**4. Environmental Education: calling Muslims to Action for the Earth**

From the cradle to the grave, a Muslim is charged with seeking knowledge—of her Creator, of His Laws, and of the workings of Creation—drawing on all the sources of knowledge placed on planet Earth—in revealed and non-revealed knowledges, through sensory and spiritual experiences, in the Qur'an and in the universe. This wondrous search for knowledge should be visible in her life, and manifested in just action in this world, in good works, which incorporate environmental care. Revitalising ecological ethics in the educational establishment of Islam provides an impetus to not only uncover Islam's environmental tradition, but to affect Muslim awareness and action on the ecological question [16]. If faith propelled the Muslim mind to seek knowledge and to ponder, reflect on, and understand the Creator and the workings of the universe; faith must also, of necessity, be anchored to right and just action in this world, to *'amāl s*̣*ālihāt*, as the Qur'an repeatedly affirms.

The definitive purpose of the educational process in Islam is to facilitate the trusteeship of humankind on Earth. With belief in God, comes the mandate of responsible trusteeship on Earth—a life lived in accordance with the Divine laws, discovered in the Qur'an, a Book of Revelation, *and* the Book of Nature. Environmental education, which will assist humankind in 'reading' the Book of Nature and understanding the working of the Universe, of which environmental education is an integral part, is therefore essential in the knowledge-structure of Islam.

Within the Muslim educational landscape, and amid a vibrant culture of lifelong learning, there exists a myriad of institutions which can be harnessed to share knowledge of the workings of the Earth. Boasting an extensive and growing educational establishment, both traditional and modern institutions, the mosque and Muslim school for example, continue to play a vital role in the educational life of Muslims the world over.

Examples of environmental education programmes, premised on the Islamic teachings on the environment can be found in Pakistan [17, 18], in the Philippines [19], in Zanzibar [20], in Indonesia [21] and in the United Kingdom [22]. These programmes have targeted religious leaders, young children and women and men who manage natural resources. Sourcebooks, teaching modules, classroom materials, videos, posters and pamphlets and outdoor educational experiences have been developed to relay the environmental ethic of Islam. Coupled to this has been the intellectual output of Muslim researchers such as the introductory work of Subbarini on Islam and environmental education [23]; Al-Naki's [24] pioneering study on communicating environmental ethics in Kuwait which shows how it is possible to "learn and select from concepts and teaching techniques derived in the West…to help put in place an Islamic environmental ethic appropriate to an Islamic context"; and the work of Haddad [25] who develops an Islamic environmental education framework centred upon faith, knowledge and action.

Haddad Islamic environmental education framework, as extracted from the Holy Qura'n, is based on a balanced tripod structure. He presents a structure in which God (Allah SWT), is the head (the nucleus) the one and only-creator, represented by the belief in and the application of his rules and directions. The three legs of the tripod represent (a) knowledge/understanding, (b) manifestation/differentiation, and (c) faith/believing ([25], p. 7).

The ecotheology movement, Muslims included, is making its mark on the environmental landscape and is now an established 'interested and affected party' in environmental deliberations. Three areas of commonality between environmentalists

#### *An Islamic Perspective on Ecology and Sustainability DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.105032*

and religious leaders have been identified by Gardner [26]. These could easily be applied to environmental educationists. Firstly, both see the world "from a moral perspective, stressing obligations that extend beyond the individual to other people, distant places, and future generations"; both regard the "natural world as having value that transcends economics" and both "oppose the excessive consumption that drives industrial economies" ([26], p. 8). Religions also possess five sources of power: It shapes people's worldview; wields moral authority; influences and holds the attention of its adherents; possesses financial and institutional assets; and generates social capital - all of which could be used to build a socially just and sustainable world. Furthermore, a religious view of nature is indispensable since it serves as a rich source of environmental ethics and also knowledge of the order of Nature [27] and "generates strong beliefs which can lead to high levels of commitment in certain individuals or social groups…[offering] the nearest hope to certainty of action in terms of proenvironmental behaviour" ([28], p. 142).

In terms of the environmental question, Islam can thus make both an ethical and educational contribution since it not only possesses ethical reference systems which guide human interaction with Creation, but educational visions which impact upon environmental teaching and learning. It presents a theocentric ecological ethic which is based on the sovereignty of God, the responsible trusteeship of humankind and the intrinsic value of Creation. It puts forward an activist, transformative approach to education, premised upon an integrated knowledge structure and educational objectives which require reflective and critical engagement with all ecological knowledge, responsible environmental action, and social transformation. And it proposes a transformative approach to environmental education to bring the liberatory intent of the Islamic environmental tradition into focus,
