“Sometimes, a lesson we read years ago remains quietly somewhere in our memory, only to return when life gives it a new meaning.”
Mir Iqbal Hussain Chattergami
Today, on the occasion of Milad, as I look around and see the environmental degradation taking place around us, an old lesson from my student days suddenly came back to me the example of Madinah and its declaration as a protected sanctuary by Prophet Muhammad (PBUH). I had read this teaching nearly two decades ago, when I was a student. But at that time, I could not fully understand its deeper environmental significance or appreciate its wisdom. The world around me had not yet made the message so visible. There were no frequent discussions about heat waves, devastating cloudbursts, recurring floods, glacier retreat, growing water scarcity, environmental hazards and the mounting problem of waste as we witness them today.
Today, when these environmental challenges have become part of our lived reality, that old lesson speaks to me differently. What I once read as a historical or religious teaching, I can now understand as a profound message of environmental responsibility. Perhaps sometimes we read a lesson long before we are able to truly understand it. Experience changes our perspective, and the environmental crisis unfolding before our eyes has made the wisdom of that teaching much easier to recognize and value.
After establishing the Muslim community in Madinah, Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) declared the area around Madinah a protected sanctuary. Within this sanctuary, activities harmful to nature were restricted, including cutting its trees and hunting its wildlife. A hadith records the Prophet (PBUH) saying that Madinah was made a sanctuary and that its trees should not be cut and its game should not be hunted. For me, this is a remarkable reminder that environmental protection is not merely a modern concept. Respect for nature, protection of living creatures and responsible use of natural resources were embedded in the teachings and practice of Islam centuries ago.
The Prophet (PBUH) also taught moderation in the use of water and discouraged waste, even in acts of worship such as ablution. His teachings emphasized kindness towards animals and responsible treatment of the natural world. These teachings acquire an even greater significance today. We live in a time when forests are disappearing, rivers are becoming polluted, wetlands are shrinking, wildlife habitats are being destroyed and natural resources are being consumed at an alarming rate. Climate change has added another dimension to the crisis. Rising temperatures, heat waves, changing rainfall patterns, cloudbursts, floods, glacier and snow loss, increasing water scarcity and the growing mountain of waste remind us that nature has limits.
“Revisiting the Prophet Muhammad’s (PBUH) teachings on Milad highlights a vital moral duty: protecting the environment. Nature, water, and animals are sacred trusts held for future generations, requiring us to distinguish between need and greed to ensure a livable Earth.”
Perhaps the problem is not that humanity does not know what is right. The problem is that we often fail to practise what we already know. We speak about sustainable development and environmental protection, while our everyday choices continue to encourage excessive consumption and waste. We often confuse our needs with our greed. Mahatma Gandhi expressed this idea in a powerful and widely cited saying: «“The Earth provides enough to satisfy every man’s needs, but not every man’s greed”».
The message is simple but profound. The Earth has sufficient resources to support human life when they are used responsibly, but endless greed and unlimited consumption cannot be sustained on a finite planet. Remembering the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) on Milad therefore makes me reflect not only on his life, but also on our own relationship with nature. If an area around Madinah could be protected centuries ago by restricting activities that harmed trees and wildlife, what prevents us today from protecting our forests, rivers, wetlands, mountains and wildlife habitats? If wasting water was discouraged even during an act of worship, how can we justify wasting this precious resource in our daily lives? If kindness towards animals was emphasized, how can we remain indifferent when their habitats disappear? These are not merely religious questions. They are human questions.
The Prophet’s environmental example reminds us that protecting nature begins with values. Laws and policies are important, but lasting environmental protection also requires a change in human behaviour a shift from exploitation to stewardship, from excess to moderation and from short-term gain to long-term responsibility. On this Milad, perhaps one meaningful way to remember the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) is to revisit such teachings and bring their spirit into our daily lives. The lesson I read as a student nearly twenty years ago has returned to me today with a much deeper meaning. The difference is that today, nature itself seems to be explaining the lesson.
Nature is a trust. Water is a responsibility. Trees and animals deserve protection. And the Earth is an inheritance we hold temporarily for those who will come after us. We should ask ourselves: why should we make the Earth increasingly difficult to live on for our children simply to satisfy our present greed? Perhaps the time has come to distinguish clearly between our needs and our greed and to remember that protecting the environment is not only a scientific or political responsibility. It is also a moral responsibility. The old lesson from Madinah still speaks to us. The question is: are we listening?
(The author is a teacher and Environmental Science researcher pursuing a PhD in Environmental Science. The views, opinions and conclusions expressed in this article are those of the author and aren’t necessarily in accord with the views of “Kashmir Horizon”)
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