December 19, 2024
“The fertile soil is found at the farmer’s footprint.”
The meaning of the farmer’s footprint here is the knowledge, attitude, behavior, morals, and spirituality (faith) of the farmer (mankind).
In the Qur’an Surah Al A’raf verse 58 Allah says:
وَالۡبَلَدُ الطَّيِّبُ يَخۡرُجُ نَبَاتُهٗ بِاِذۡنِ رَبِّهٖ ۚ وَالَّذِىۡ خَبُثَ لَا يَخۡرُجُ اِلَّا نَكِدًا ؕ كَذٰلِكَ نُصَرِّفُ الۡاٰيٰتِ لِقَوۡمٍ يَّشۡكُرُوۡنَ
And the fertile land – its vegetation emerges by permission of its Lord; but that which is unfertile – nothing emerges except sparsely, with difficulty. Thus do We diversify the signs for a people who are grateful.”
Equity and prosperity of mankind will always be in line with equity and prosperity of the universe and all living beings in it. And because equity and the prosperity of the universe can only be obtained from fertile soil, while fertile soil is very dependent on the knowledge, attitudes, behavior, morals and spirituality of its people, then we can certainly be sure that the main subject in the world of natural agriculture is the people, not the plants, not the livestock nor the natural environment.
Natural agriculture, or sunnatullah farming, is a method of sustainable management, processing and integration in agriculture, plantations, livestock and forestry that emphasizes the importance of the laws established by the Merciful God on the balance and harmony with the nature of His creation. The main principle of this approach is to maintain the balance of the ecosystem, eliminate the use of synthetic chemicals that destroy the balance of natural ecosystems, and managing natural resources properly and correctly and with ecological wisdom in every human being.
Some of the main characteristics of natural agriculture or sunnatullah farming include:
- Biodiversity and Ecosystem Balance. Agriculture is obliged to create, maintain and sustain the balance of the ecosystem with its biodiversity, by utilizing the natural interaction (according to fitrah) between humans and various types of living things in the surrounding nature, both visible and invisible.
- Respect for Nature and Living Things. Appreciating the balance of nature’s ecosystems by treating all living things with respect and empathy filled with love and compassion for the plants around us both planted and growing wild, our livestock, wildlife habitats, and millions of other living things in our natural world.
- Soil Tillage and Waste Management. Sunnatullah farming emphasizes the importance of maintaining and preserving soil fertility through natural tillage by utilizing waste management that produces compost, liquid organic fertilizer, and other natural methods. Because in its essence, the soil is the basic element of human creation. It is from the soil that we originated and to the soil where our bodies will return.
- Sustainable Practices. Sunnatullah farming applies methods of sustainable integrated farming, which focus not only on short-term results but also on long-term impacts on the environment, society and the future generations.
- Local and Traditional Knowledge. Sunnatullah farming brings together local knowledge and traditional practices that have long been proven to be very effective in maintaining the balance of nature in such a way that the surrounding nature will respond and reciprocate in kind. A blessing from the All-Wise God. It is no mere coincidence that our ancestors were colonized and robbed of their natural resources for a long time by the Europeans. Because essentially, colonizers and robbers will only colonize and rob a nation that is rich and prosperous with its natural resources.
- Honoring Qur’anic Law. Sunnatullah farming respects, obeys and submits to the laws of nature that have been defined by Allah in the Qur’an.
Natural farming or sunnatullah farming teaches us to be patient, to be in harmony with the nature of time, to be grateful and sincere with what has been or is being given by Allah both when there is a yield or when the crop fails. Because basically whatever we plant, it is not for ourselves or humans alone, but for the ecosystem of the earth and the universe (all creatures created by Allah). It is the human ego that makes the term failed crop, because according to them it is not enough or nihil which reflects the absence of gratitude and sincerity in us, while every human being has been provided with their respective sustenance by Allah, and in essence other creatures have also enjoyed what we have planted, from the roots, stems, leaves and fruit. Aren’t we grateful for having planted goodness for the universe created by Allah?
Our intention to plant, raise livestock and cultivate natural resources is not for ourselves (humans) alone, but is intended for the universe created by Allah. Currently and in previous decades, especially in Indonesia, Malaysia and the Southeast Asian region, there has been significant and even extreme degradation of natural ecosystems. One of the proofs is that many animals are already rare and hopefully not extinct. The region where we were born used to be a paradise of butterflies that varied up to thousands, turtledoves, buffalo starlings, crickets, fireflies, etc. Now finding them is like looking for a needle in a haystack.
The Qur’an And agriculture
There are millions of types of creatures that live in the universe that have been created by Allah at its best, in a fair manner, with a balance of ecosystems that share symbiotic mutualism between one another according to their respective functions and roles so that nothing is in vain from all of Allah’s creatures. Both in the ecosystem that is in the external environment of humans, as well as in the internal environment (the human body).
Critically and crucially, the world of agriculture would be well-advised to be mindful and vigilant of what the Qur’an states below.
In the Qur’an Surah Ar Rahman verses 7-9, Allah has emphasised that:
وَالسَّمَآءَ رَفَعَهَا وَوَضَعَ الۡمِيۡزَانَۙ ٧
اَلَّا تَطۡغَوۡا فِى الۡمِيۡزَانِ ٨
وَاَقِيۡمُوا الۡوَزۡنَ بِالۡقِسۡطِ وَلَا تُخۡسِرُوا الۡمِيۡزَانَ ٩
“And the heaven He raised and imposed the balance (in the ecosystems of the universe), That you not transgress within the balance (of the ecosystems). And establish weight in justice and do not make deficient the balance.”
And in the Qur’an Surah Al Isra verse 44 Allah says:
تُسَبِّحُ لَهُ السَّمٰوٰتُ السَّبۡعُ وَالۡاَرۡضُ وَمَنۡ فِيۡهِنَّؕ وَاِنۡ مِّنۡ شَىۡءٍ اِلَّا يُسَبِّحُ بِحَمۡدِهٖ وَلٰـكِنۡ لَّا تَفۡقَهُوۡنَ تَسۡبِيۡحَهُمۡؕ اِنَّهٗ كَانَ حَلِيۡمًا غَفُوۡرًا ٤٤
“The seven heavens and the earth and whatever is in them exalt Him. And there is not a thing except that it exalts [Allāh] by His praise, but you do not understand their [way of] exalting. Indeed, He is ever Forbearing and Forgiving.”
All things and all activities performed by humans towards the ecosystem of life on this earth must obey the manners and rules that have been commanded by Allah. None other than upholding, maintaining, not destroying and not reducing the balance of the natural ecosystem created by Allah, the All-Wise. Because if not, then the chicken will definitely come home to roost in its cage. Of course, everything will return or have an adverse impact on human life itself, and everything we do with our surroundings (the universe and all living things in it) will definitely have an impact on the condition of our physical life and spirituality, because our external world is a reflection of our internal (spiritual) world.
From the above Surah Al Isra, we should also realise that all forms of actions and activities that are associated with corruption and exploitation of nature and all living things in it, where they are glorifying and praising their Lord, have certainly violated and denied the decree of Allah azza wajalla. So it became natural that today, in the world of modern agriculture (farming, plantations, animal husbandry, forestry, etc.), which is filled with corruption and exploitation of nature and all living things in it, everything that it produces, no longer brings blessings and mercy from Allah. Because it no longer fulfils the criteria of thoyyib (good and right) in its process of clearing the land, cultivating the land, planting the crops, caring for the crops or livestock, and processing them, which is qualified with the act of corruption and exploitation that has an impact on a long-term and even permanent damage.
What are the impacts and consequences?
The balance of the ecosystem has been disrupted, so there will be inequality everywhere, animals that are able to survive will become wild and uncontrollable to such an extent that venomous snakes and ferocious tigers will make a visit to the public square. Not to mention the continuous natural disasters such as floods, landslides, hurricanes, earthquakes, etc. All this is because some of their controllers have been wiped out (extinct) or reduced in their populations. In the end, we conclude that the activities in the world of agriculture that should be carried out today are not just for survival, let alone just to fulfil economic needs, but the main intention and goal is to rebuild (restore) the natural ecosystem wherever we are, which has been damaged by our own brothers and sisters for so long nowadays.
The Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said:
‘The one who plants a tree, sows seeds, and then the tree or plant is eaten by birds, humans, livestock and other living creatures, then all of that becomes charity for him.’’ (Sahih al-Bukhari)
‘If the Hour is about to occur and one of you has a date palm seedling in his hand, then if he is able to plant it before the Hour occurs, he should do so.’ (Sahih Bukhari and Ahmad)
The essence of natural farming is to build, nurture and maintain the nature of the natural ecosystem created by Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Wise. When the ecosystem is built, everything in it will cover each other’s shortcomings and support each other’s strengths. When the ecosystem has been established, humans no longer need to think about what they call pests, fungi, bacteria, etc., which seem to interfere with their activities, while what they call (pests, fungi, and bacteria that seem harmful) are part of the ecosystem itself. Because none of Allah’s creations in this universe are in vain, they and we all have their own functions and roles.
“Even though death is ready to take us tomorrow so that we are no longer on the ground to see and enjoy the results, keep planting the tree of universal goodness and truth on the ground we stand on.”
Wallahu ‘alam.
With Love,
Awaluddin Pappaseng Ribittara