When Nature Is Crying

“We are in sickness, darkness, and madness; this is the simple thing what I want to say at the present. Natural disaster seems part of spirituality disasters; let’s keep our nature as we take care of our body to be healthy”

Looking Technology By Islamic Landscape

In the Islamic approach, it has some arguments from Qur’anic verses concerning environmental issue and exactly it will relate to modern science as well as technological development. Well, before talking further I have to emphasize that this is all about environmental crisis such as Lapindo disaster in Sidoarjo-East Java, Tumpang pitu in Banyuwangi, and another environmental disaster in many places. However, such case is indirectly caused by technological development and global capitalism. I assert however environmental disaster brings many effects such as problem of health, environment, poverty, unemployment, etc.

Perhaps, technological science has brought enlightened era for human life. In one hand such thing comes to bringing many opportunities in term of economical advantage, social identity, and existence of life for modern human being in order to defend survival strategy; in other hand technological science however is created as a threat for humanity values. Because of technological innovation, most of industries reduce many workers and it causes poverty as well as global unemployment. In many cases, technological innovation is regularly threatening natural harmony. I propose, in this context we have great responsibility to solve environmental crisis on the earth.

Technological science should be compromised with humanity value and environmental ethics. I insist on this matter that we cannot deny unlimited power in the universe in which modern human still has limited access to understand the whole world. According to Islamic view, God sent his prophets to show us that everything in the whole world has been controlled by Him. The Islamic concept of the universe is theocentric in that God regularly controls the world in a nonfinite way (Bassam Tibi: 76).

Human beings, in the Qur’an (Surah Al Kahfi: 54), were mentioned as human who prefers to deny God’s decision (Wakaanal insaana aktsara syaiin jadalaa), even they always make destruction of nature but they were created as the most perfect human. Perhaps, technological science and religion should be united rather than distinguished. Discussing nature, environment, and human being also involve in spirituality matter, such as an interesting poetic from Jalal al-Din Rumi deals with universe: “Since God hath made Man from dust, it be hooves thee to recognize the real nature of every particle of the universe, that while from this aspect they are dead, from that aspect they are living; silent here, but speaking yonder…..they all cry, we are hearing and seeing and responsive, though to you, the uninitiated, we are mute” (Jalal al-Din Rumi: 1207-1273).

Environmental Disaster And ‘Religion Failure’

An important qualification is given in the divine revelation of the Holy Qur’an. As human being, we have damaged our earth with our knowledge. As we shall see, the Qur’an emphasizes the transcendental significance of nature. As human, we are required to keep our environmental such as water, air, earth, forest, sea, animal etc. Actually the Qur’an includes references to science, though it is not a handbook of sciences. In other word, the Qur’an covers scientific knowledge, which includes how to see nature and environment as a harmony.

All religion emphasize that using technology causing environmental crisis is forbidden by religion. Unfortunately, role of religion only gives dogma and speeches without doing or acting to reduce environmental problem caused by technological science. Yet, human being has created this phenomenon by using excessive technology to fulfill capitalism intention for economic interest. Besides, the scientific progress could not overcome effect of unbounded technology.

In summary, environmental disaster is problematic discussion that has to involve ethical value in which ethics is important element for human action. For example, when using technological science without considering ethics value will invite serious impact toward nature, because human’s greed tends to bring natural disaster on the earth as the result that we ignore problems of environment, health, human’s right, poverty, social welfare etc. First of all, we should think that behind environmental crisis there are many victims who are mostly women and children.

Lecturer of Ibrahimy College, Research Fellow 2010 at Leiden University-Netherlands