Insects in the Quran
What they can tell us about God-centered environmentalism and the role we can play.
By Saarah Ahmed
A large part of modern day environmentalism is concerned with the role humans play concerning the environment. Similarly, Muslim environmentalism emphasizes the role that we play in our relationship with the environment, and fundamental to that relationship, is our relationship with God. How does centering God affect how we understand environmentalism, and what in particular distinguishes Muslim environmentalism from others?
This article explores these questions by drawing upon the verses that mention insects in the Quran. Though often dismissed as insignificant (or somehow less sentient due to their size), the decision to focus on the insects of the Quran, highlights their multifaceted, diverse and vital functions. Not only do insects play a crucial role in maintaining the balance and equilibrium of the physical environment, but they also serve as a spiritual point of reflection for us, taking us back to God.
By looking at these specific insect verses in the Quran, this article will demonstrate how insects contribute to environmental harmony, and what they can tell us about our relationship with the environment. Ultimately, this will shed light on God-centered environmentalism and the type of action that this knowledge should motivate or inspire in us.
God-centered environmentalism
Schools of environmentalism have theorized different dynamics between humans and their relationship to wider nature. The approaches tend to differ in two ways: the extent humans are distinct from nature and, linked, how involved or not humans should be with the environment. Different environmental philosophies may advocate for more or less human involvement with nature and vary in their views on whether humans are fundamentally distinct from the environment or an integral part of it and whether their involvement is part of the solution or problem.
Muslim environmentalism draws on different concepts to create an understanding of this relationship. Some of these concepts are: fitrah (innate nature), mizān (balance, middle path) and tawhīd (The oneness of God) [1]. One that is often used is the concept of Khilāfah [2] (God’s appointed stewards or vicegerents on Earth). The environmental philosopher Lynn White has criticized the Christian concept of dominion, often compared to Khilāfah, for promoting anthropocentric (human-centered) views that have led to environmental degradation. [3] Blaming human dominion over nature as the reason for environmental crises, signifies the problem comes from human’s interaction within nature. Differently, the Islamic concept of Khilāfah emphasizes humans’ moral responsibility, without needing to separate humans and their involvement from nature.
Within the Islamic tradition, humans are not seen as distinct from nature and the wider environment. Instead the relationship humans have with their environment is grounded by their relationship to God. This interconnectedness and non-distinction between humans and their environment is based on sharing the world as part of God’s creation. Humans are only differentiated by their ethical capacity, and their moral obligation and duty. This responsibility to the environment can also be seen as an extension of our approach to doing things; a wider modus operandi.
“And your Lord inspired the bee, saying, ‘Build yourselves houses in the mountains and trees and what people construct. Then feed on all kinds of fruit and follow the ways made easy for you by your Lord.’ From their bellies comes a drink of different colors in which there is healing for people. There truly is a sign in this for those who think.”
(Qurān 16:68–69)
If we look at Chapter 16 Verse 68–69 we see that the bee is asked by God to build a house in human habitats and humans are told that honey has healing powers for them. This demonstrates an interconnected relationship between the bee and humans, where the human is not differentiated by their (material) superiority over the bee, nor by the sole ability to provide care and protectiveness. It highlights how humans and bees mutually contribute to one another’s survival. We also now know that if bees become extinct, it would create massive food shortages, which could ultimately cause our extinction as well. [4] This exemplifies the interconnected, dependent and leveled relationship between humans and other creations.
Under an Islamic framework, humans are differentiated from the rest of God’s creations, not by our unique power or dominion, but by our ethical and moral capacity, which extends to the treatment of the environment. Aligning with the ultimate human relationship, the human finds their purpose in worship, which shapes their relationship to nature, animals, themself, and their wider environment. The role of the human, invoked under Muslim environmentalism, is part of a broader Islamic worldview, and cannot be understood in isolation from it.
“Solomon’s hosts of jinn, men, and birds were marshaled in ordered ranks before him, and when they came to the Valley of the Ants, one ant said, ‘Ants! Go into your homes, in case Solomon and his hosts unwittingly crush you.’ Solomon smiled broadly at her words and said, ‘Lord, inspire me to be thankful for the blessings You have granted me and my parents, and to do good deeds that please You; admit me by Your grace into the ranks of Your righteous servants.”
(Qurān 27:17–19)
Chapter 27 Verse 17–19, shows Prophet Solomon (PBUH)’s understanding of the queen ant’s concern for her colony’s safety. Prophet Solomon (PBUH) is grateful to God for the blessing of being able to understand her. Showing his special relationship to the environment and ability to communicate with non-human creatures is directly linked to God’s blessings upon Solomon. His response compels him to thank God, acknowledging that the miracle of communicating with animals, including the queen ant, are blessings from God. That is to say that any of Prophet Solomon (PBUH)’s distinct ability is attributed to God’s ultimate power.
Similarly, another distinguishing feature of Muslim environmentalism, is that the relationship we have with our environment isn’t solely based on how it serves us. Instead nature and the wider environment have intrinsic value [5] as part of God’s creation. The worth of the environment, and all that’s in it, isn’t limited to the material value that it provides; its value also extends to its reflective and spiritual value, serving as a space to come back to God. There are many examples of the spiritual value that nature serves in the Quran, often followed by “there are signs for those who reflect.”
“Those who take protectors other than God can be compared to spiders building themselves houses– the spider’s is the frailest of all houses– if only they could understand.”
(Quran 29:41)
In Chapter 29 Verse 41, the spider and her web are an analogy for remembering God. The spider and its web are also significant to us due to its importance in the story of Ghar Thawr (Cave of Thawr) where the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) sought refuge with his companions, and the spider’s web helped protect them from harm. Again this reinforces the message that the ultimate power belongs to God and that humans, like the rest of God’s creations, are also in need of His protection.
The last example I want to draw upon is the verses mentioning the locusts, sent down as part of God’s punishment, and as a clear sign of God.
“So We let loose upon them the flood, and the locusts, and the lice, and the frogs, and blood — all explicit signs — but they were too arrogant. They were a sinful people”
(Quran 7:133)
Once again we see that the value of the insect is to bring us back to God and remind us of our purpose in relationship to Him. It also serves as a reminder that God is the Creator of everything, with whom all superiority and ultimate dominion lies.
Reflections/Conclusion
Muslim environmentalism doesn’t exist in a distinct space but rather can be seen as an extension of Islamic teaching and principles. In this way, any human power or capacity to act is always attached to a responsibility and duty, and is linked to worship. Ultimate power belongs to God which dictates our role as stewards on earth. Our role in nature can be characterized by our moral capacity; where doing good by nature is a way back to God. The environment and nature have intrinsic value because they are part of God’s creation, and provide spiritual capacity and value to us, not just material benefits.
The material, physical environment around us doesn’t exist distinctly just as, but rather, is inseparable from a spiritual dimension. The disconnections and severed relationship we see between the environment and humans is, in part, symptomatic of modern relationships to the environment, and also our diminished relationship to the divine.
But what does this mean for how we live? And how should God-centeredness change our behaviors? If God-conscience needs to be present in all that we do, including how we interact with the environment, then our treatment and care of nature shouldn’t and mustn’t depend on how it serves us. Whilst environmentalism in the Western world often emerges to provide a solution to problems, in Islamic tradition, these relationships are part of our wider modes of being, even if they have since been forgotten.
Disclaimer: Views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the contributors and do not necessarily reflect the views, policy or position of the organization.
Sources
[1] Each of these major concepts cannot be translated so simply and have understandings and implications that are far beyond the brief translation included. Simultaneously some critique of selecting these concepts to help formulate an Islamic environmentalism have been made by Anna Gade, as being reductionary and imposed extractions.
[2] The concept of Khilāfah is not just relevant to the relationship to the environment, but can be understood beyond that context as well. It is also important to note that there are other important concepts that can be invoked when talking about the environment.
[3] The Historical Roots of Our Ecological Crisis. White, Lynn Jr. (1967). Science. 155. 3767.
[4] “How Bees Affect the Food Chain,” greatergood.org, April 12, 2024, https://greatergood.org/blog/how-bees-affect-the-food-chain.
[5] The discussion of intrinsic value and extrinsic value have been parts of discussions between environmentalists. Mcshane, Katie. (2007). Why Environmental Ethics Shouldn’t Give Up on Intrinsic Value. Environmental Ethics. 29. 43–61.
