Need of the times

SOME religious scholars believe that whatever had been decreed in Islam up to the 12th century was complete and no further thought needed to be applied. This is especially true of most scholars who follow the Hanafi, Maliki, Hanbali and Shafi’i schools of thought. It is assumed that the doors to further analysis of fiqh or Islamic jurisprudence have been closed.

It is a pity that the rapidity with which societies have evolved and the changes in economic, social and political conditions that have taken place have not motivated most Islamic scholars to take a fresh look at the needs of Muslims today. Barring a few scholars such as Dr Khaled Abou el Fadl (who has been very vocal about the Arab response to the Iran war), hardly anyone speaks of current issues and the Muslim response. Many Shia scholars, on the other hand, are relatively open to questioning earlier rulings and to seeking solutions to new problems in light of the basic principles of Islam.

One key issue is the recycling of resources. Is it not the need of the day that Muslim scholars look at the wastage of the planet’s finite resources and enter the debate on waste recycling and disposal? I wonder what instructions the Prophet (PBUH) would have given regarding the matter. Would it have been declared a religious duty of Muslims to recycle whatever they use?

A critical issue on which Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, the reputed Islamic scholar from Iraq, has issued a decree on is the dumping of sewage and industrial and domestic waste into rivers. He has decreed that it is un-Islamic to do so, since Islam enjoins its followers to protect God’s creation. Being the vicegerent of God on earth, the Muslim is the custodian of God-given resources and is required to use only what is necessary and to preserve and protect those resources from harm.

The earth entrusted to us should not be neglected.

It is a major environmental issue and one that every Muslim must address if they are to act in the true spirit of Islam. Rivers and seas deserve to be better protected and not converted into open sewers; the earth entrusted to us deserves not to be neglected, and future generations deserve a better inheritance. The decree of the ayatollah carries considerable weight as he is one of the main religious leaders of Shia Islam and has advocated democratisation, non-sectarianism and sovereignty of the state.

He has demonstrated true Islamic leadership and shown how Islamic thought can be applied to today’s problems. Other scholars in the Muslim world, including those in Pakistan, would do well to celebrate this ruling and, following this example, issue a similar ruling to their flock.

The ayatollah has said that such dumping causes public harm, making the offender sinful under Islamic law; the practice is therefore religiously forbidden.

A second, equally pressing problem in Pakistan is the manual cleaning of open gutters and sewerage pipes. Men are privately contracted to enter blocked gutters and, in the process, are exposed to toxic gases, with casualties reported frequently. It is both inhuman and un-Islamic to send people down gutters from which they have no means of escape other than being pulled up by their raised hands. Authorities in charge of sewerage management are culpable and are violating Islamic principles. It is a violation of human dignity, human rights and, most importantly, Islamic responsibility.

The men who risk their lives daily in this way do so because they need the money to feed their children; the practice is designed for those in the lowest strata of society — poor and marginalised religious min­orities who are in­­-visible to the rest of Pakistani society. Religious scholars need to take up this issue and declare it to be a sin, since mechanical means are available for gutter cleaning, and machines can be built or purchased for this very purpose. It is worth mentioning that manual gutter cleaning is banned in many countries. It has been banned in India and attempts are under way to retrain these sanitation workers in other skills so that they may earn a living.

Muslims crave paradise and follow religious rites in an effort to earn merit with God. Prayers, fasting, zakat and Haj are all essential, and Muslims will be questioned about these on the Day of Judgement. But God will also question individuals about their relationship with their fellow beings and the rest of creation. How, then, shall we respond in terms of the harm we have caused not only to the planet but also to our fellow human beings by treating them as subhuman? Islamic scholars need to give deep thought to these problems and decide what religious ruling could be applied to such practices.

The writer is an individual contributor with an interest in religion.

Published in Dawn, July 31st, 2026

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