Eco-theology and Quran: A Reading of Select Ayat of Quran from Eco-Theological Point of View

Abstract

While homo sapiens are in the race to occupy the Moon and Mars, it is disheartening to note that they have degraded and destroyed the planet that has been their one and only one habitat for billions of years. The human attitude of subduing and mastering the earth has resulted in a large-scale change in bio-diversity and other ecosystem processes. Air pollution, water pollution, uncontrolled deforestation, rampant industrialization, urbanization and bioengineering have destabilized the harmony and balance in the whole ecosystem. Alarm bells have already been tolling in this regard and concerned people have been discussing the way forward. Preservation and protection of the environment is being talked about at all the available platforms. Theologies across different religions are being reinterpreted so that awareness among human beings could be raised in this direction. Eco-theology, therefore, has emerged as one of the most important disciplines in the recent five decades. In this paper, an attempt shall be made to present an eco-theological reading of the select ayat of the Holy Quran, a book that enlightens and guides the followers of the second largest and the fastest growing religion of the world, Islam.