Central to Islam, and thus Islamic environmentalism, is the concept of balance. There is balance in terms of opposites — night & day, birth & death, sun & moon, fire & water, heaven & earth — and balance in terms of moderation — seeking the middle path between rights and duties.

Balance itself is a creation of Allah (glorious & exalted is He) and one of His signs that point to His existence, magnificence, and mercy. Seeing His creation out of balance is also a sign that we need to pause, reflect and take action.

We can clearly see the earth is out of balance: extinction and loss of species biodiversity, extreme temperatures, glacial melt, rising sea-levels, as well as increased frequency of intense weather events like hurricanes, fires, and droughts.

Our goal as Muslims is to move away from the extremes of extravagance, excess and wastefulness that have contributed to an unbalanced earth, and return to a moderate and just way of living and being.

And the heaven He raised and imposed the balance
That you not transgress within the balance.
And establish weight in justice and do not make deficient the balance.
Holy Quran, Surah Ar-Rahman 55:7-9

English translation by Sahih International via Quran.com

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