Prof Farida Khanam is an author, editor, translator, public speaker and former professor of Islamic Studies at Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi. Among her books are ‘A Simple Guide to Islam’ and ‘A Study of World’s Major Religions’. She has translated into English many books authored by Maulana Wahiduddin Khan. Currently the chairperson of CPS International, she is a regular contributor of articles to various publications. Prof Khanam has edited Maulana’s English translation of the Quran and has also translated his Urdu commentary on the Quran into English. She can be reached at [email protected]

KNOW GOD’S CREATION PLAN
The World is a Testing Ground

SPAN is a bimonthly general interest e-magazine on India and the United States published in English, Hindi, and Urdu by the Embassy of the United States in New Delhi since November 1960. The caption on its May–June 2021 title page was Combating the Climate Crisis.

Most of the articles in this issue dealt with climate related challenges such as eating habits affecting the planet Earth, controlling air pollution, environment-friendly lifestyle, harnessing the strength to deal with climate change.

At present, news about global warming keeps popping up one after another. Industrial development has brought with it the problem of industrial pollution. This pollution has resulted in global warming, i.e., chaotic weather conditions, melting of glaciers, loss of fragile animals, contamination of sea water and deterioration of life-support systems, etc. The root cause of all these disturbances in nature is global warming. The real cause of global warming is the lifestyle. The current sources of the world only allow humans to use it according to their actual need.

However, every person’s target today is a luxurious lifestyle. It is this unreal goal of man that has created a serious problem of global warming in the present time. Though the Quran was revealed some 1400 years ago, there are many verses in the Quran that discuss future events. Such verses have continued to become more understandable as the events unfold in the world. Climate Change and Global Warming have been described in the Quran thus: Corruption has appeared on land and sea because of the evil which men's hands have done: and so God will make them taste the fruit of some of their doings, so that they may turn back from evil. (30: 41) The verse also provided hope that things can be rectified if we mend our ways.

CLARION CALL FOR CHANGING LIFESTYLE TO SAVE THE ENVIRONMENT

Prime Minister of India Shri Narendra Modi while addressing via video link the World Bank event ‘Making it Personal: How Behavioural Change Can Tackle Climate Change’ said climate change cannot be fought from conference tables alone as it has to be fought from the dinner tables in every home. He further said"When people become conscious that simple acts in their daily lives are powerful, there will be a very positive impact on the environment.“ (Times of India, April 16, 2023) This is a result-oriented approach to tackle the menace of Climate Change. The Quran guides us towards this methodology. It says that every individual holds accountability for their actions. It gives the formula of the reformation of an individual for the societal transformation. After all a society is a group of individuals.

Religiosity is a conscious
act rather than the
observance of a set of
rituals.