Bandar Seri Begawan - Protecting the environment came to the fore when the religious authorities called on the public and contractors to collectively do their part in preserving the earth from destruction.
In a sermon yesterday, imams urged ummahs to be thankful to Allah for His blessings and for the creation of water, plants and animals on earth.
Islam strongly emphasised the need to preserve the environment, said the imams.
"As mankind, we should not destroy and pollute the environment. Allah dislikes those who cause destruction to the earth, and commanded us to maintain the environment as stipulated in the Al-Quran. "
Many irresponsible human actions have brought about catastrophic consequences, such as air and river pollutions, landslide, flash flood and so on.
Of late, several areas in the country have also experienced flash flood.
Such news received the attention of His Majesty the Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam, when His Majesty highlighted this in his recent Islamic new year `titah`.
The ruler touched on the need for immediate attention to be given to the drainage system caused by over grown grass and construction.
This includes projects which were not strictly controlled by acts or regulations whereby contractors blatantly dig-out earth excavate hill and pile-up rubbish that affect the drainage system and the environment.
"In the wake of developments, we should not disregard the environment and protect it from further destruction and pollution. We should maintain cleanliness everywhere, be it at public places or in our own backyard," said the imams.
Contractors and developers were also urged to abide to the country`s rules and regulations for the sake of future generation.
"Let us protect the environment and pray that our nation receives blessings and be protected from calamities."
Source: www.brudirect.com (5 Februari 2008)
