Summary

The Covenant presents an Islamic perspective on the environment in an effort to promote local, regional and international action to combat the triple planetary crises identified by the United Nations as climate change, biodiversity loss and pollution. It is a global endeavor to engage Muslims at all levels of society in developing and embracing this call. The Mizan-Covenant for the Earth is a re-articulation of the principles governing the protection of nature in a form that meets today’s challenges. It examines the ethics underlying the social fabric of human existence and asks how they can be revived today while working in harmony with the heartbeat of the natural world. Environmentalism is deeply rooted in the very fabric of Islam. It is about personal conduct and how it manifests itself in our relationships with others, as well as about taking into account our relationship with the natural world and other living beings. These principles evolved from the foundations laid by the Prophet Muhammad into a set of rules and institutions that demonstrated an expression of a life that was truly inclusive. It was based on the Qur’an and can be distilled into three categories: encouraging the common good, preventing wrongdoing, and acting in moderation at all times: (And establish weight in justice and do not make deficient the balance), Ar-Rahman 9 The Most Gracious (1) has taught the Qur’an (2) has created man (3) has taught him eloquence (4) the sun and the moon move by precise calculation (5) and the stars and the trees prostrate (6) and the heaven He raised and placed The Balance (7) That you do not transgress within the balance (8) And establish weight in justice and do not make deficient the balance (9) Othman Lawlen, Fadl Khalid, et al. Islamic Foundation for Ecology and Environmental Sciences, Birmingham, UK.