The Relevance of Ecological Teachings and Practices of Prophet Muḥammad to the Environmental Sustainability of Dhaka City
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.52541/isiri.v64i3.7086Keywords:
Dhaka, ecology, teachings, Islam, environment, sustainability.Abstract
The paper briefly discusses the eco-religious teachings and practices of Prophet Muḥammad (peace be on him) and then connects them with the environmental sustainability of Dhaka city. It also explains why the Prophetic ecological guidelines are relevant to the restoration of Dhaka city’s ecological sustainability and how a Muslim-majority city like Dhaka can really benefit from the Prophetic ecological teachings to solve its environmental problems. Based on the literature review and contextual analysis methods, the article correlates the Prophetic ecological teachings and practices with the environmental issues of the city. In so doing, the study presents an alternative approach to the solution of Dhaka city’s environmental problems in the light of the Prophetic traditions. By growing awareness of ecological essentiality and motivating the city dwellers and administrators to the city’s ecological sustainability, the paper contributes to the ecologically friendly development of the city and to the enrichment of the field of religion and ecology.
References
“Dhaka in List of 20 Most Unsustainable Megacities.” The Daily Star. October 19, 2022. https://www.thedailystar.net/environment/news/dhaka-list-20-most-unsustainable-megacities-3146661.
“Dhaka remains the world’s most densely populated city.” Dhaka Tribune, October 14, 2018, https://www.dhakatribune.com/bangladesh/dhaka/158221/dhaka-remains-the-world%E2%80%99s-most-densely-populated.
Aamir, Rabia. “Qur’ānic Worldview and the Environment: The Prophet Muḥammad as an Environmental Ethicist.” Islamic Studies 63, no. 3 (2024): 315-34. https://doi.org/10.52541/isiri.v63i3.3137.
Abū Dāwūd, Sulaymān b. al-Ash‘ath. Sunan. Translated by Yaser Qadhi. Riyadh: Darussalam, 2008.
Abu Sayem, Md. “Causes and Consequences of Environmental Degradation: A Survey Study.” International Journal for the Asian Philosophical Association 13, no. 2 (2021): 45-67.
Abu Sayem, Md. “Eco-Religious Teachings and Environmental Sustainability: An Analysis of Workability of Seyyed Hossein Nasr’s ‘Eco-Spirituality’ in the Context of Bangladesh,” Australian Journal of Islamic Studies 6, no. 3 (2021): 69-83. https://doi.org/10.55831/ajis.v6i3.357.
Abu Sayem, Md. “Evaluation of John B. Cobb, Jr.’s Ecological Model, with the Focus on Its Workability in the Context of Bangladesh.” Studia Ecologiae Et Bioethicae 21, no. 2 (2023): 15-25. https://doi.org/10.21697/seb.2023.16.
Abu Sayem, Md. “Islam and Environmental Ethics: A Qur’ānic Approach.” Islamic Studies 60, no. 2 (2021):157-72. https://doi.org/10.52541/isiri.v60i2.1438.
Abu Sayem, Md. “Islamic Teaching and Practice of Environmental Ethics in Bangladesh: A Case Study.” QUEST: Studies on Religion and Culture in Asia 3 (2018): 1-28.
Abu Sayem, Md. Religion and Ecological Crisis: Christian and Muslim Perspectives from John B. Cobb and Seyyed Hossein Nasr. London: Routledge, 2023.
Al-Albānī, Muḥammad Nāṣir al-Dīn. Silialat al-Aḥādīth al-Ṣaḥīḥah. Riyadh: Darussalam, 1980.
Al-Bukhārī, Muḥammad b. Ismā‘īl. Al-Adab al-Mufrad with Full Commentary: A Perfect Code of Manners and Morality. Translation by Adil Salahi. Markfield: Kube Publishing, 2018.
Al-Hilali, Muhammad Taqi-ud-Din, and Muhammad Muhsin Khan. The Noble Quran: English Translation of the Meanings and Commentary. Medina: King Fahd Complex for the Printing of the Holy Quran, 1420 AH.
Al-Ṭabarānī, Sulaymān b. Aḥmad. Al-Mu‘jam al-Kabīr. Beirut: DKI, 2007.
Al-Tibrīzī, Muḥammad b. ‘Abd Allāh. Mishkāt al-Maṣābīḥ. Translated by James Robson. Lahore: S. M. Ashraf, 1960.
Al-Tirmidhī, Muḥammad b. ‘Īsā. Jāmi‘. Translated by Nasiruddin al-Khattab. Riyadh: Darussalam, 2022.
Anisur Rahaman, Mohammad, Abul Kalam, and Md. Al-Mamun. “Unplanned Urbanization and Health Risks of Dhaka City in Bangladesh: Uncovering the Associations between Urban Environment and Public Health.” Frontiers in Public Health 11 (2023): 1-18. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2023.1269362.
Awaise, Ammar. “Simple Lifestyle of Prophet Muhammad.” Islam Explained. January 25, 2017. https://islamexplained.info/2017/01/25/simple-lifestyle-of-prophet-muhammad/.
Azman, Ustazah Nur Hidayah. “Five Things Prophet Taught us about Environment.” Muslim.Sg, September 18, 2023. https://muslim.sg/articles/5-things-prophet-taught-us-about-protecting-the-environment.
Bangladesh Environment and Climate Change Outlook 2012. Dhaka: Department of Environment (DoE), Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF), Government of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh, 2012.
De Chȃtel, Francesca. “Prophet Muhammad—A Pioneer of Environment.” IslamiCity. March 2, 2010. https://www.islamicity.org/3772/prophet-mohammed-a-pioneer-of-the-environment/.
Garba, Ahmad. “Environmental Protection in the light of Prophetic Traditions.” Civilization Research: Journal of Islamic Studies 4, no. 2 (2025): 295-310.
Ibn Ḥanbal, Aḥmad. Musnad. Translated by Nasiruddin al-Khattab. Riyadh: Darussalam, 2012.
Ibn Mājah, Muḥammad b. Yazīd. Sunan. Translation by Nasiruddin al-Khattab. (Riyadh: Darussalam, 2007.
Lutfallah, Gari. “Ecology in Muslim Heritage: A History of the Hima Conservation System.” Muslim Heritage 12, no. 2 (2006): 213-28.
Majeed, Kori, and Sarah Yasmin Latif. Forty Green Hadith Sayings of the Prophet Muhammad on Environmental Justice and Sustainability. Cambridge: Cambridge Central Mosque, 2020.
Muḥammad b. Ismā‘īl al-Bukhārī. Ṣaḥīḥ. Translated by Muhammad Muhsin Khan. Riyadh: Darussalam, 1997.
Muslim b. al-Ḥajjāj. Ṣaḥīḥ. Translation by Abdul Hamid Siddiqui. Riyadh: Darussalam, 2009.
Sakib, S. M. Najmus. “Random Waste Dumping, Unclean Environs Redouble Dengue.” The Financial Express, September 19, 2022. https://today.thefinancialexpress.com.bd/print/random-waste-dumping-unclean-environs-redouble-dengue-1663522116.
Sakib, S. M. Najmus. “Weak waste management leaves Dhaka communities at risk from landfill sites.” Mongabay. September 2, 2022.
Saniotis, Arthur. “Muslims and Ecology: Fostering Islamic Environmental Ethics.” Contemporary Islam: Dynamics of Muslim Life 6 (2011): 155-71. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11562-011-0173-8.
Siddique, M. S. “Environmental Pollution and Its Control in Dhaka.” The Business Post. January 5, 2022. https://businesspostbd.com/opinion/environmental-pollution-and-its-control-in-dhaka.
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Publication of material in the journal means that the author assigns copyright to Islamic Studies including the rights to electronic publishing. This is, inter alia, to ensure the efficient handling of requests from third parties to reproduce articles as well as to enable wide dissemination of the published material. Authors may, however, use their material in other publications acknowledging Islamic Studies as the original place of publication. Requests by third parties for permission to reprint should be addressed to the Editor, Islamic Studies.