Lesson video

Hello there.

My name is Mr. Robertson.

I love RE, and I can't wait to get started with this fantastic lesson today.

It's all part of our unit, which has this big inquiry question, "How should the Earth's resources be used?" And in this unit, we're asking questions about the environment, the climate crisis, and what different worldviews say in response to them.

In this lesson, we're going to be looking at Muslim perspectives on the Earth and the concept of khalifah.

Can't wait to get started.

By the end of this lesson, you will be able to investigate Muslim attitudes to the Earth and explain how some Muslims live out being a khalifah.

We have four keywords in today's lesson.

Our first word is Tawhid, which means the oneness of God.

Next, we have mizan, which means balance and harmony in the universe.

Our third word is khalifah, which means human stewardship and responsibility for the Earth.

And our final word is fasad, which means corruption and disruption of God's natural order.

All of these words are Arabic in origin because we're looking at Muslim worldviews.

But I'm pretty confident that, by the end of this lesson, you will know what they mean and how to use them.

So this lesson has two parts.

In the first part of this lesson, we're going to be thinking about Islam, nature and the earth.

We start with a view from space of our planet Earth.

Suspended there in the blackness of space, it's a precious orb, isn't it? One of the only real planets that we know about where there is any habitable life and certainly any intelligent life.

This lesson is going to be asking some philosophy questions about the idea of the environment, and we're going to be looking at Islamic philosophy and what it says.

Philosophy asks big questions like, what is our place in the world? What does it mean to live well? What responsibilities do we have to others, including the natural world? Different worldviews, including religious ones, offer different answers.

And today, we're going to think about how the worldview of Islam has responded to these questions through its teachings on the environment.

Let's start with a scenario.

I want you to imagine a school.

Now, this school only starts talking about kindness after someone's been bullied.

Is that a problem, do you think? Does that matter? Well, this school is reacting to the problem.

It's waited for the bullying to arise and then it deals with it.

But if that school had taught kindness from the start and encouraged empathy, respect, and inclusion, it's living by a vision.

It's setting out what it wants the school to look like.

What it wants its students to do.

And so rather than reacting when something bad happens, from the very beginning, it starts with a vision and asks people to sign up to it and abide by it.

One is about fixing something that's broken.

The other is about building something good from the beginning.

Thinking back to our Earth, then.

Islam's approach to the environment doesn't start by focusing on problems like pollution or climate change.

Instead, it begins with a positive vision, how humans are meant to live in harmony with the natural world as part of their relationship with the Creator.

We could start by thinking about a really important idea within Islam, which is the idea of Tawhid.

Now, Tawhid means that Allah, or God, is One.

It reminds Muslims that everything in the universe was created by Him.

Nature is part of creation and should be treated with care and respect.

In the Qur'an, it says, "There is no animal on land, nor a bird flying with its wings, but are communities like you." So, if Allah created everything, how should humans treat the Earth? Well, the Qur'an says that animals are communities like you, meaning they have value too.

All nature has an intrinsic value.

Allah is described as the Lord of all the worlds, not just of humans, but of animals and all the universe.

Because Allah cares for creation, humans are expected to care for it too.

Protecting the Earth is a form of worship and obedience to Allah.

What do you think it means to say that animals are communities like you? Does that mean something to you? Let's just check our understanding so far.

Which of the following is not an Islamic understanding of Tawhid? A, Allah is above His creation.

It should be respected because it belongs to Him.

B, protecting the environment is a way to obey and worship Allah.

C, Allah is part of nature and exists within everything in the universe.

D, animals are valued as part of Allah's creation.

Excellent.

It's C, isn't it? Allah isn't part of nature.

Allah is God, is around everywhere in Islamic ideas, but protects, and caring for the environment is a way to worship Allah.

Another really big idea is this idea of mizan, or balance.

We can see the image of scales here.

I mentioned earlier that many Muslims believe that Allah created a world in harmony, a world that is in balance and proportion.

All parts of nature, from animals to humans, work together to form this balanced system.

I wonder what you think.

What might it look like for humans to use the Earth's resources, but also to protect that balance? How do we do that now? Do we keep the balance at the moment? Are there things we could do to help keep that balance better? Islam teaches that humans can use the Earth's resources, but they must protect it and they mustn't waste either.

The Qur'an warns in Surah 55, "Do not violate the balance." When we act with greed or pollute the environment, we break this natural order and harm life on Earth.

So, from a Muslim perspective, we're upsetting that idea of harmony.

Let's just check our understanding so far.

True or false? Humans should avoid using the Earth's resources in Islam.

Is that true or false, from what you've seen so far? Excellent.

It's false, isn't it? Islam teaches that humans can use the Earth's resources, but they must do responsibly with mizan.

They must try and keep the balance.

Excellent if you got that right! And finally, the Qur'an describes humans in the Qur'an as khalifahs.

Think of that as a word like caretaker or steward.

Humans are khalifahs of the Earth, responsible to Allah.

This idea, we can see in an extract from the Qur'an.

"We offered the Trust to the heavens, and the earth, and the mountains, but they refused to bear it, and were apprehensive of it, but the human being accepted it." I wonder what you think it means to be a khalifah of the Earth.

What does the word "caretaker" mean? You may well have a caretaker in your school.

What role did they play? And therefore, what role might humans play? What can you see in that extract of the Qur'an which might help you? So the idea of khalifah is the idea that humans don't own the planet, but they're trusted to care for it.

They're given that responsibility by Allah to protect the Earth and avoid causing harm.

In that extract we see in the Qur'an, this trust is so serious that the heavens, the earth, and the mountains refused it, but humans accepted.

It says there, doesn't it? "We offered the Trust," that is, to be a caretaker, to care for the Earth, "to the heavens, and the earth, and the mountains, but they refused to bear it, but the human being accepted it." So, within the Islamic worldview, there is the idea that as human beings, we are all khalifahs, which means we have that trust from Allah to care for the world and look after it, and we will be accountable to Allah for how we've cared for the Earth's resources.

Why do you think the Earth and the mountains might have refused this trust when they were offered it? You might have thought that perhaps this responsibility seemed too big, too much! And it is a big responsibility, isn't it? This beautiful planet that we are part of.

Andeep and Izzy are discussing their thoughts on the role of a khalifah.

Andeep says, "Being a khalifah means using the Earth's resources wisely and fairly.

Humans fail when we act with greed or ignore future generations who will inherit the planet." Izzy says, "The trust is huge.

Maybe the mountains refused because they understood the weight of accountability.

Being a khalifah means answering to Allah for every action towards the Earth." Did you think of some of Andeep's and Izzy's ideas yourselves? Did you come up with any of your own ideas? So we have this idea of a world created by God, by Allah.

We have this idea of mizan, or balance, that Allah, God, has created a world in harmony and in balance.

And we have this idea of khalifah, that human beings accepted the trust and are accountable to Allah for caring for the Earth's resources.

Now as we know, that isn't necessarily how, as human beings, we have looked after the world.

You can see some photographs there of some of the things that we know are going wrong with this world.

We have factories spewing pollution into the air.

We have beautiful forests being cut down.

And our rivers, particularly in the UK, we hear about a lot, don't we, at the moment, have severe water pollution.

And all of this creates problems. Now, although Allah created the world in balance, according to an Islamic worldview, fasad, corruption, has damaged it.

And this includes pollution, deforestation, and environmental harm.

It happens when people forget their role as khalifahs and misuse the trust they've been given.

The Qur'an says, "Corruption has appeared on land and sea because of what people's hands have earned." And this damage is more than physical, in Islam, because it goes against God's order and harms the Earth, people, and future generations.

It upsets this mizan and balance, and means that our world is no longer in harmony.

What do you think in these examples? How are these examples showing the balance being changed? How do they show this fasad, or corruption? You might have talked about how air pollution can create conditions in human beings and smogs.

Deforestation cuts down and destroys beautiful habitats, doesn't it? And pollution into our rivers can affect food chains and ecosystems and marine life as well as making it really unpleasant for us as humans to swim in.

And I wonder if you can think of any more examples of things that might be fasad, or corruption.

So, what to do, then, with all of this? So, many Muslims today try to act as khalifahs of the world by trying to restore this balance, or mizan, to nature.

You can see three photographs here.

I wonder how you think these examples show mizan.

How are these examples showing people being khalifahs and trying to restore balance? You might have talked about planting a tree means we can restore forests, bringing more oxygen and life back.

Feeding birds when their habitats might be damaged means that they can keep surviving.

Picking up litter, removing plastics from the environment, getting rid of stuff which is going to soak into the Earth and be disgusting and messy can all help restore harmony to this planet.

And I wonder if you can think of any other examples? Things that could be done to improve nature and restore that balance.

Let's just check our understanding again.

So, a true or false question for you here.

Fasad means showing mercy to animals and the planet, and following Allah's compassion.

Think about what we've just been learning about.

Is that true or false? Excellent.

It's false, isn't it? Why? Because fasad actually means the opposite.

It means the corruption or harm caused to the Earth when humans break the balance set by Allah.

Okay, let's draw all this together in a task.

I'd like you to do this for me.

I'd like you to create five linked sentences to explain this vision we've been talking about that lies behind Islamic views of the environment.

We've been talking about terms such as Tawhid, the oneness of God.

Mizan, the idea of a world created in harmony or balance.

Khalifah, the idea that humans are caretakers.

They have the world in trust from Allah and a responsibility to care for it.

And fasad, the idea of corrupting or activities that upset that balance and damage the planet.

So here are some sentence starters that you may want to use to help you.

So we might say, one, Many Muslims believe that Allah is.

Two, Allah created the world with.

Humans have been given the role of.

And what does that mean? When people pollute or destroy the environment.

Muslims may try to restore fasad by.

Think about what we've learned so far in this lesson.

Can you create some sentences finishing those sentences off? Just so we can really show we understand this idea, this worldview of caring for the environment from an Islamic perspective.

Really look forward to seeing what you come up with.

Amazing work.

Brilliant, everybody.

So I've got some ideas of my own.

Yours may look slightly different from this, or you may have done it ever so slightly differently.

So, I've said, many Muslims believe that Allah is One, which is what the word Tawhid means, and the Creator of everything.

The natural world is part of His creation and should be treated with respect.

Allah created the world with mizan and balance or harmony, and humans must help maintain it and not damage it.

Humans have been given the role of khalifah, or caretaker, meaning they have a role to look after the Earth as a trust from Allah.

When people pollute or destroy the environment, they commit fasad.

And this breaks that balance or harmony that Allah has created.

Muslims may try to restore fasad by acting as khalifah and trying to restore nature, thinking of some of the examples we gave there, by picking up litter, feeding birds, and planting trees.

If you've managed to use some of our key terms and you've managed to show an understanding of this idea of balance and mizan, the idea of a khalifah, then brilliant, you've done a fantastic job.

In our second part of this lesson, we're going to be looking at living as a khalifah in Bristol and Cambridge.

So as we said in the first part of the lesson, many Muslims are putting their beliefs into action and they are trying to live as khalifahs.

So we're going to investigate this in a bit more detail by looking at two particular case studies.

Case studies are really helpful because they're going to allow us to look at some real Muslims and the work they're doing and actually see how this philosophical, this theological vision is being put into practise.

We've chosen two case studies for you.

One is Cambridge Central Mosque in Cambridge, and you can see a photograph of it there.

It's a brand-new mosque.

And the other is the Easton Jamia Mosque in Bristol, which was converted from an old church and schoolhouses and is now a really beautiful mosque as well.

So, here are some photographs from Cambridge Mosque.

As I say, this is a really, really stunning building.

I wonder what you can see by looking carefully.

Can you see things here that might talk about how this building has been designed to try and benefit the environment? You might want to think about the materials that it's been made with.

You might want to look at some of the design and the way it's trying to ensure light, for example.

And you might want to look at the landscaping around it.

Take a few moments to look really carefully.

So you may have noticed that the building is of wood, which is a much more sustainable material.

You may have seen planting of wild flowers and trees all around it, giving it a beautiful green look to it, which will also help nature.

You may have sort of noticed as well that it has lots of glass and the roof and the side as well, letting in lots of natural light.

And you may have spotted some other things as well.

So, the Cambridge Central Mosque is Europe's first eco-mosque, and it was designed to reflect some of these principles we talked about like khalifah and mizan.

Some of the features, which you may have spotted, are things like it uses natural energy.

So we spotted the skylights, it uses LED lighting, and it has solar panels.

So it's using as little artificial light as possible, and when it is, it's trying to generate that through renewable means or by using energy-efficient light bulbs.

Its energy is generated through things like heat pumps and insulation, which are much better for the environment and don't use fossil fuels.

And that means that the climate control means it's cool in summer and warm in winter.

But it does this in a very balanced way.

It has, as you could see, a very sustainable design.

So, the wood is from a locally-sourced timber and that is obviously a much better material for the environment than using lots of concrete and brick.

And it's been designed as well with beautiful gardens, with lots of planting to encourage insects and help pollinators, which we know are reducing at the moment as well.

And also, it's been built in a way to encourage people to walk to it.

It has lots of bike parking.

It has an underground car park, which means that instead of cars being planted around on the surface, they're underground and that means there's more space for green and for wildlife.

So, it was really carefully designed to be an example of living as a khalifah.

So the mosque is a benefit, not just in terms of worship and for the Muslim community, but for nature as a whole.

Now this is Ahmed.

Ahmed actually attends Cambridge Mosque and he talks a little bit about what it is about the mosque that inspires him.

Ahmed says, "The mosque, with its forest-like inside, reminds me that being a khalifah means caring for the world Allah created.

It shows how we should live with care and balance.

Islam teaches that everything has its place and that we shouldn't waste or damage what Allah has created.

There is a hadith about planting a tree being a gift.

My family were inspired by our mosque to plant an apple tree in our garden." So you can see there that actually, the design of the building has helped Ahmed learn more about the environment and made him think more responsibly about not wasting the gift which he sees the world as.

And actually, his family have been inspired to plant a tree in their garden.

So their behaviour is changing as well and becoming more aware of how to treat this beautiful planet of ours.

I wonder what you could see in this photograph.

And I wonder how we might make some links again to the idea of khalifah and mizan.

Take a few moments to look really carefully at it.

Isn't that an absolutely beautiful photograph? So actually, it looks like a beautiful hotel, doesn't it? But it's another part of the mosque.

Ahmed tells us, "This is the wudu area for our Muslim sisters." So, for the Muslim women, when they go in to pray, the ritual washing happens there in that beautiful building and space.

"The roof allows natural light in so we use less electricity." You can see that big hole at the top, can't you, with the light pouring in.

"All the water we use is recycled from rainwater." So isn't that clever? So all the rain that falls on the mosque is collected and stored and then used again.

So that we're not wasting anything.

"It's a beautiful place that shows how being a khalifah is about taking practical actions to care for Allah's creation." So you could see that in really, really practical ways, Cambridge Mosque has been designed to try and show how we can live in balance and harmony.

Which of these Islamic principles is not directly reflected in the design of the Cambridge Central Mosque? Is it mizan, khalifah, fasad, or rahmah? Excellent.

It's fasad, isn't it? Because if you remember, that was the word that meant corruption, and everything about the design of the Cambridge Central Mosque is designed to keep that balance and harmony.

Brilliant if you got that right.

What can you see in these images? Again, take a moment.

Pause the video.

Look really carefully.

And I wonder what links you can make to khalifah here.

So if you look carefully, you might see that we've got two books here.

We've got "A Muslim's Guide to Climate Change" and we've got something called "Green Ramadan: An Islamic Guide to Reducing Waste and Caring for Allah's Creation." Let's meet someone who could tell us a bit more about it.

This is a photograph of Abdul Malik, and he is the Chairman of Easton Jamia Mosque in Bristol.

You can see him standing outside the mosque in Bristol.

He says, "Our mosque is in an inner city area of Bristol.

We have 300 people come to worship each week.

I think that climate change is a test for humanity and I wanted to help Muslims understand tangible things they could do to help." So we're going to learn a little bit more about what Abdul Malik and Easton Jamia Mosque in Bristol have been doing to help the environment.

Again, if you might want to pause the video to look at this a bit more carefully.

But what we've got here is a certificate, a certificate from the British Beacon Mosque Awards in 2021.

And this is an award won by Easton Jamia Mosque for their work around the environment.

They were nominated for the Best Mosque Green Initiative, which is a fantastic achievement.

So, how did they win this award? Well, one of the things they did was produce some guides to Muslims, I showed you them earlier, to help them understand and take action on climate change.

So producing those guides was one of the things they did.

They also bring the community together.

So every week, they invite older people in to give them advice on saving energy costs.

So they're trying to do some really practical things to help people in Bristol think about their responsibilities.

Got a true or false question for you here.

Muslims in the UK are not interested in the issue of climate change.

Think about what we've been learning so far.

Is that true or false? Excellent.

It's false, isn't it, and why? Because actually, we've just been talking about Easton Jamia Mosque and how they are helping local Muslims, educating them about climate change.

So Abdul Malik is going to explain why he helped write the guides on being Muslim and climate change.

He says, "I believe God created us for a purpose.

Islam has always taught care for the planet.

I think being a khalifah is being responsible for all living things.

We should not waste blessings that God has given us.

Climate change hurts the Earth and all of us.

The Qur'an says, 'Do not waste, for Allah does not love the wasteful.

' " So actually, he's showing that he created these because he thinks that one of the purposes of being a human is being responsible for all living things, and this world has been given as a blessing.

Climate change is a real problem because it's hurting the Earth.

And so as a Muslim, he feels responsibility and wants to encourage other Muslims as well not to waste these gifts, and to care for the Earth.

The guide encourages Muslims in the community to do small things to make a difference.

For example, not wasting water.

A hadith of the Prophet warns against wasting water, even for ablution, which is washing or wudu.

Avoid food waste by planning meals wisely.

Using cloth bags and glass or metal cups.

And trying to use public transport.

So all of these things are trying to educate Muslims in Bristol about how they can be better khalifahs and what differences they can make to help improve the planet and care for our resources.

Let's just check our understanding.

Which of these is not a reason Abdul Malik talks about why Muslims should care about climate change? A, being a khalifah is about being responsible for all living things.

B, being a khalifah is about not wasting God's blessings.

C, being a khalifah is about building an eco-mosque.

Excellent.

It's C, isn't it? Because that was the Cambridge case study was building the mosque.

The case study in Bristol, Abdul Malik's work, was about raising awareness and educating Muslims in Bristol to be better khalifahs.

Okay, I've got an activity for you now.

The first part of the activity is this.

We've got a table here with a set of different things that are going on to help people become more responsible.

And I want you to sort them into things, whether they're happening at Cambridge Central Mosque or the Easton Jamia Mosque in Bristol.

So we've got uses solar panels to generate renewable energy.

Using rainwater and graywater for toilets and gardens.

Built with sustainable timber and natural materials.

Creating guides and connecting Islam and climate change.

Working with the local community on climate projects.

And encouraging green travel, such as providing bike parking.

Which of these have we seen happening at Cambridge Mosque, and which at the Easton Mosque? Let's look at what you've put.

So, using solar panels and rainwater and building with sustainable timber are all things that were part of the design of the Cambridge Mosque.

Easton Mosque has created some guides around climate action and is working with the local community on climate projects.

And both of them are trying to encourage green travel by either providing bike parking or encouraging Muslims to use their car less.

Brilliant work if you got that right.

The second thing I'd like you to do is, choose either of the case studies.

So you can choose either Cambridge Central Mosque or the Easton Jamia Mosque in Bristol.

And describe the work they do and how that might link to ideas of living as a khalifah, a caretaker, or trying to create balance, or mizan.

Fantastic work.

I've given some examples here.

You may have come up with your own ideas, depending on what you focused on.

But you might have talked about Cambridge Mosque, the eco-mosque.

And you might have talked about it being a khalifah because it's been built with eco-friendly materials and using solar panels.

You might have talked about it helping to keep harmony by the way it saves energy and water and recycles water.

And so the very design of the building is all about being a good khalifah and keeping balance.

You might have looked at the Easton Jamia Mosque and talked about the idea that the work it's trying to do to educate the community and write guides around climate change is trying to help local Muslims be more understanding of how to act as a khalifah.

And some of the practical things that Abdul Malik and the mosque are trying to encourage Muslims to do, like not wasting food and saving water, is an act of mizan, of trying to create that balance and harmony and restore it.

So if you've managed to note some of these things down about these case studies, fantastic work.

Okay, let's sum up what we've been learning about today.

So we've learned that the Qur'an gives an Islamic vision for the environment.

This vision begins with the belief of Tawhid, the oneness of God, and the idea that all of creation belongs to and is sustained by Allah.

Humans are seen in the Qur'an as khalifahs, stewards or caretakers, who were entrusted to care for the Earth.

They have to keep the balance, the mizan, the harmony of the Earth, and avoid fasad, or corruption, when that harmony or balance is changed.

And finally, we looked at two case studies, at Cambridge Central Mosque and Easton Jamia Mosque in Bristol.

And these showed us how British Muslims are living out this vision in real, practical ways.

Really hope you've enjoyed this lesson today and hope you've learned something about Islamic ideas to the environment and you've been inspired by some of the amazing work in the case studies we've seen to help do more to protect our precious Earth.

Look forward to seeing you soon.