The Islamic Bulletin Volume X No. 23 Page 5 offered him a little coffee money for his trouble, he agreed. When the bus suddenly stopped and all 6 of us brothers stood up simultaneously to exit the bus, the other passengers became alarmed. “What’s going on? What’s happening? Just to make sure that the bus driver would not leave us stranded in the Andes mountains while we prayed, we prayed directly in front of the bus’ tires. All the passengers stood in astonishment watching us pray. After offering our prayers, the bus driver and his assistant asked us to sit in the front of the bus and explain our religion, Islam, to him while the others slept. For the next 8 hours, we explained Islam to him. By the end of the ride, he told us that this was the best thing that he had ever heard in life. He wanted to embrace Islam but was hesitant. He asked, “Could I have been wrong for the past 40 years? How can I suddenly leave all this after an 8 hour drive?” He asked for some literature on Islam and we gave him the few that we had. In addition to these two cities, we also visited other cities and had many stops along the way. We met Muslims who were originally from India, Pakistan, Syria, Lebanon, Turkey, and Palestine. And at every stop, we encountered non-Muslim people hungry for Islam. May Allah (SWT) reward the efforts of the Bolivian Muslims and grant their dua’ for a permanent Masjid. Approximately 6 months after we had left Bolivia, we were told that a Muslim brother from England had visited Bolivia and loved the community. In fact, when this brother went back to England he began to fundraise to establish a Masjid in La Paz, Bolivia. Alhamdullilah, a brother in England heard about the project and purchased the Masjid (see photo below). The 3-story building he purchased for the Masjid included a large prayer hall for the men and women, a kitchen, a children’s classroom, and an apartment for the Imam. Seven days after it was purchased, this brother passed away. May Allah (SWT) build a house for him in Jannah. Hanging in the Masjid doorway in La Paz, Bolivia is a plaque in memory of this brother. “And whatever good you send ahead for yourselves, you will find it with Allah, better and having a great reward;” (Quran 73:20) As Muslims, we should always give the best of our wealth and time because we have control of it now. Who knows when death will take us? Is anyone really prepared? Every good deed we do, every charity we give, every kind word we speak--all wis being recorded. The New Masjid In La Paz, Bolivia Prophet Mohammed (SAW): A Pioneer of the Environment BY FRANCESCA DE CHATEL “There is none amongst the believers who plants a tree, or sows a seed, and then a bird, or a person, or an animal eats thereof, but it is regarded as having given a charitable gift [for which there is great recompense].” [Al-Bukhari, III:513]. The idea of the Prophet Mohammed (SAW) as a pioneer of environmentalism will initially strike many as strange: indeed, the term “environment” and related concepts like “ecology”, “environmental awareness” and “sustainability”, are modern-day inventions, terms that were formulated in the face of the growing concerns about the contemporary state of the natural world around us. And yet a closer reading of the hadith, the body of work that recounts significant events in the Prophet’s life, reveals that he was a staunch advocate of environmental protection. One could say he was an “environmentalist avant la lettre”, a pioneer in the domain of conservation, sustainable development and resource management, and one who constantly sought to maintain a harmonious balance between man and nature. From all accounts of his life and deeds, we read that the Prophet (SAW) had a profound.......connection to the four elements, earth, water, fire and air. He (SAW) was a strong proponent of the sustainable use and cultivation of land and water, proper treatment of animals, plants and birds, and the equal rights of users. In this context the modernity of the Prophet’s (SAW) view of the environment and the concepts he introduced to his followers is particularly striking; certain passages of the hadith could easily be mistaken for discussions about contemporary environmental issues. Three Principles The Prophet’s (SAW) environmental philosophy is first of all holistic: it assumes a fundamental link and interdependency between all natural elements and bases its teachings on the premise that if man abuses or exhausts one element, the natural world as a whole will suffer direct consequences. This belief is nowhere formulated in one concise phrase; it is rather an underlying principle that forms the foundation of all the Prophet’s (SAW) actions and words, a life philosophy that defined him as a person. The three most important principles of the Prophet’s (SAW) philosophy of nature are based on the Qur’anic teachings and the concepts of tawhid (unity), khalifa (stewardship) and amana (trust). Tawhid, the oneness of God, is a cornerstone of the Islamic faith. It recognizes the fact that there is One absolute Creator and that man is responsible to Him for all his actions: “To God belongs all that is in the heavens and in the earth, for God encompasses everything [4:126].” The Prophet (SAW) acknowledges that God’s knowledge and power covers everything. Therefore abusing one of his creations, whether it is a living being or a natural resource, is a sin. The Prophet (SAW) considered all of God’s creations to be equal before God and he believed animals, but also land, forests and watercourses should have rights. Water Company in Australia , hadeeth of the Prophet Muhammad SAW : Do Not Waste Water Even if You Were at a Running Stream.
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