Education and Ecology From
Al-Ghazaly's Perspectives
Malek, B
& Al-Kanderi, L (2004). Education
and Ecology From Al-Ghazaly's
Perspectives. In Future of the Arab Education. Number
(33).
Defining Education in an Islamic Context
Definition of Environment, Ecology, and Sustainability
Islamic Edu-Cology in Al-Ghazaly’s Writing
Al-Ghazaly’s Politics of Ecological Administration
The Importance of Edu-cology as part of “Comida”
Ecological Literacy by David Orr (1992)
addresses the importance of teaching ecology as an integral part of the
curriculum in schools, from the very beginning of a child’s formal
education. This idea has validity,
especially because our planet is suffering from an overload of chemicals, air
pollution, loss of topsoil, and many other “ills” that can be corrected by
incorporating ecological literacy in all academic systems, from grade school
through college and beyond.
However,
this paper precedes Orr’s idea of classroom ecology by placing the emphasis on
the home and family, as expressed by the great Muslim thinker, Al-Ghazaly (505
-1111), who lived in medieval times.
While Al-Ghazaly, unlike Orr, did not write a book or even a chapter on
ecology, per se, evidence is scattered throughout his works and books by other writers, that demonstrates his ideas were indeed consistent
with some concepts of ecology taught recently. For example, Smith (1944)
mentions that Al-Ghazaly writes of the beauty of green things, of running
water, of a fair face, and of beautiful colors and sounds” (p. 82).
This medieval thinker connected ecological concepts with
Islamic codes of behavior, which are part of daily life. For instant, the first
chapter in Part II of his book Ihya’ ‘ulum al-dín (The Revival of the
Religious Sciences), is called “Rules of Eating and Drinking.” It includes such topics as rules for eating
alone, rules at the time of eating, rules of eating with others, and
hospitality. The prayers before and
after eating acknowledge the importance of food in our lives and giving
thanks. we
interpret this as one aspect of “comida[1],”
as explored in Grassroots Modernism by Esteva
and Prakash (1998).
The Qur’an and hadith
(Prophetic sayings) are the main sources for guiding Muslims’ lives and
manners. This paper will present Al-Ghazaly’s concept of ecological literacy
through his emphasis on the Muslim faith and the importance that this faith
places on home and family life. This
will be accomplished in three step, each is built of
the previous one:
1. The definition of
education from the Islamic point of view, which includes ecology. (This also
shows the link between Islamic education and Al-Ghazaly’s writings.)
2. The Role of
Al-Ghazaly’s emphasis on edu-cology within the family
3. The importance of edu-cology as part of “comida”.
The term education in Arabic means tarbiyah
and does not require sitting in a classroom and learning from books. The meaning of education in the
Islamic context is learning by doing and watching parents and others, which,
foreshadows Illich’s (1992), and other post
modernists’ theories about “deschooling”. This meaning is inherent in the terms tarbiyah, ta’lim,
and ta’dib.
They are interrelated in their concern for humans, society, and the
environment, which in turn, are all related to God. They represent the scope of
education in Islam, both formal and informal (Erfan,
and Valie, 1995, p. 2). In the Arabic dictionaries Lisan al-Arab (2000) and Al-qamus al-muheet (2000) these
three terms basically mean increasing, growing, reforming, cultivating, or
purifying one’s knowledge, such that one is a well-balanced person (Ibn Taymiyyah, 1994). Thus, this concept can be applied to
intellectual knowledge, personal conduct, and spiritual growth. Again, education
is much more than classroom lessons.
The Qur’an connects teaching
with purifying one’s soul. Allah says:
It is He Who has sent
Amongst the Unlettered
A messenger from among
Themselves, to rehearse
To them His Signs,
To sanctify them, and
To instruct them in scripture
And wisdom-although
They had been, before,
In manifest error- (62: 2) (Ali, 1995, p. 1466).
The terms ,
ta’dib, and tarbiyah,
have been translated from medieval to modern times to mean “education”, which
in Islam is also meant to include the idea of a well-balanced person who is
ultimately the inculcation of adab (morality).
This word, which Al-Attas (1979) refers to as
“encompassing the spiritual and material life of a [person] that instills the
quality of goodness that is sought after” is also part of readying a child for
adulthood, which in the Western world is called education. The Prophet Muhammad
said: “O Lord God! Thou hast made good my creation; there fore make good my
character.” (Al-Attas, p. 1).
According to this hadith and
others, the term education is broadened to include morals. In order to make
this clear, Prophet Muhammad summarized his
educational vision and mission by saying, “I have been sent only for the
purpose of perfecting good morals” (Al-Bukhary, 1999, No. 274, p. 126).
Morals is not only with other humans, but also
with nature, Al-Ghazaly (in Winter, 1995, p. 17) believed that “A trait of
character, then, is a firmly established condition [hay’a]
of the soul, from which actions proceed easily without any need for thinking or
forethought.” By developing good character, Al-Ghazaly also believed you were
worshipping God. Perhaps we might add
that helping the child develop positive attitudes can instill these character traits.
Thus, through the parents’ nurturing the child in positive ways (also a way of
following God’s commandments), we can consider this an informal education
method, and the good characteristics become personal, daily life habits.
Historically,
philosophers and thinkers in many different civilizations have intended to transform the way we see, think, act, and interact; they
have often considered themselves to be mankind’s ultimate educators (Rorty, 1998) . Tāhā Hussein (in Galal, 1994) has
long been revered by Egyptian intelligentsia as a great educational
philosopher. In The Future of
Education in Egypt, he devoted a whole section of his book, explaining the
role of the teacher. Galal
offers Hussein’s example of the traditional Arab-Islamic educator, whose job
was to prepare and develop the rulers’ sons to “assume the tasks of government,
administration, and leadership, instilling in them the uprightness befitting an
exemplar, who must direct and manage the affairs of the people” (p. 702). Hussein, like Illich,
Prakash, Gandhi, (in Prakash,
1993), stresses that the teacher does not “merely fill the pupil’s head
with knowledge,” but also needs to “train and discipline [the pupil’s] mind…to
prepare him for practical life and…to raise his intellectual level” (p. 702).
The
Role of Al-Ghazaly’s Emphasis on Edu-cology within
the Family
Al-Ghazaly states that learning and discipline begin at home,
before the child enters school. His writings actually promote ecological
literacy in the family. Using
Al-Ghazaly’s teachings as a model, parents can start teaching ecology in their
own homes with their pre-school children. His teachings are based on the Qu’ran and Prophetic sayings, with Al-Ghazaly’s
contribution being the organization of this information in a way that every
Muslim can easily understand the concept of ecology that are woven throughout
his work.
From the ecologist perspective in his book Ecological Literacy,
Orr (1992) talks about the importance of “the art of living well in a place”
(p. 125). Orr comments that education needs to be more
than an indoor activity of sitting at a desk and learning from books. What we need is experiential learning that
involves interacting with nature. One of
the ancient philosophies is that we can give people fish to feed them for one
day or teach those people to fish so they have a livelihood (Freeman,
1998). By the same token, if parents
give their children food and clothing without explaining how nature provided
these things, those children will only be fed and clothed for the time
being. But if the parents teach the
children to grow food, or make their clothing, they can interact with nature
and continue to survive independently.
Like other
ecologists (Orr, (1992); Berry (1997), (1987), Esteva
and Prakash, (1998); and (Ghandih, in Prahash 1993),
Al-Ghazaly (1994) believed that
educating and teaching are part of the parent’s and family’s role and what the
children learn from their families, farms, friends, and environment is perhaps
more important than the classroom.
Like Armstrong,
(1992), Al-Ghazaly’s (1994) “edu-cology” within the family reflects that of Prophet
Muhammad’s teaching. He helped his
family with the household chores and did everything for himself: he cut his
own meat, he mended and patched his clothes, cobbled
his own shoes and looked after the goats (Malek,
1997, p. 152). Al-Ghazaly
even believed that we can learn from our enemies, because we can learn how to
act. Therefore, if a person destroys
trees, the child can learn not to do so because it would harm the
environment. More specifically, Al-Ghazaly (in Winter, p. 53) says: “it may
happen that a man gains more from an enemy and a foe who reminds him of his
faults than from a dissimulating friend who speaks highly of him, and hides
from him his fault.”
Just as Orr (1992) believes that ecology cannot be a separate
subject, but rather a concept woven throughout all classes, so, too, the fact
that Al-Ghazaly does not make a separate section in any of his books on ecology
per se, demonstrates that both see ecology as a core issue in living. The
universality of these concepts is that they are not specifically religious, but
rather political and ethical ideas for saving the planet. Although they are
part of the Muslim faith, they are found in other faiths; thus, the ecological
tenets are pluriversal and can be applied to any
family of any background.
According to Al-Ghazaly (in Ihya’,
translated by Ul-Karim, 1978), education is analogous
to rain and as such, may also be defined as the
…rain which comes down pure
from the sky. Trees, plants and leaves
drink that water through their roots.
That water then assumes different natures according to the different
kinds of trees and leaves. Water
increases bitterness in a plant, which is bitter, and sweetness in a plant
which is sweet. The condition of
education is similar (Ul-Karim, 1978, vol. 3, p. 320).
Education
in the broadest sense can be defined as a social process. It is a process of life –
not merely a preparation for the future.
It is also a fundamental
method of social progress and reform
(Dewey, 1997). In Ecological Literacy, Orr (1992) describes how
acquired knowledge (education or technology), like water, assumes different
natures. If this knowledge is used to
create situations that contaminate our environment, such as a modern factory
dumping its industrial waste into a nearby river, we will slowly destroy the
planet. On the other hand, we can also
use this same knowledge (education) to solve the planetary problems that we
have already created and furthermore, to prevent additional destruction in the
name of progress. We might need to redefine education so that it is not “the
alienation of learning from living,” as described by Illich
(1992 ) in In
Lieu of Education. In fact, the
Muslim faith and the ecological writings of Al-Ghazaly are based
exactly on this idea of learning through living.
In addition to using the rain
analogy, Al-Ghazaly (1951) makes another one by saying that the
role of an educator is like that of a farmer.
The farmer takes the undeveloped resources (dirt, seeds, water) and
combines them to make food. Thus the
parent/educator takes the child/student and the lessons and puts them together
to convey knowledge and help the child to grow.
As part of the process, the farmer removes the weeds and thorns and dead
leaves to help nurture the growing item.
In the same way, the parent/teacher fosters appropriate interpersonal
relationships, corrects inaccurate ideas, and demonstrates what is good and
what is not, nurturing the child’s good character.
Another facet of this analogy of
the educator as farmer is that a person is a “tiller” (hārith);
what he accomplishes and achieves in his life on earth is his tillage, and the
time of his death is his harvest, where he will reap what he has sown for
himself (McCarthy, 1980)
. Al-Ghazaly placed
great emphasis on family life as a positive place of learning. According to Al-Ghazaly (1978),
God entrusted children into the hands of their parents, who are like the
farmers. “The heart of
a child is bright like a jewel and soft like a candle and free from all
impressions” (vol. 3, p. 75). The
family plays a critical role, being responsible for teaching its children
language, customs, and religious traditions.
Therefore, the primary responsibility for children's education and
integrity falls on the shoulders of the parents. In other words, the parents
will reap what they sow. And, if they
neglect the child's upbringing, that is, do not remove the weeds, they bear the
burden of the sin of neglect (vol. 3, p. 77), or in farm language, reap a bad
crop.
Al-Ghazaly's perspectives on family education can be studied in terms of both
theory and practice. For example,
parents will read a verse in the Qur’an:
“Save yourselves and your families from a Fire” (66:6). This refers to the
concept that parents must teach their children wisely so that they will not
suffer from Hellfire. Within this context, human beings are capable of free
choice between right and wrong, growth or stagnation. The parents help the
children to make good choices every day in order not to suffer Fire. From a practical perspective,
Al-Ghazaly
believed that children acquire personality characteristics and behavior through
living in society and interacting with the environment. Al-Ghazaly (1978) claimed that, “nobody can be learned
unless he puts his learning into practice” (vol. 2, p. 71). From both the theoretical and practical perspectives, learning reflects aspects of a
society's philosophy, aims, cultures, and customs from generation to
generation.
According
to Dewey, education is a significant element in every society. The family as
agent socializes us, from birth to adulthood, directly and indirectly. It is the one continuous force that still
strongly affects humans on various levels: socially, emotionally,
intellectually, and even physically. According to Al-Ghazaly (1994), the Muslim family, steeped in the verses of the Qur’an
and the words of Prophet Muhammad, is the first place of learning and cannot be
separated from Islamic teaching.
In order to show the link between ecology and education in Al-Ghazaly’s
writings, some definitions are needed. According to Zekai
Sen, (2000) in a book called Religions of the
World and Ecology:
Environment may be defined
as that part of space where human activities take place for the betterment of
all living creatures in a harmonious manner. Degradation in human faith and
uncontrolled interactions with the natural environment are the sole factors,
which have damaged atmospheric, lithospheric, hydrospheric environments that are essential parts for
survival on this planet.
Ecology
is defined in Webster’s (1993) Third New International Dictionary as:
1. A branch of science concerned with the
interrelationship of organisms and their environment.
2. The totality or pattern of relations between
organisms and their environment.
3. Human ecology, [that is], a branch of
sociology that studies the relationship between a human community and its
environment; specifically, the study of the spatial and temporal
interrelationships between men (humans) and their economic, social, and
political organization. (See also Ophuls, 1977, p. 4)
A third definition, that of (ecological as opposed to
technological) sustainability,
is also important to define. In The
Development Dictionary, Shiva (1992) in the essay Resources seems to be the
most complete, because it includes the ecological crises our planet faces
within the definition.
The
original concept (of sustainability) refers to nature’s capacity to support
life. Sustainability in nature implies
maintaining the integrity of nature’s processes, cycles and rhythms. It
involves the recognition that the crisis of sustainability is a crisis rooted
in neglecting nature’s needs and processes and impairing nature’s capacity to
‘rise again.’ In a finite, ecologically interconnected and entropy-bound world,
nature’s limits need to be respected, they cannot be set by the
whims and conveniences of capital and market forces, no matter how clever the
technologies summoned to their aid. (p. 217)
Using these definitions, Al-Ghazaly’s writings can be seen to
include the study of ecology as part of a child’s education from
birth. Ecological literacy mainly
describes the problems of modern or postmodern industrialized societies, and
how education can contribute to solutions (
The
term edu-cology is the term the researchers has
created to show the relationship between education (within the family) and
ecology, which are inextricably linked in Islam, reflected in Al-Ghazaly’s
writings. While the Qur’an and the hadith form the umbrella of Islam, Al-Ghazaly’s
words rely on the umbrella and at the same time, explain each of the many
concepts, like many raindrops on the umbrella, more systematically. He
contemplated that the world of nature is a mirror reflecting the Divine God,
who is both transcendent and immanent. Al-Ghazaly (1996) also wrote that the
universe is our home, the sky is our roof, the earth is our floor, and the
stars are our lamps. The animals, the trees, the air and all of nature are the
tools for living and must be used wisely. In addition, this thinker includes
mundane activities, saying that a sign of a learned man “is that he be not
disposed to indulgence in his food and drink, and luxury in his dress,
furniture and housing. Rather, he should
prefer economy in all things, emulating, thereby, the blessed Fathers” (Al-Ghazaly in Faris, 1991, p.
173). While he talks about balance, at
times some thinkers have criticized Al- Ghazali as
not practicing balance, because some of his stories have very strange ideas
that seem to be the opposite of the reality of balance, for example, talking
about a man who went to his grave without ever eating salt, or another fasting
for 20 days to stress the importance of hunger (Al-Ghazaly
in Winter, 1995). These stories and others led some scholars to questions Al-Ghazaly’s Mystic observations.
In reviewing Al-Ghazaly’s writings
there were meditations that point to his concern about the environment. For
example, he said that we need to look at the world and how it is created, not
just humans, but also all of nature and God’s creatures. When we have become
aware of all that surrounds us, next we should notice how we are influenced by
everything that we see in nature. Using
the Qur’an as his main resource, he
writes many chapters in his books about nature, creation, and the environment.
Concerning animals, he points out how
bees give us honey and cows provide us with milk and meat. However, Al-Ghazaly (1994) emphasizes that we must treat these
animals with kindness. For instance,
with beasts of burden, do not give the beast too heavy a load because the
animals also deserve mercy. Writers came
after influence on Al-Ghazaly’s works, in his book Some
Glittering Aspects of The Islamic Civilization, Siba’i
(1984, pp. 136-137) mentions some laws relating to the kind
treatment of animals made by Islamic legists:
1. The owner of animals
should provide all the needs of these creatures,
2. The legists have
prohibited people from putting greater burden on the beasts than they can
easily bear,
3. And if an animal
oppresses another, it is nonsensical to think of it and judge it in human
terms, and so no ‘criminal’ beast shall be punished for this ’crime’. However, its owner can be brought to account
and compensate for it, if it can be proven that he has
been careless in keeping his animal properly secured and restraining it from
doing harm.
Al-Ghazaly (1994) encouraged the people to plant trees to
protect the earth. Furthermore, he
directed the proper location for the trees to flourish, showing his knowledge
of ecology, even as early as the Middle Ages. In teaching his students about the earth, he
would explain how a seed is placed in the ground, watered by the rain, how it
is harvested and how to grind the seed to make the seeds edible, etc.
Another aspect of Al-Ghazaly’s
writings, which can be interpreted as an ecological concept, is his attitude
about spiritual disciplines. His method
was simple. First, learn about a good trait, such as generosity. Then go out and perform generous acts. By
continuing to do these generous acts, even struggling with the soul, until his
nature conforms to the act, generosity then becomes easy (Al-Ghazaly in Winter, 1995).
We can take this concept and apply to caring for things in
the earth. If you understand the value of conserving water and you practice
conserving it in all aspects of life, then eventually you will be a water
conservationist. This method is not
difficult if one accepts the validity of the behavior being made a habit. In
teaching these habits to extend to eating, sleeping, drinking, etc., he guides
parents to act appropriately and be models for their children. More specifically, one who overindulges in
food and drink will fall prey to diseases; thus, the ecology of the body is
affected as well. If one has already overindulged, he or she “should therefore proceed a little at
a time by eating progressively less and less of his accustomed nourishment.” (Al-Ghazaly in Winter, 1995, p.134). Thus, if we carry this into our current
planetary problems, we can reverse the destruction gradually, with each person
being responsible for his or her own gradual reduction of negative habits.
In the 20th
century some Western Muslim thinkers such as Hofmann (1993) states that Islam is the
alternative. Hoffman, like the other post-modernists in this course,
states that, “nature can be saved by nothing less than a revolutionary change
of Western man’s attitude as a consumer” (p. 96). Hofmann (1993) concludes that “only when
[Western man] sees himself, as the Muslim does, as ‘abd
(servant of God) can such a revolution take place” (p. 96). The term ‘iabadah
means that every Muslim needs to operate with good intentions, speaking every
word and doing every deed that God would approve, coming from within the
person’s heart. For
Al-Ghazaly (1951), the term ‘ibadah
is “conformity to the Sacred Law in commands and prohibitions, in both word and
deed” (p. 11). Ibn Taymiyyah (1999), like Al-Ghazaly extends this term to worship “ as a comprehensive
term that encompasses everything that Allah loves and is pleased with, of both
statements and actions, (both) the apparent and hidden” (p. 29).
From these readings one can see that Al-Ghazaly, like Hoffman, had a strong connection to the earth
and to the teachings of the Qur’an. They both
believe that Islam’s commandments of the restrictions and rules were placed on
humans to preserve the environment. Their concern with the water, vegetation,
Earth, the animal kingdom, and the atmosphere come directly from his Muslim
faith.
In some of Al-Ghazaly’s
books there are examples of all these ecological concerns, which he then
connects to everyday activities. For
example, using the belief about the importance of planting trees, he might
recommend that families take good care of the trees where they live. Or he
might take the Muslim concept of water as the secret of life and was very
specific, noting that urinating in a lake goes against nature and to pollute
the water is a sin. Prophet Muhammad said that, “any Muslim who plants or
cultivates vegetation and eats from it, or another person, animal or bird, eats
from it will receive a reward for it form Allah” (Bukhari,
2000).
In his book Ihya’,
Al-Ghazaly (1994) codifies many of these teachings
into an organized format that any one person or family could use as a daily
guide. He was very specific, listing
such activities: how to wash your hands so as not to waste water, how to eat in
moderation because overeating is not only unhealthy, but wastes food that
someone else could eat. Al-Ghazaly (in Winter, 1997) states
that,
… the first trait
to take control of [their children] will be greed for food; they are to be
disciplined in this regard, so that for instance, they pick up food only with
their right hand, says ‘In the name of God’ when raising it, eat from that
which is nearest to them, and do not start eating before others. They should
not stare at their food or at the other people present, neither should they
bolt it, but should chew it properly; they should not eat one mouthful after
another without pause, they should not get food on their hand or their clothes,
and they should acquire the habit of some times eating nothing but bread so
that they do not think that the presence of other kinds of food is inevitable. They should (be) made to dislike eating large
quantities by being told that this is the practice of animals, and by seeing
other children reproached for overeating or praised for being well-mannered and
moderate. They should be made to enjoy giving the best food to others, and
encouraged to pay little heed to what he eats and to be contented with its
coarser varieties (pp. 76-77).
Al-Ghazaly
in his advice encourages parents to teach their children that, “food is a means
of maintaining health” (p. 80). He concludes
by mentioning one of the Islamic jurisprudent, Al-Shfi’I,
who said
… never I been
satisfied in sixteen years, because a full stomach fattens the body, hardens
the heart, dulls the intellect, fosters sleep, and renders man lazy in worship.
See, then, his wisdom in enumerating the evils of a full stomach and how he had
deprived himself of its luxury in favour of diligence
in worship; truly to act down on food is the beginning of religion (Al-Ghazaly in Faris, 1991, p. 60).
Al-Ghazaly also explains how to
brush our teeth with a natural stick (miswak). Alvares (1992) notes that commercial toothpaste is not necessary for life.
When toothpaste is unavailable, the people in the community can return to using
neem sticks, mango or cashew leaves, or some other
natural mixtures from ginger, charcoal and salt. These noncommercial materials are all locally
available and were used long before toothpaste was manufactured. Also it is not
requiring any chemicals or factory work or destruction of the environment. From
Al-Ghazaly’s (1996) point view, the natural stick is
a very healthy way for cleaning our teeth.
Furthermore, Al-Ghazaly (1994) believed that
being frugal with the resources of the earth is important as an everyday
consciousness.
Al-Ghazaly’s main contribution to
Islamic family education is that he formed a distinct connection between the
religious tenets of Islam and a way of life that embodied ecology in an
organized way. In addition, as Orr
(1992) points out in his book both he and Al-Ghazaly
believe that learning about ecology should start very early in the home and
should be made part of everyday life, not something studied separately, either
as a separate subject in formal education, or as a separate part of life, but
rather necessary to sustain life.
Al-Ghazaly’s concepts of ecology as a family responsibility
can be taken one step farther. Islamic
law and Al-Ghazaly’s expansion of ecology can be
applied to contemporary environmental challenges. For parents, the writings of
Al-Ghazaly can be guidelines for their own families.
Children can be reminded daily of the importance of conserving water, following
the rules of eating as laid down by their faith, and the use of ‘comida’ within
the community, both Muslim and non-Muslim. Parents are role models for our
children. If we waste water, food,
paper, etc. or treat animals with harshness, so too will our children learn
these un-ecological habits, which are considered also immoral according to many
faiths, in addition to the Muslim faith. . In addition, keeping the environment
clean and safe for others in the community is part of his teachings
With Al-Ghazaly’s writings, parents
and teachers can realize the value of raising the children’s awareness through
his connection between the Muslim faith and every act performed in school. Whenever Al-Ghazaly
advised teachers, he made the analogy that the student is like your own child
and as the teacher, you are the parent.
If a teacher has embraced the environmental and ecological tenets of
Islam, the Qur’an, the Prophet Muhammad and
the organized instructions of Al-Ghazaly, the
students will learn first at home, and then in the school, and finally in
college that ecology is crucial to the sustainability of our planet. They will
be in concert with their religion, their faith, their community and their
global home.
According
to Al-Ghazaly the foundation of politic is that state and religion are twin
concepts that cannot be treated separately as done in the West. Al-Ghazaly (in Faris 1991, p. 40) states that,
…God has created this world in preparation for the hereafter in order
to gather suitable provisions therefrom. If these provisions were gathered
justly, dissensions would have ceased and the jurisprudents would have become
idle but since men have with greed gathered their provisions, dissensions
ensued and consequently the need for a magistrate to rule them arose. In turn,
the magistrate felt the need for a canon with which to govern the people. It is
the jurisprudent, though, who has the knowledge of the rules of government and
the methods of mediation between the people whenever, because of their greed,
they contend. He thus becomes the teacher of the magistrates and their guide in
government and control that through their
righteousness the affairs of men in this world maybe set in order.
This quote demonstrates that Al-Ghazaly had a
concern about greed, and that greed is the opposite of ecology. Therefore, the magistrate is responsible for
the market place and the fair distribution of provisions. “Caring for the
environment falls within the jurisdiction of ‘muhtasib.[literally],
market inspector” (Netton, 1992, p. 33; see also Dien,
1992). However, Al-Ghazaly, believed the
muhtasib was more than a market
inspector. (This position could include
husbands, wives, children, teachers, and students who advise one another when
something or someone is in error. This includes mistakes in the nature or the
environment; for example, a parent’s mistreating an animal). What can be seen
is that Al-Ghazaly (1994) takes even the most narrow
of definitions and expands it to include ecological issues. These
post-modernists are merely reflecting what Al-Ghazaly wrote about many
centuries before. After defending the muhtasib,
the following section will describe the duties and rights of the muhtasib and the way to apply it to edu-cology.
The duties of
the muhtasib is, according to
Al-Ghazaly, (1994) more like a security guard for the environment, keeping it
safe from other people who destroy it.
For instance, the muhtasib would tell
the community where to place the trees for shade and protection of the soil. He
also encouraged, and help the families to have
gardens, and policymakers to help farmers to grow food for the community.
Another duty of this person is to make sure that common showers, shared by the
community, are kept clean, and more important, that water should not be wasted.
This same
position includes responsibilities towards buildings. For example, architecture in Islam has always
been within a natural setting, reflecting ecological equilibrium. Instead of
air conditioning that requires technology and all the ills that technology can
bring, Muslims built wind towers that were constructed to catch the wind and to
ventilate the house naturally (Nasr,1997).
Al-Ghazaly
(1994) also mentioned the word rawashin,
which is like a windows without glass.
These openings had narrow ledges so that the streets would not be
narrowed. He spoke about the importance of not putting garbage in the streets
and encouraged the shepherd not to kill the sheep in the street, so as not to
dirty the street. Al-Ghazaly was well
aware of the community’s need to have clean, cool houses and streets as part of
the ecological balance (see also Al-Shami, 1993).
In
order for this to take place, the muhtasib
needs to be knowledgeable about his community and should apply the “rules” with
kindness. Therefore, this position
should serve as a model for the rest of the community, so that others can act
within similar ecological boundaries, expanding the concept of comida to
everyone’s having a role in the community.
He also includes in his responsibilities advising the community to make
sure there were merchants for the goods and crafts needed by the community.
Al-Ghazaly (1994) also believed that these merchants were necessary for the
functioning of each community.
The
role of the muhtasib obviously went beyond the
narrow definition, and was expanded to include a responsibility for the entire
community, both socially and ecologically.
Ecology was built into the concept, and probably was an unconscious
effort on the part of Al-Ghazaly to maintain balance. He lists five rights for the muhtasib: advising, admonishing, rebuking,
threatening, and punishing. He also, includes women, children and students to
be the members of the security guard for the environment in order to advice and
admonish. Interestingly, that Al-Ghazaly
includes the woman as a muhtasib even though
women in medieval area had less opportunity to participate in social and
political activities. The muhtasib is someone
like the king, in that he should be happy in seeing the people in his community
working and playing and growing in ways that are in balance with nature.
During the time of Al-Ghazaly’s life, he witnessed the collapse of the Islamic
state and noted in his book Kings’ Advice that a king must not only
serve justice and equity himself, but also must command his followers to do so
as well (Al-Khalaf, 1998). This would extend, then,
to the muhtasib because he is likened to a
king. In fact, Al Gahzali
was a letter writer for kings. Another one of Al-Ghazali’s
ecological influence stems from this position as a letter writer for
kings. He advised different kings to
help those who had no garden and means of growing their own food. If somebody
took the farmer’s land unjustly, the king should support this man until he reach victory. In one story, Al-Ghazaly (1996) writes about
a King from
Thus, we can
see that ecology in Al-Ghazali’s perspective,
had political ramifications, extending throughout whole kingdom or state in
which the people lived in communities.
In his book Ihya
Al-Ghazaly (1994) also emphasizes the prophetic sayings about not wasting food
and taking care of our bodies by feeding them good food. He writes about the
importance of doing things as a group: eating, harvesting, praying, and
traveling. Children need parents to make a family; families need other families
to make a community; a community needs other communities to make a country.
Inherent in this expansion from family to universe is the idea of cooperation
and ecological balance.
According
to Al-Ghazaly (1994), the world is comprised of human bodies. Each body is part of the world, and each body
has the responsibility of maintaining his or her part of the world, because we
are all connected. In this way, the
ecological balance depends on each and every person cooperating locally,
regardless of color, gender or culture. This is part of what he calls
“hospitality.” He writes about friendship and brotherhood, duties towards
relatives, neighbors and friends, both Muslim and non-Muslim, and even slaves
and servants.
Part
of Al Gahzali’s contribution to comida is his idea
that if we overeat, then where is the food for the widows, the orphan, and the
destitute. He reminds us that God has
commanded us to assist others in the community less fortunate than we are (Al-Ghazaly in Winter, 1995).
This
quote from Al-Ghazaly’s Book of Knowledge summarizes
his ideas that can be translated as comida:
But man has been created in a way which makes it impossible for him to
live all alone since he is unable to secure his food and livelihood through
tilling, farming, bread-making, and cooking as well as manufacturing clothes,
building houses, or constructing tools for all these activities. Man was, therefore, compelled to lead an
agrarian life of co-operation. (p. 143)
Another
philosopher who reflects Al-Ghazaly’s concept of
comida can be seen in this quote: “The human species, which is the noblest of
existent being in the universe, needs both the aid of the other species and the
cooperation of its own kind to ensure the survival of the individual as well as
that of the race.” (Tusi, 1964, p.
189). This idea of comida is also
reflected in
Humans need four basic things: to
live, to love, to learn, and to leave a legacy in order to fulfill their needs
and capacities. “The
need to leave a legacy is our spiritual need to have a sense of meaning,
purpose, personal congruence, and contribution” (Covey, Merrill, and Merrill,
1994, p. 45).
When a man
dies, as the prophetic saying mentions, “his acts come to an end, but
three, recurring charity, or knowledge (by which people) benefit, or a pious
son, who prays for him (for the deceased)”(reported by
Muslim, 2000). This hadith has been mentioned by Al-Ghazaly
several times throughout his Ihya’ (see
Vol. 1. p. 19; Vol. 4. p.336).
Al-Zabidi (nd) in
his commentary on Al-Ghazaly’s Ihya’
said that, the meaning of the word “man” in this tradition includes both male
and female. He also explained that “recurring charity”, part of the Muslim
legacy, includes establishing a river, digging a well, and planting a palm tree
(vol. 1, p. 174).
When one
reviews Al-Ghazaly’s works, oner
will find that Al-Ghazaly drew the attention of
educators and the educated to the importance of practicing knowledge to leave a
beneficial legacy. In his book The
Beginning of Divine Guidance (1996), Al-Ghzali
encourages both masters and disciples to take advantage of their time wisely.
He said that one must know that day and night have 24 hours and do not sleep
more than 8 hours. He said that it is
enough to spend 20 years sleeping which is one third of one’s life if he lived
60 years (p. 381). In addition, this thinker linked too much sleep with
overeating, and therefore he admonishes not to eat much, or else you will drink
much, and then will sleep abundantly, beyond the necessary 8 hours. Al-Ghazaly (in Winter, 1995, p.
124). concludes
that “lifetime is the most precious of jewels, and constitutes a bondsman’s
capital with which he trades; sleep, on the other hand, is a [kind of] death,
for when indulged in to excess it shortens one’s lease on life”. This behavior, that is, not overeating, overdrinking or
oversleeping, is a form of self-discipline, which practiced regularly,
translates into good habits and become part of one’s (good) nature. These edu-cological guidelines of Al-Ghazaly
confirm his concept of “recurring charity”, that is, the need to leave a good
legacy by leading a good life, which is our spiritual need to have a sense of
meaning and contribution to the world.
Throughout
his entire life, Al-Ghazaly lived his ecological beliefs according to his
Muslim faith, emphasizing economy in all things. However, there were some areas that he
overlooked, such as the importance of handicrafts from a practical
viewpoint. Al-Ghazaly
may sometimes has, some Mystic observations, such as writings that the good is
to escape from the world and denial of the world. But at the same time, he
quotes the Qur’an with its tenets on
moderation. Most of his teachings are
common sense, but there is a small element of his works that are questioned by
other thinkers that we must consider when we read about Al-Ghazaly
(See Al-Khawajah, 1986).
Nevertheless,
most of his work has been well accepted by the Muslim faith and many writers
have used his writings in their own research.
In later life, he established a center where people could come and learn
the concepts that this thinker had preached all his life. Ibn Kathir (2000), the influential scholar in Islamic history,
noted that Al-Ghazaly built a “gorgeous garden” near his house and held classes
so that his ideas would be passed along to the next generation. As we can see by the writings of those who
came after Al-Ghazaly (see the references), his influence is still felt today
among the people of the Islamic faith as well as other believers in
ecology. Many books mentioned this
medieval thinker, because his ideas have never really gone out of style, just
temporarily misplaced because of the seduction of technology.
The
post-modern books also reflect his ideas for teaching children in schools. The difference between the Islamic writings
that include Al-Ghazaly and the post-modern writings is that the Islamic faith
teaches that ecology must start with the birth of the child, and not wait for
formal education. Also, the child learns
ecology gradually until it becomes habitual and a way of life. In schools, too much of the learning comes
too late and from the outside. Al-Ghazaly believed that the influence of the parents on the
early years of a child is like writing in stone. With Al-Ghazaly, the concepts
are internalized from childhood. Additionally, any scientific knowledge
concerning nature cannot be separated from Al-Ghazaly’s belief in the verses of
the Qur’an and the sayings of the Prophet Muhammed.
“For
the Muslim, however, scientific knowledge of nature will remain inadequate as
long as it does not take into consideration both the presence and the content
of the divine will.” (Al Faruqi,
1986, p. 320.) And this divine will, according to Al-Ghazaly,
necessarily included an ecological balance of the world. In the essays by
Just as Gandhi’s philosophy provides the broad shoulders for
post-modern politics, so too, does Al-Ghazaly’s
philosophy provide the broad shoulders on which a post-modern view of ecology
can stand. If human’s role on earth is the most
important role of all, according to Qutub, (1981).
then our responsibility as human beings is to steward the earth in such a way
that we leave a legacy to our successive generations of an earth that is healed,
that is cared for, that is expressed in Al-Ghazaly’s
words, “The heart’s food is wisdom, knowledge and the love of God (exalted is
he!) (Winter, 1995, p. 35). Through wisdom, knowledge, and love we can
live in ecological balance with other creatures, other people and the gifts of
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[1] Comida, which in Spanish literally means food, but in this context has a larger meaning to include the growing, harvesting, preparing, enjoying and sharing of food with those of our immediate and extended families and friends in community (see Prakash, 1998).