My dear friend, who is loved by Allah Ta’ala, we need to know that when we talk about worship, it is not only vertical worship to God, but also to His fellow creatures.

And what is meant by the creatures here is not only humans and animals, but also to the natural environment that is on this earth.

We already know that the damaged nature will cause a very unpleasant impact for all of us. Besides being able to cause natural disasters, even smaller impacts will interfere with our health, thereby reducing the comfort of worship and activities.

Moreover, if nature has been damaged, forests have been cut down, water and air have been highly polluted, then it is feared that something terrible will come as a result of the ecosystem being dirty and no longer balanced.

Unfortunately, there are still many people who ignore the preservation of their environment. In fact, Allah Ta’ala has alluded to in one of His verses.

“Corruption has appeared throughout the land and sea by [reason of] what the hands of people have earned so He may let them taste part of [the consequence of] what they have done that perhaps they will return [to righteousness].”
(Ar-Room: 41)

A Muslim should realize that Islam is also very concerned with the preservation of nature. In fact, Islam strongly encourages its adherents to continue caring for the environment, including planting trees.

My friend, who is blessed by Allah Ta’ala, planting a tree, a thing that is actually easy, but has such a powerful positive effect that it can even be categorized as charity.

Prophet Muhammad PBUH said,

“There is none amongst the Muslims who plants a tree or sows seeds, and then a bird, or a person or an animal eats from it, but is regarded as a charitable gift for him.”
(Narrated by Muslim)

Even so strong is the appeal of religion to make the environment green, he PBUH also said,

“If the Hour (the day of Resurrection) is about to be established and one of you was holding a palm shoot, let him take advantage of even one second before the Hour is established to plant it.”
(Narrated by Bukhari and Ahmad)

In fact, the World Bank estimates that about 3.9 million square miles (10 million sq km) of forest have been lost since the early 20th century. This is very alarming news. Carbon dioxide that is not absorbed by trees will cause the greenhouse effect.

Keep in mind, this greenhouse effect can cause temperatures to get hotter so that it can melt polar ice. Then, the next effect will be many flash floods and big storms due to unstable weather. Really horrifying isn’t it?

So, to restore nature whose trees have been cut down a lot, every human being, especially Muslims themselves, is strongly encouraged to plant trees.

Don’t worry about the hassle of planting trees. You can buy pots and fertilizers online. Then look for plants that can be grown in pots such as chilies, apples, green beans, and limes. Decorative or indoor plants can also be another great option here.

There are even some plants that are known as reliable absorbers of polluting gases such as sansivera or mother-in-law’s tongue. Why don’t we be kind to nature and start putting it all in our yard or in front of our bedroom windows?

By having plants at home, the air will be cooler and cleaner because besides being able to absorb pollution, these plants can also release water vapor which can lower the temperature slightly when it is hot.

Lastly, there is a serious threat if someone cuts a tree carelessly. Prophet Muhammad PBUH, he said,

“Whoever cuts down a lote tree (or tree that providing shade) that shelters people who are on their way and livestock unjustly and in a bad way, then Allah will pour hot water on his head in hell.”
(Narrated by Abu Dawud)