Mission
Model the way of the honeybee to advocate benignity toward the environment. We call upon humanity’s better side to be an exemplary guest of our gracious Creator in our temporary home, the earth.
Vision
Reviving the environmental characteristics of Islam and the green elements of the Sunnah . . .
Strategy & Philosophy
Our strategic goal to educate, create awareness and consequently inspire modifications in our consumption and disposal behaviors that ultimately produce unintended negative consequences that harm all living things, the planet, the environment and eco-system.
Maxim
Our maxim is “on the trail of the honeybee . . .” We therefore attempt to follow and model this amazing creature’s gentleness in character and conduct toward the environment. Like the amazing honeybee, we aspire to make meaningful contributions and produce positive results. Chapter sixteen (16) of the Holy Quran is titled “The Bee”. One wonders why our Creator dedicated and named an entire chapter after such a small creature. Another chapter is dedicated to the ants . . . an even smaller creation. There are lessons here. In this chapter, the many favors and blessings of our Creator are described at great lengths through the amazing gift of nature in the first and last third of the chapter. We learn that the bees were instructed by Allah (SWT), The Creator, to perform a specific task.
Chapter 16 Al Nahl (The Bee): Verse 68
“And your Lord inspired to the bee, "Take for yourself among the mountains, houses, and among the trees and in that which they construct.”
Chapter 16 Al Nahl (The Bee): Verse 69
“Then, eat of all fruits, and follow the ways of your Lord made easy (for you).” There comes forth from their bellies, a drink of varying color wherein is healing for mankind. Verily, in this is indeed a sign for people who think.”
Click play above to listen to the verses.
The Honeybee as a Role Model
Our ultimate role model is the Messenger Muhammad SAW whose conduct was exemplary. In one of his many authentic narrations, he counseled us to adopt the honeybee’s behavior. The “hadith” or verbal account which is narrated by Imam Ahmad (RA) on the authority of Abdullah bin Amr (RA) tells us more about this amazing creature. The Messenger ﷺsaid:
“By the One in whose hand is the soul of Muhammad, the believer is like a bee which eats that which is pure and wholesome and lays that which is pure and wholesome. When it lands on something it does not break or ruin it.”
The bee only eats from flowers that are pure and wholesome. Unlike other insects, it is not attracted to foul repulsive things. Likewise, the believer only eats that which is pure and wholesome.
The bee lays or excretes honey which is also good and wholesome. Likewise, only that which is good and wholesome should come forth from the believer, whether it be his or her words, intentions or actions.
The bee is light and nimble and does not break the flowers upon which it lands, nor does it ruin them. Likewise the believer is gentle in his or her dealings with the creation and does not harm or ruin any human or animal or plant.
The Miracle Workers
The miracle of the honeybee is apparent to all of humanity. It is evident to men and women, the young and free spirited and to the wise and cautious. This miracle is also evident to the rich and the poor and to the one with formal education and the one with life education. Bees are valued by everyone.
Every bee does its job and fulfills its purpose. ME volunteers proudly adopt the name “honey bee”. In a strictly phonetic sense, the word “bee” has another meaning, which is to come into existence or to be born into something. To “be” something also means to rise into action and to beecome or to aspire or to live up to a certain standard. ME’s mission is to empower its members to rise for the environmental cause. In order to follow the trail of the bees, team effort, collaboration, organization, productivity, unity, the protection of the hive (community) and the communal living system are all central for a thriving global community. Like the amazing honey bees, ME wants to pollinate the earth with glad tidings.
The Colony
Islam (submission) is not the mere embodiment of the five pillars alone. Much of our faith is about relationships . . . dealings, deeds and dispositions of the heart and intention. The care and preservation of the “amannah” or trust for the home that Allah SWT created, beautified and in which he decided to host us in temporarily is key to the well being of the colony, be it beehive, the ummah, or humanity at large. Muslims 4 the Environment is a colony that aims to apply the bee model across the globe. With a focus on behavioral redirection, ME aims to mitigate, reduce and in the end reverse the impact of those harmful catalysts that are at the center of the earth’s detriment, destruction and demise. Together, we can coexist with the earth in all 4 corners of the world in a manner that is congruent with not only her survival, but with her growth and sustainability.