Green Deen: What Islam Teaches About Protecting the Planet–Review and Giveaway

Fox News, Republican politicians and conservative pundits can deny global warming and the need for greener living all they want, but one thing is for certain: it’s not faith that’s causing the blindness, but willful ignorance. In the brand-new book Green Deen: What Islam Teaches About Protecting the Planet, written by a Muslim-born policy advisor in the New York City’s Mayor’s Office, the connection between faith and environmentalism is not only apparent, but also fundamental in understanding the relationship we have between the personal and environmental/communal.

Green Deen is not so much a book about Islam as it is a book about environmental living and policy from a Muslim perspective. Its message and practical applications are really nothing new. What sets it apart is its Islamic perspective, which gives a breath of fresh air to the portrayal of one of today’s most misunderstood religions.

In a time when many associate Islam with terrorism and oil, not many understand the long history of environmentalism that is inherent in the Qua’ran and Islamic teachings. Practicing Muslims are taught to look at themselves as stewards of the Earth. As Green Deen’s author, Ibrahim Abdul-Matin wrote, “The Earth is a mosque.” He starts the book by defining the word Deen not as a religion, but as a “way of life” in Arabic, a system of living and interpreting the world as a way to arrive at peace with it. Add the color green to it, and Green Deen was written as a practical approach to merge personal faith with the common cause of environmentalism:

“Green Deen means understanding that God created us directly from the Earth and that we must do all that we can to take care of it, protect it, and manage all of its bounty in a sustainable way.”

From his perspective, everyone, Muslim and non-Muslim alike, can create a green Deen because everyone can contribute to how we take care of the Earth in our public and private lives.

Green Deen is organized into four parts: Waste, Watts, Water, and Food. As Abdul-Matin explains, these are four components central to defining how well societies function:

“Waste management and energy delivery is essential to the every day functioning of a city or society. Water and food is vital to the survival of humanity.”

Abdul-Matin argues “over-consumption and [targeted] corporate abuse as the problem. Both capitalism and socialism define your value as a human being on what you can make or create or destroy or waste or consume.” Inherent in each section- Waste, Watts, Water, and Food- are six Islamic teachings that are central to living a Green Deen:

Tawhid (Oneness): the understanding that everything comes from Allah / God / Supreme Being. To those who don’t believe in God, this can be less about religion or spirituality and more about the idea that “everything emanates from the same source… the universe is aglow with continuity” and of interconnectedness and continuity among all living things and their systems / environments.
Ayat (Sign): the ability to see everything in the natural world as a sign of Allah / God / Supreme Being / interconnectedness.
Khalifah (Steward): the responsibility we have to protecting the natural world and managing it in a sustainable way.
Amana (Trust): the duty we have to acting as stewards of the natural world. Just like we can destruct the Earth more than any other creatures, we can also take care of it with a certain diligence that doesn’t exist in the animal kingdom.
Adl (Justice): simply, treating the world with justice, first by recognizing that humans have a negative impact on Earth, and then by reducing that impact as much as possible.
Mizan (Balance): understanding that the world exists in a natural balance, which thrown off by pollution, consumption, exploitation, etc., needs to be restored.

While some of quotations that Abdul-Matin sources from the Qua’ran can be a little far-reaching, the great strength of this book is not so much that, but the practical application and examples he brings up as to how anyone, regardless of faith, can incorporate environmental balance into their daily lives. The arguments can easily be applied to other faiths, and each one asks people to assess their own relationship with environmentalism with questions such as “How do you relate to trash, to waste, to consumption?” With regards to energy consumption, Abdul-Matin creatively divides it between sustainable resources- solar and wind- as “Energy from Heaven” and traditional sources- gas, coal, oil- as “Energy from Hell.” He also uses the Prophetic tradition of eating from the plate closest to you to support his argument for buying and eating local produce.

Of particular note is that Abdul-Matin’s examples of actively green Muslims all take place on the American continent, which speaks volumes to show that Islam can be an American and Western lifestyle, separate from political discourses and struggles in the Middle East. When asked about the book’s lack of focus on American reliance on the Middle East for fossil fuels, he replied, “That’s a deep part of our Muslim tradition that we need to move away from. But I’m not from Saudi Arabia. I’m American, and I wanted to speak to my own people.” Abdul-Matin describes it as the first “post-9/11″ book about Muslims, meaning it doesn’t mention that day, the War on Terror, and what it all means for American Muslims today. Rather, he wanted to write a book that looks at practicing Muslims past 9/11 and working to contribute to a common American cause.

The book’s writing reads easily, and it offers something to readers on all levels of Islamic and environmental knowledge, be it a discussion of the basics or insights and advice for looking at the two in new ways. It doesn’t offer all the answers; instead it “was designed to be the first step in this conversation, and my hope is that much more qualified scholars will join in and take this further. To see if we can be a force for good- an example to ourselves first and foremost.”

If you would like to attend a Green Deen event, check out the book’s website. Abdul-Matin is currently scheduled to appear in lectures and events on December 19 in New York City, December 23 in New Jersey, and December 24 in Milwaukee. For ongoing information on Green Muslim groups, check out the book’s blog.

WIN THE BOOK! Enter a comment below and you will automatically be entered to win a copy of Green Deen: What Islam Teaches About Protecting the Planet. Winner will be announced January 5. Good luck!

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Photo courtesy of Hamed Saber via Flickr

Disclaimer: The views expressed above are solely those of the author and may not reflect those of
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Olivia L.

7:54PM PDT on Apr 23, 2011

Please let's not let accusations and hate on this discussion about Green Deen, and environmentalism in religion, which is very interesting.

send a green star

Joan P.

3:35AM PDT on Apr 23, 2011

Islam's teaching regarding the saving and caring for our earth is correct, and as far as christians are concerned, the bible tells us that God made man to rule over the earth, what a shame that we have let our creator down so badly by trying our level best to destroy everything beautiful he created for OUR pleasure, you know, killing as many animals as we can, gassing ourselves and our surroundings, mucking up the planet with our trash, ripping out age old trees and destroying beautiful natural flora and fauna, stuffing ourselves full of drugs? you know?????

Vanessa S.

12:38PM PST on Jan 18, 2011

Thank you for this article. It is very thought- and question-provoking, as is pretty much any posting that deals with religious. And spiritual issues and/or references. For anyone who might be interested, there are two books from the Christian perspective on this issue.

Saving God's Green Earth
By: Jason R. Chatraw

Serve God, Save the Planet: A Christian Call to Action
By: J. Matthew Sleeth

Michael A.

1:40PM PST on Dec 28, 2010

Don't need Islam to teach us anything at all...They should first clean up their own doorstep and their religious texts which are very far from giving the good example.
All this pro-islam propaganda is only BS..take a look at what Islam has brought our planet so far...that's convincing enough as it is and anybody with even half a brain should realize that Islam is no good for the planet and the rest of the human race.
Take your Islamic religion of hate, intolerance and ignorance away from here...we don't want to taste its poison in any way.

monica r.

10:26PM PST on Dec 21, 2010

@BMutiny TCorporationsEvil

Christians currently killing people? Well, to start with, there were the 3,000 people killed by AMERICANS in a FALSE FLAG OPERATION on 9/11; and then those hundreds maybe thousands more, including First Responders and nearby residents, KILLED BY THE ASBESTOS AND OTHER POLLUTION afterwards; and getting NO HELP from our govt, by the way!
Then, WHAT IS THE CIVILIAN DEATH TOLL IN IRAQ?
IN AFGHANISTAN? IN PAKISTAN? IN YEMEN? {didja forget about those last two?}

Well, the difference is that America is fighting in those countries, as a nation, not just Christians in the military (Jews, Sikhs, Atheists, etc and even Muslims are in the US military) nor do military ops get planned based on if they will make Jesus happy, whereas jihad is in the name of Islam, a religion, not just one nation doing these terrorist acts, and jihad exists for the sole reason that in the quran it says that will make Allah happy.

And if you think Cheney, who you say masterminded 9/11 as a false flag op is a Christian, seriously, I have to ask, what have you been smoking?

And are you saying that Dr. Naushad Valiyani in Pakistan has NOT been charged with blasphemy for throwing a business card away? I'd like to see your evidence for that (or is it just in your opinion that it is "FAKE"?). I suppose Asia Bibi is a fake person, too, and her story is made up as well?

Shaikh Ahmed A.

12:53AM PST on Dec 21, 2010

Very good and informative article. This should clear some misthoughts about Islam.

Philippa P.

11:12PM PST on Dec 19, 2010

Sounds like a fascinating read.

Mark J.

10:47PM PST on Dec 19, 2010

This sounds like a nice book to read. Is there something along those lines from a Christian or Protestand perspective? I'd rather read the latter first...

BMutiny T.

9:15PM PST on Dec 19, 2010

In case you haven't noticed, the CHRISTIAN FAR RIGHT is CLOSELY CONNECTED with the War Drumbeat in the Propaganda Wars. So I feel it is VERY PROPER to BLAME THAT PARTICULAR SECT of Christianity; while of COURSE, not implicating by any means, "all" Christians!

But these FAR RIGHT CHRISTIANS ARE MURDERERS WITH BLOOD OF INNOCENT MUSLIM PEOPLE ON THEIR HANDS. It is VERY TYPICAL of them, to ascribe to OTHERS, EXACTLY WHAT THEY THEMSELVES ARE GUILTY OF; AND WISH TO TRY AND "ABSOLVE" THEMSELVES OF ANY RESPONSIBILTY FOR!!!

There is a post by a Muslim gentleman here on this thread, with which I have to very much disagree.
I have done some research on the subject, real historical research, on the subject of Muslim attitudes towards Gay people.
Such attitudes have historically varied as much as attitudes in the "western world"; all the way from tolerance, acceptance, even approval, to the hatred displayed by some {SOME} Christian and Jewish groups.
Again, it depends on the culture; the time period, the geographic area, etc. There are some famous same-sex lovers in Islamic history, literature and depicted in art!
Anybody can look this up, who cares to.

For real 9/11 info, look up Architects and Engineers for 9/11 truth: ae911truth.org.
DON'T GET ALL YOUR NEWS FROM FOX/FAUX AND THE EQUIVALENT.
And BE SUSPICIOUS of e-mails sent around the Internet WITH THE PURPOSE OF SCARING THE WITS OUT OF YOU.
I know, I get those too. THEY ARE NONSENSE. NOT worth passing on as "facts"!!!

9:00PM PST on Dec 19, 2010

Christians currently killing people? Well, to start with, there were the 3,000 people killed by AMERICANS in a FALSE FLAG OPERATION on 9/11; and then those hundreds maybe thousands more, including First Responders and nearby residents, KILLED BY THE ASBESTOS AND OTHER POLLUTION afterwards; and getting NO HELP from our govt, by the way!
Then, WHAT IS THE CIVILIAN DEATH TOLL IN IRAQ?
IN AFGHANISTAN? IN PAKISTAN? IN YEMEN? {didja forget about those last two?}
Well, it is in the TENS OR THE HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS.
Those were INNOCENT MUSLIM MEN, WOMEN, CHILDREN, BABIES, PREGNANT WOMEN, WEDDING PARTIES, OLD PEOPLE, SICK PEOPLE, CIVILIANS ALL. NOBODY KNOWS the exact number: but it is HUGE. And believe me, THE MUSLIMS ARE AWARE OF THIS, all over the world!
No wonder SOME of them are mad enough to kill, to strike back! I WOULD BE TOO, IN SUCH A CASE!
9/11 was a PROPAGANDA PLOY to AROUSE the American public to War Fever; otherwise, WE WOULD NOT BE IN THE MIDDLE EASTERN COUNTRIES AT ALL.
The whole "War on Terror" is to PROVOKE the Islamic world: IT STARTED WITH THE U.S.
Of course not ALL Muslims are "innocent"; some are FIGHTING BACK and MAD AS HELL, understandably!
But just as with us, there are HAWKS and there are DOVES, among them!
U.S. PROPAGANDISTS are out there night and day, to KEEP UP THE WAR FEVER. It is to the BENEFIT of their MASTERS, the Oil Corporations, and Arms Manufacturers, and "Contractors" {Mercenaries} like Halliburton, etc. THEY RAPE AND ROB AND MURDER.