Muslims, like those of many faiths, are compelled by their religion to praise the Creator, take care of each other, and take care of the planet. Those are their sacred mandates, as written in the Quran. While the call to love Allah and one another won't surprise many, the deep and long-standing convergences between Muslim theology and environmentalism aren't widely recognized within other religious and secular cultures at large or even among some American Muslim communities. In this unique project, Ibrahim Abdul-Matin seeks to change that.
Green Deen ("deen" means "way" in Arabic) is a call to devotion, prayer, and service, a "friend-raising" project, a community-building opportunity, and a marriage of faith and reason. Abdul-Matin draws on research and interviews with prominent Muslim scholars, theologians, and community leaders to trace Islam's historical and contemporary preoccupation with humankind's collective role as stewards of the Earth. He reveals how Islam's call to reflection specifically includes reflection on our relationship to the natural world, and he cites scriptural passages that implicitly and explicitly illustrate our collective responsibility to maintain and manage the planet's delicate and intricate systems. If we all hope to save our planet and build stronger interfaith and secular relationships, Abdul-Matin argues, Muslims need to remember they have a history of a green deen, and the rest of us need to build community with eco-friendly Muslims.
Advancing a mantra of "water, waste, and watts," Abdul-Matin presents specific ways in which Muslim communities and religious centers could concretely benefit from adopting green strategies (such as getting mosques off the grid and ensuring local communities greater protections against hazards like urban brownouts). And he provides practical steps individual Muslims can take to align their personal environmental practices with their aspirations for both piety and community.
Green Deen articulates an Earth-conscious, people-affirming, faith-based, justice-centered orientation that will help mainstream American Muslims and their allies promote environmentalism that is steadfast, scientific, and practical. No other book of this kind has been written for the Muslim community, in a language they can understand. No other book helps those environmentalists of other faiths and orientations understand the gifts and contributions that Islam and its followers bring to the table. Green Deen is one of a kind
Industry Reviews
"An important book for everyone! Muslims will be inspired by what their fellow believers are doing to be stewards of the Earth, and all people will gain a more complete and accurate picture of how Islam sees the world."
-Imam Siraj Wahaj, Masjid Al-Taqwa, Brooklyn, New York
"Green Deen adds new thinking and allies to help solve the persistent social, energy, and infrastructure challenges that we all face as a planet, as nations, and in our own communities, every day."
-Majora Carter, founder, The Majora Carter Group, cohost of Sundance Channel's The Green, and host of NPR's The Promised Land
"Green Deen connects faith to environment to social justice. It's a guide for all of us trying to save people and the planet."
-Rami Nashashibi, Executive Director, Inner-City Muslim Action Network
"While there are many belief systems on this planet, few have been as deeply maligned as Islam in recent years. In that context, it is a beautiful and powerful call that Ibrahim Abdul-Matin puts out to his community and to the world, crying out that within Islam are the very tenets which are needed to save the world-for Muslims and non-Muslims. It is an act of faith to be sustainable...that is the essential truth which this book teaches us all."
-Adrienne Maree Brown, Executive Director, The Ruckus Society
"Ibrahim Abdul-Matin is one of the premier scholars and practitioners joining the green economy to Islam. His work reminds environmentalism of the spirituality in deep ecology and provides a pathway for an economic system to work within a framework of reverence."
-Nikki Henderson, Executive Director, People's Grocery
"Is this a Muslim book about the environment, an environmental book about Islam, or a poem and a prayer to the unity of all creation? It is all of these and more-Green Deen is a stunning hybrid creation from an extraordinary and wise new literary voice. Please welcome Ibrahim Abdul-Matin, black American and Muslim, to the pantheon of important environmental writers."
-William Upski Wimsatt, founder, League of Young Voters, and author of Please Don't Bomb the Suburbs
"Green Deen shows how the authentic religious values and practices of Islam should lead to a wholesome, healthy, and compassionate lifestyle that benefits all living things. Abdul-Matin writes in accessible, intelligent, and motivating language, making this an excellent book for all readers."
-Ingrid Mattson, PhD, President, The Islamic Society of North America, and
Director, The Duncan Black Macdonald Center for the Study of Islam and Christian-Muslim Relations at Hartford Seminary
