Climate change is an existential threat to life on Earth. Even the more ambitious goal of restricting average global temperatures to 1.5 degrees above pre-industrial levels would do little to save our most vulnerable communities. A 1.5 degree increase would mean 33 day long heatwaves every year, decreases in wheat and soybean yields in the already poor tropical zone, a 40 cm rise in sea levels by 2050 and the exposure of 90% of the worlds coral reefs, the most diverse ecosystems on the planet, to bleaching. All this by the year 2100. By the time we approach 2 degrees, the planet would have entered a positive feedback loop: accelerated warming, the disruption of food chains, and the initiation of irreversible damage to ecosystems. That could be the beginning of the next mass extinction on planet Earth, the beginning of the end for the Anthropocene. Disaster is, at this point, fairly inevitable. It would take an immense amount of resources, sustained public pressure, and political goodwill to change the course we are on. In easier words, we would have to bear taxes, tear gas and layoffs. Although, if we persevere long enough, we might just be able to limit the scope of the impending disaster. Given this reality, the question I end up asking myself time and again is that, is the effort worth the pain? Why should I, as a Muslim, care about climate change when as a basic tenant of faith I believe that life in this world, and by extension this world itself, is temporary? There is probably no straightforward answer, nor do I intend to provide one in this article. What I do intend, is to present my rationale of why I am convinced that we should care. “How would you decide on disputes between people, O Mu’aad,” the Prophet PBUH is reported to have asked Mu’aad Ibn Jabal when dispatching him as governor of Yemen. “I will refer to the Book of Allah,” Mu’aad replied. “If you don’t find the answer there,” the Prophet PBUH responded. “I will refer to your teachings,” Mu’aad responded. “And if you don’t find it there either,” the Prophet PBUH asked again. Mu’aad replied, “I will try my best to form an opinion and shall spare no effort.” The Prophet PBUH then patted Mu’aad on the chest and appreciated the answer. The two secondary sources of Islamic law, Ijtihad (legal reasoning) and Ijma (scholarly consensus) are rooted from this narration. As these two sources deal with issues not explicitly mentioned in the Quran and Sunnah, scholars had to draw lines around what constitutes a need for new legislation. Thus the Maqasid, the objectives of the Shariah, were developed. At least three of these objectives, the protection of life, lineage, and property are directly under threat from climate change. So, why should we care about climate change? We should care because to care about the protection of the lives, the property, and the lineage of our fellow brothers and sisters is an objective of divine law. Yes, Islam places an emphasis on striving to build a good hereafter, but never does Islam detach itself from the practicality of the world. One only needs to look into Prophetic narrations about trade and commerce to realize the extent to which Islam goes in its pursuit of economic justice. Islam very clearly laid out consumer protection laws, anti-trust regulations and constraints on financing all focused on protecting the consumer, the weaker of the two parties in a retail transaction. Islam went lengths to limit the exploitation taking place in Arab society before Islam. It promised paradise in return for raising the same daughters people used to bury alive because they were considered undesirable. It elevated the status of those who were discriminated against because of their lineage and built a social system within which all were equal. Islam

also eliminated the discrepancies of a legal tradition where the rich were dealt with lightly and the poor harshly. There is great emphasis placed on the need to become a just community which provides its members a respectable life, free of exploitation. The need for justice is central to the message of Islam. So, should we care about climate change? We should care because Islam does not allow us to be bystanders, while people around us are effectively being robbed of their livelihoods and driven into misery. “By Time. All mankind is at loss. Except those who believe, and do good deeds, and preach what is right, and are patient.” - Surah Al-Asr. I had a chance to talk to Dr. Asim Qureshi from the British Muslim advocacy group CAGE. One of the questions we wanted his perspective on was, what is the Quranic ethic on living in injustice? The Quranic ethic, as it convincingly seems to be, when injustice is prevalent, we have a duty to resist. “The greatest Jihad,” the Prophet PBUH said, “is the worth of truth in the face of an unjust ruler”. The allowable response of last resort seems to be that if overwhelmed, one should run away like the people of cave. Submission, however, is simply not a plausible option. Climate change rests on the shoulders of policy makers and industrialists who have vested interests in throwing carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. There is clearly a well-defined group of oppressors, and another well-defined group of those oppressed. It is, therefore, our responsibility, one stemming directly from injunctions in the Quran, to resist the system and if nothing else, make our voices heard. So, why should we care about climate change? Because speaking truth to power is the virtuous deed. Think of a farmer in the mountains of Afghanistan from whom Allah is withholding the rain. There is probably nothing he can do except pray to Allah to make it rain. Now think of yourself on a normal day. An individual active on social media, with a multicultural group of friends having connections around the globe. You have the ability to reach out to your parliamentarians by the click of a button. You have the ability to use the internet and learn about the islands of plastic forming in the pacific, threatening whole ecosystems or the melting of the polar ice caps. Now take a moment and contemplate. Is the responsibility that the farmer bears upon himself, and the responsibility we bear, the same? Don’t these extra connections, these links, this awareness we have bring with them an extra set of obligations? Aren’t we accountable for how we used our resources? I believe the answer is a resounding yes. Imam Ahmed ibn Hanbal was tortured for his rejection to endorse the kings interpretation of Islam, but he persevered. Then the king changed, and with Him, so did official theology. The new ruler was more sympathetic to Ahmed, so he sent him some money. Imam Ahmed looks at the money and starts crying, supplicating to Allah, “O Allah, don’t test me with this.” Remember this was an old man who had been tortured all his life, and now upon being presented with a gift, he began to cry. He understood both the responsibility additional resources bring along and the potential for corruption they carry with them. Let us acknowledge that being in the privileged position we are in, we are not only responsible of looking after the vulnerable and speaking truth to power, we are especially responsible for it. Our responsibility transcends the needs our own selves. This is why I believe we should care about climate change. The world will end one day, but it hasn’t ended yet. We must keep planting the tree, because making an effort is our responsibility, success and failure is strictly the domain of Allah.

Syeda Hasan and Usama Ansar