We celebrate the Muslim environmental campaigner and green activist Ayman Ahwal (right) who passed away last week
I think it’s fair to say that Ayman Ahwal was not your average Muslim. A British Muslim convert, he worked tirelessly to support tree-planting projects in Indonesia, campaign for clean streets in his hometown of Birmingham in the UK and also joined the multi-faith convoy to Copenhagen. He was always ready to spread the word on Islam’s green principles and was a green Sufi Muslim to look up to. I am sad to say that I never got a chance to meet or speak to Ayman Ahwal, yet his legacy amongst many Muslims will live on.
He converted to Islam in the late 1960’s in the Moroccan desert following years of extensive travels and living in the wilderness. He told EcoIslam Magazine in an interview in 2008 that the time he spent wandering the desert made him aware of the interconnectedness of life and death and all nature. He also charts his love for the environment from his conversion to Islam: “My love of the environment, combined with horror at the way it’s being abused, began with Islam. When living with traditional Muslims living close to the land, I perceived a harmony between men and nature that I had not seen before.”
Although an advocate of the many ways that Islam can help protect nature, he was also disappointed at the lack of environmental awareness many Muslims showed. As he explains: “To be complete (insan al kamil) a Muslim should be as conscious of the natural environment as he is about other temporal preoccupations, as well as his nafs (ego), his ehsan (striving for excellence) and his ibadat (worship). The environment is about loving the Earth. To serve the people is to love Allah; to manage the Earth wisely is to love Allah.”
The following video is one of the few and most recent recording of Ayman Ahwal speaking at an event on the beauty of nature and duty of humans to protect it and preserve it from harm.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Id37_mHZpGg[/youtube]
Here are some of the online reactions:
Sofial Jamil, Founder of ME: Muslims and the Environment
It was indeed a great privilege to meet the man himself during the 2010 World Islamic Economic Forum in Kuala Lumpur. I loved the way he was all fired up at our table during lunch and saying his piece to the guy sitting next to him (who happened to be working for an oil palm company… hehehehe.). May Allah Bless his Soul.
Sidi Ayman Ahwal was a remarkable human being. An environmental campaigner, globetrotting activist and a profoundly humble, spiritual man. He was as comfortable in the threatened rainforests of Aceh planting trees as he was addressing budding environmentalists at an inner-city church. He was indefatigable with boundless energy and a glint in his eye that told he was a few steps ahead of the rest.
:Image via Podnosh/Flickr.
For more on Green Muslims see:
From Rockstars to Recycling: An Interview With An Eco-Muslimah
Interview With America’s Leading Green Muslim – Ibrahim Abdul Matin
Naqa’a: Saudi Women Fighting For The Environment
Author: Arwa Aburawa
Arwa is a Muslim freelance writer who is interested in everything climate change related and how Islam can inspire more people to care for their planet and take active steps to save it while we can. She is endlessly suspicious of all politicians and their ceaseless meetings, especially as they make normal people believe that they are not part of the solution when they are the ONLY solution. Her Indian auntie is her model eco-warrier, and when Arwa is not busy helping out in the neighborhood alleyway garden, swap shopping or attempting fusion vegetarian dishes- with mixed success, she’d like to add- she can be found sipping on foraged nettle tea.
