Syariah Agriculture: The Decline and Loss of Ecological Balance

The green revolution in Islamic times could not develop without a strict observance of ecological balance and the respect for environment-friendly rules. The decline of Islamic civilisation and the subsequent period of European colonialism resulted in a loss of ecological balance.

Bolens asserts that "with a deep love for nature, and a relaxed way of life, classical Islamic society achieved ecological balance, a successful average economy of operation, based not on theory but on the acquired knowledge of many civilized traditions." It was colonialism, she recognises, which subsequently and seriously upset the traditional agricultural balance in order to increase profitability of the soils.

The decline of Islamic agriculture began much earlier than the colonial period. It started with the various invasions, from the Crusades to the Mongol attacks, including the raids of Banu Hillal and the Normans in the Maghrib. Such invasions caused the ruin of irrigation works, destroyed permanent crops, closed down trade routes, and caused farmers to take flight.

Wallahu a'lam.


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