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Green Khutbah Campaign 2015

Water A Sacred Gift

Consume wisely - Conserve responsibly - Care for our

waters

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Green Khutbah Campaign 2015

Water A Sacred Gift

Consume wisely - Conserve responsibly - Care for our waters

Praise be to God, to whom belongs all that is in the heavens and earth, and praise

be to Him in the life to come.

He is the All Wise, the All Aware.

He knows all that goes into the earth and all that comes out of it;

He knows all that comes down from the heavens and all that goes up to them.

He is the Merciful, the Forgiving (Quran, 34: 1 - 2).

I bear witness that there is no deity, no object worthy of any act of worship

except Allah, the One without any partners, associates or equals. And I bear

witness that Muhammad is His servant and messenger.

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People, worship your Lord, who created you and those before you, so that you

may be mindful [of Him] who spread out the earth for you and built the sky; who

sent down water from it and with that water produced things for your

sustenance. Do not, knowing this, set up rivals to God (2:21-22).

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Todays Khutbah is dedicated to the Green Khutbah Campaign that, every

year, aims to mobilize Muslims to become responsible stewards of the

environment.

The headlines around the world on March 20, 2015 read, Water crisis coming

in 15 years unless the world acts now, UN report warns.

The 2015 United Nations World Water Development Report warned of an

impending crisis - the world could suffer a 40 per cent shortfall in water in just

15 years unless dramatic changes are made on the use of the resource.

The report says that underground water reserves are running low, rainfall is

becoming more erratic due to climate change; and the worlds population is

expected to reach 9 billion by 2050 As a result more groundwater will be

needed for farming, industry and personal consumption.

Unless the balance between demand and finite supplies is restored, the world

will face an increasingly severe global water deficit, the UN Report noted.

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Some countries are already facing the impending water crisis.

Yemen, a desert country currently in the news for war and conflict, may soon

face such a crisis.

At current rates, it may become the first country in the world to run out of

water.

Experts have put 2025 as the year when the countrys capital, Sanaa, home to

nearly 2 million residents, runs dry out of water.

Many other countries are facing looming water shortages.

Americas water supply is in crisis.

California is facing its fourth year of drought.

40 US states expect water shortages to occur over the next 10 years.

The depletion of freshwater resources will inevitably lead to tension, conflict

and migration among large swathes of the worlds population.

Given the dire situation humanity is facing, the theme of this years Green

Khutbah Campaign is, Water A Sacred Gift.

Water is a significant theme in the Quran.

Allah states in the Quran, And God has created every animal of water.

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And God has created every animal of water, and some of them go upon their

bellies, and some of them go upon two feet, and some of them go upon four; God

creates whatever He will; God is powerful over everything. (24:45).

Water is a sacred gift from Allah.

This is a gift for which we must be thankful to Allah.

Consider the water you drink.

Is it you who brought it down from the rain-cloud or We?

If We wanted, We could make it bitter: will you not be thankful? (56: 68-70).

Water is the source of life it revives and nourishes.

It is God who sends water down from the sky and with it revives the earth

when it is dead. There truly is a sign in this for people who listen. (16:65).

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It is God who created the heavens and earth, who has sent down water from

the sky and with it brought forth produce to nourish you; He has made ships

useful to you, sailing the sea by His command, and the rivers too. (14:32).

Water is the drink that sustains us and it is the source for the produce, the

animals and plant that we need to live.

It is He who sends down water for you from the sky, from which comes a

drink for you, and the shrubs that you feed to your animals. (16:10).

It is He who sends down water from the sky. With it We produce the shoots

of each plant, then bring greenery from it, and from that We bring out

grains, one riding on the other in close-packed rows. From the date palm

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come clusters of low-hanging dates, and there are gardens of vines, olives, and

pomegranates, alike yet different. Watch their fruits as they grow and ripen! In

all this there are signs for those who would believe. (6:99).

Allah has indeed created water to sustain life.

Not only humans, but animals, plants and flowers need water to survive.

Water is a symbol of resurrection as the Quran describes paradise with

flowing rivers.

They will enter perpetual Gardens graced with flowing streams. There they

1will have everything they wish. This is the way God rewards the righteous.

(16:31).

Water is associated with purification and personal cleanliness.

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Remember when He gave you sleep as a reassurance from Him, and sent down

water from the sky to cleanse you, to remove Satan's pollution from you, to

make your hearts strong and your feet firm (8:11).

Allah has provided water for our life but it requires wise use because fresh

water is limited.

Over 70% of our Earth's surface is covered by water.

Although water is seemingly abundant, the real issue is the amount of fresh

water available.

97.5% of all water on earth is salt water, leaving only 2.5% as fresh water.

Nearly 70% of that fresh water is frozen in the icecaps of Antarctica

and Greenland.

Most of the remainder is present as soil moisture, or lies in deep underground

aquifers as groundwater not accessible to human use.

This leaves less than 1% of the world's fresh water accessible for direct human

uses.

This is the water found in lakes, rivers, reservoirs and those underground

sources that are shallow enough to be tapped at an affordable cost.

And only this amount is regularly renewed by rain and snowfall, and is

therefore available on a sustainable basis.

Therefore, water is a very precious resource.

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And it is very precious because water is vital for the survival of all living

things.

In some organisms, up to 90% of their body weight comes from water.

Up to 60% of the human adult body is water.

The brain and heart are composed of 73% water, and the lungs are about 83%

water.

Generally, an adult male needs about 3 liters of water per day while an adult

female needs about 2.2 liters per day.

Without water, living beings would not be able to survive very long.

But . there is a water crisis in the world we spoke earlier of the pending

water scarcity but there is also reckless water pollution taking place around

the world.

Already, countless children and adults die of waterborne diseases every day

because they have no access to clean water.

783 million people do not have access to clean and safe water.

In developing countries, as much as 80% of illnesses are linked to poor water

and sanitation conditions.

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Nearly 1 out of every 5 deaths under the age of 5 worldwide is due to a water-

related disease.

A recent report says that Canada is taking its vast freshwater resources for

granted, wrecking them in the process.

The report titled, Blue Betrayal, warns that climate change; industrial farming;

melting glaciers; oil, gas and mineral extraction; and dumping of waste

sometimes toxic waste into our waterways are all growing threats to our

diminishing water supplies.

The starting reality is that less than 1% of the fresh water is available for use

and we are polluting the worlds water supplies and recklessly using it.

We are failing in this trust and upsetting the balance of the environment.

Our affluence and extravagant lifestyle comes at a high environmental cost.

Our consumption, indeed overconsumption, has done a great wrong and a

great injustice to the planet.

Human beings are defiling Allahs creation - from our use of water to our

extraction of fossil fuels to our creation of vast amounts of waste.

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Human actions are not only threatening our own health and quality of life but

our future generations.

Corruption has flourished on land and sea as a result of peoples actions and He

will make them taste the consequences of some of their own actions so that they

may turn back. (Quran 30:41).

The pending water crisis is not just a scientific problem or an environmental

one but the result of a deep, inner crisis of the soul - it is a moral issue.

We need to return to our sacred sources, the Quran and Prophetic traditions,

as well as the example of our righteous predecessors, to re-calibrate our

relationship to the Earth, its environment and all of Gods Creation.

This years Green Khutbah Campaign is calling all Muslims to join with

others to protect our water resource through a 3 C Action Plan:

Consume wisely - Conserve responsibly - Care for our waters

To create a sustainable future means to meet our needs without compromising

the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.

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A sustainable lifestyle is about caring and of not being harmful to the

environment or depleting water resources, and it is about supporting long-

term ecological balance.

Let us be reminded that .

Islam is based on the understanding that Allah is One (Tawhid), and

everything comes from Allah He is the Creator and Sustainer.

Everything in the natural world is a sign (Ayat) of Allahs creation.

Islam seeks for us to establish justice (Adl) and to maintain the Earths

delicate balance (Mizan).

We are required to honor the trust we have with Allah (Amana) and be

stewards of the Earth (Khalifah).

And we are to be moderate (Wasat) in our lifestyle and be

compassionate (Rahmah) to all of Gods creation.

These are some of the principles from the Islamic sources for living a

sustainable life.

These principles affirm the integral relationship between our faith and the

natural world.

Indeed, the signs (ayaat) in the Universe are "messages for those who reason

and think" testifying to the presence and infinite generosity of the One God

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Who has laid out the Universe as the outspread book (al-kitab al-manshur)

containing signs mirroring the signs of the written book, the Quran (al-kitab

al-mastur).

We cannot be Muslim without a connection to all of creation.

We cannot be Muslim without being responsible stewards of the environment

by caring for all of Allah's creations.

We cannot disregard our moral responsibility to Allahs creation.

Those who violate or abuse the Trust are described in the Quran as those who

corrupt, degrade and bring ruin on earth (mufsidin fil-Ard).

The corrupters (mufsidin fil-Ard) abuse the Trust (amana) and are in clear

contrast to the stewards of the earth (khulafa fil-Ard).

As such, we must be, not just friends of the earth, but its guardians.

Let us supplicate ..

O Allah, forgive us for every blessing which You bestowed upon us but

which we used in disobedience to You.

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PART 2: Consume wisely - Conserve responsibly - Care for our waters

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All Praise be to Allah and His choicest blessings on our beloved Prophet

Muhammad, peace be on him, and on his family, companions and the righteous

ones until the Last Day.

The environmental crisis is asking us to look at ourselves - how we act, behave

and live.

Water is a key resource vital to meet basic human needs.

This years Green Khutbah Campaign, is requesting each one of us to live a

simple, sustainable lifestyle by committing to follow the 3 C action plan:

Consume wisely ~ Conserve responsibly ~ and Care for our waters.

We can fulfill this action plan by making wudhu (ablution) a part of our eco

lifestyle to remind us to be more conscious in using water, one of our most

precious blessings from God.

Muslims are intimately connected to water through its use for cleanliness and

wudhu and the frequent daily ablution is a significant means to make us aware

of our responsibility in using water.

One practical step is to check our wudhu count.

Time how long it takes for you to complete wudhu while leaving the tap

running on normal pressure.

Next time place a bucket under the tap and leave the tap running for the same

amount of time it took for you to do wudhu.

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Measure this water - this is your wudhu count.

I measured my wudhu count that came to nearly 2.5 litres of water.

The Prophet Muhammad, peace be on him, performed his wudhu with 16

handfuls of water!

We ask Allah to make us responsible stewards of the environment.

O Allah, forgive us, have Mercy on us, guide us, support us, protect us,

provide for us and elevate us.

O Allah, forgive us for every blessing which You bestowed upon us but

which we used in disobedience to You.

Our Lord, accept our repentance, cleanse us of our misdeeds, answer our

prayers, substantiate our pleas, guide our hearts, straighten our tongues and

banish all ill-will from our breasts.

And we send peace and blessings on our beloved Prophet Muhammad,

peace be on him.

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References:

Abdul Matin, Ibrahim (2010). Green Deen: What Islam Teaches about Protecting the Planet.

Berrett-Koehler Publishers.

Abdel Haleem M.A.S (2005). The Qur'an. Oxford University Press.

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Matali, Zabariah. Sustainability in Islam. Retrieved February 25, 2014 from

http://www.earthcharterinaction.org/invent/images/uploads/10%20Manuscript_Zabariah

.pdf

Other references / resources:

o http://khaleafa.com/greenkhutbah/

o http://www.globalchange.umich.edu/globalchange2/current/lectures/freshwater_s

upply/freshwater.html

o http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/world/water-crisis-coming-in-15-years-

unless-the-world-acts-now-un-urges/article23551722/

o http://www.fairobserver.com/region/middle_east_north_africa/water-scarcity-

risks-being-a-source-of-conflict-28740/

o http://www.canadians.org/media/former-un-advisor-issues-scathing-report-

harpers-legacy-water

The headlines around the world on March 20, 2015 read, Water crisis coming in 15 years unless the world acts now, UN report warns.The 2015 United Nations World Water Development Report warned of an impending crisis - the world could suffer a 40 per cent shortfall in water in just 15 years unless dramatic changes are made on the use of the resource.The report says that underground water reserves are running low, rainfall is becoming more erratic due to climate change; and the worlds population is expected to reach 9 billion by 2050 As a result more groundwater will be needed for farming, industry and personal consumption.Unless the balance between demand and finite supplies is restored, the world will face an increasingly severe global water deficit, the UN Report noted.Some countries are already facing the impending water crisis.Yemen, a desert country currently in the news for war and conflict, may soon face such a crisis. At current rates, it may become the first country in the world to run out of water. Experts have put 2025 as the year when the countrys capital, Sanaa, home to nearly 2 million residents, runs dry out of water.Many other countries are facing looming water shortages.Americas water supply is in crisis. California is facing its fourth year of drought. 40 US states expect water shortages to occur over the next 10 years.The depletion of freshwater resources will inevitably lead to tension, conflict and migration among large swathes of the worlds population.