Integrating Environment with Health: An Islamic Perspective

Abstract

With the increasing challenge of addressing environmental health issues, various approaches have been proposed to reduce environmental problems. For Muslims all over the world, the Qur’an, Hadith, and Sunnah are recognised as the authoritative messages for spiritual and behavioural guidance on how humans can react to protect the environment and health. This review aims to integrate the environment with health from the perspective of Islam. An exploration of Qur’anic, Hadith, and Sunnah Muslim scholar views and articles was carried out to identify environmental health issues. Integrating Islamic aspects into environmental health includes: (i) environmental dimensions of natural and social environments; (ii) dimensions of health including disease, wellness, intellectual health, transcendence, and Qalbe Salim; and (iii) principles that can be used to describe people’s attitudes towards the environment through unity, balance, and responsibility. Differences between Islamic and Western views on the environment include that taqwa-centric is the highest level of environmental responsibility, with religious duty serving as the key driver of environmental activity. About 89 verses were identified in 42 Qur’anic chapters, with a strong emphasis on the health aspect in relation to the water, biodiversity, corruption of the earth, waste minimisation, and climate change. The Hadith and Sunnah highlight cleanliness as another important value in Islamic ethics, focusing on environmental conservation. Current and future research trends may be able to identify research gaps concerning the Islamic aspect of handling environmental health issues, which can then be implemented into the educational system. These findings imply that Islam could be a powerful source and educational medium for environmental health interventions in large communities, as well as for improving and preserving a healthy environment.