something in the very beginning of the Quran, it says rub Bill alameen. Rub is Lord. Allah means world's God is the Lord of the worlds. He said, Really? You mean it's even offering this contingency? That should there be life from other planets? If there was some other life forms out there that already This is mentioned 1400 years ago? answers yes, whatever worlds are out there, we already know a lot still the lord of those worlds too, because he's the rubble Allah meaning the Lord of the worlds. And this man heard that and he said, a shadow La la la la, Shadow Mohammed,
which means I bear witness that a law alone is the only one worthy to be worshipped, and he has no partners, and that Muhammad peace be upon him, brought that message, the message that there's only one God to worship. We learn all of this in these beautiful teachings, the beautiful, beautiful concepts that we have in Islam, to know how we are to react with our Lord, with our parents, ourselves, our families,
and even our environment that's around this all the time. All this we're learning in Islam, from what the beauties of Islam, we have a website.
Come to our website, pubis of islam.com. And watch these programs and more, and get it all right there. Until next time, peace. May the Lord of the worlds grant you peace Salaam Salaam Alaikum.