Tree planting, or afforestation, plays the biggest role in creating a balanced, pollution-free environment. People should plant trees not only to protect the environment but also for religious reasons. The Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), in several hadith narrations, encouraged and guided people to plant and care for trees to keep the balance of the environment.

Research has shown that trees make up 25 per cent of all plant species on earth. The balance of the natural environment is unthinkable without trees. For good reason, Islam has encouraged and guided people to build public awareness of environmental conservation and tree planting.

Allah has created fruit and timber trees and green vegetation as the necessities of human life. He has adorned the earth with forests and given it matchless beauty, and taught the preservation of the earth, the environment and nature's balance through trees and plants. In several verses Allah says:

• "And the earth We have spread out, and set therein firm mountains, and caused to grow therein every kind of beautiful plant. And We send down blessed rain from the sky and grow thereby gardens and grain that is harvested." (Surah Qaf, verses 7-9)
• "It is Allah who sends the winds, and they stir the clouds; then He spreads them in the sky however He wills and places them in layers. Then you see the rain come forth from within them. And when He causes it to reach whom He wills of His servants, they rejoice." (Surah Rum, verse 48)
• In various places the Holy Quran presents scenes of nature's variety, so that people are delighted and moved by its diversity, kinds, colours, scents and beauty, and, seeing the growth, progress and activity of all things, remember Allah's power. Allah says: "He causes to grow for you thereby the crops, olives, date palms, grapes and every kind of fruit. Indeed in that is a sign for a people who reflect." (Surah Nahl, verse 11)
• Several verses of the Holy Quran show what a great blessing trees are. Allah says: "Have they not seen that We drive water to the barren land and bring forth thereby crops from which their livestock and they themselves eat?" (Surah Sajdah, verse 27)

The world could not exist for a moment without trees. Everything in human life revolves around trees. So when a tree is felled, it does not die alone: it becomes a source of risk and anxiety for almost all living beings, including people. The oxygen a mature tree supplies in a year meets the annual oxygen needs of at least 10 adults. (SubhanAllah!)

In 1979 Professor TM Das of Calcutta University in India valued the contribution of a mature tree in money terms and showed that the economic value of a 50-year-old tree is about $188,000. (Indian Biologist, Volume 11, Nos 1-2)

The Prophet (PBUH) encouraged and guided people to plant trees and forests, and in several hadiths clearly announced a reward even for caring for trees.

• A hadith says: "If a Muslim plants a tree or grows a crop and a person, bird or animal eats from it, it will be counted as charity (sadaqah) for the grower." (Bukhari, Muslim)
• Making this clearer, another narration says: "Whoever plants a tree and patiently tends and protects it until it bears fruit, Allah will give him the reward of charity even for every fruit of it that is lost." (Musnad Ahmad)
• Another hadith says: "Whoever plants a tree, Allah will give him a reward equal to the fruit of that tree." (Musnad Ahmad, hadith 23567)
• In a hadith narrated by Anas (RA), the Prophet (PBUH), instructing people to plant and care for trees, said: "If you know for certain that the Day of Judgement has come, and you have in your hand a sapling that can be planted, then plant it." (Bukhari, Adab al-Mufrad, Musnad Ahmad)
• The Prophet (PBUH) said: "If the Day of Judgement comes while one of you has even a small date palm in his hand, let him plant it." (Musnad Ahmad, Al-Adab al-Mufrad, Musnad al-Bazzar)

The Prophet forbade cutting trees without need, and a hadith speaks of punishment for doing so: "Whoever cuts down a tree without need (a tree that benefited people), Allah will throw his head into the fire." (Bayhaqi)

Abdullah ibn Umar (RA) narrated that whenever he came to a certain tree between Makkah and Madinah, he would lie down beneath it and rest, saying that the Prophet (PBUH) used to do so. (At-Targhib wat-Tarhib)

Trees are the "friends" of nature and the environment. So let us not cut trees indiscriminately, and instead take up planting them in large numbers. May Allah grant us the ability to do so.

Written by Md Tamim Sifatullah, a student at Madinatul Ulum Kamil Madrasa, Rajshahi Sadar.

Source: Jagonews24. First published in Bengali on The Agro News.