It's Finally Here! Earth Hour 2010!

Like I've said many times before about Earth Hour, it seems small and fruitless, but it really isn't. It's about raising awareness and doing something that may seem useless to some but is actually the first step of action on a larger scale for many. I know for myself, it's done quite a bit and it has allowed me to really open my eyes to what's happening to this beautiful world of ours. As Muslims especially, we were supposed to do this a real long time ago.

It's a duty of ours as vicegerents on this world to protect and save the environment that we live in. We all know it's against Islam to waste all the resources that we have been blessed with. Whether it's water, food, electricity, money, etc we will be questioned by our Creator for all that we've used, consumed and wasted. The Scholars say that to show gratitude to Allah (swt) for His blessings is not just by saying shukr, but it is by using those blessings in the correct manner and not wasting it.

Turning off our lights for one hour today isn't what we as Muslims or even as human beings should only be doing, or doing it just for fun. Rather, it's the first step to taking more action to do what we should have been doing ages ago. InshaAllah with the right intention this will be a great means of reward for us and a time to reflect on our role as khalifahs (vicegerents). It can be a time of doing shukr to Allah (swt), reflecting on His marvelous creation, and even spending some quality time with our families.

Members of our families are sometimes too busy either watching T.V, sitting on the computer, cooking in the kitchen and being on the phone (texting included) with someone these days that they consider doing all that under one roof to be as spending time 'together'. Come on, we can do better then that and it can start today!

So let's get our candles out everyone!