Shah Redza Hussein, who works with community-based environmental NGOs, said one of the reasons ulamas did not approach the subject was because they lacked knowledge in the area.

Even if there were ulama who were knowledgable, he added, they were too few in number.

He said the concept of worship in Islam could be divided into two: formal, which focuses on praying and going to the mosque as an act of worship; and informal, which covers everyday acts such as going to work and looking after the environment.

“But this (informal part of worship) is not emphasised. It is more critical and more looked at by God. The ulamas tend to confine faith to just formal worship.”

He said in Islam, there were two responsibilities: to God and to human beings.

“God does not need our worship. He is Almighty. It is a form of confirmation of our faith. He looks more at what you do for other human beings.

“That is the tipping point as a Muslim: how you treat fellow human beings, whether Muslims or non-Muslims, is more critical in God’s eyes because your fellow Muslim needs you more,” he said in a forum titled “Tuhan Yang Hijau”, organised by Projek Dialog last night.

Shah Redza said he did not have to quote Quranic or biblical verses on how God had asked human beings to look at His creation in order to understand Him.

He lamented however that mankind had instead corrupted and destroyed the creation of God, which He had called His best work, adding that this was disrespectful.

“As Muslims, the responsibility towards mankind is as important as our responsibility towards God. Being green is one of the biggest responsibilities as a Muslim.

“A Muslim should be green because the prophet (Prophet Muhammad) said that even if tomorrow is the end of the world, and you are holding a tree, you should plant a tree.

“What does that signify? It signifies how you respect the earth,” he said.

Shah Redza said Prophet Muhammad had also symbolically said that whoever was wasteful was the companion of the devil.

Although the general public needed to understand their responsibility towards the environment, he said, the ulamas themselves had to open their minds.

He said the ulamas’ close-minded attitude towards the subject was reflected in their behaviour.

Giving the example of wasting ablution water, he said: “If you are an ulama, and you are wasteful, where is your religiosity?

“Don’t talk about worship to God when you can’t even do the basic things properly.”