In the contemporary world we live in today, one of the most debated and serious topics at play is environmental destruction. Environmentalists have hypothesized various reasons as the cause of this phenomenon and religious anthropocentrism is one of the most controversial. Some environmentalists argue that Abrahamic religions place man at the center of the universe and subordinate other creatures to him. They further add that this position creates a separation between humans and nature and allows humans to appreciate nature only for its materialistic benefits. While more evidence would be needed to identify the Abrahamic religions as the cause of the environmental crisis, it is clear that they are anthropocentric. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay Careful reading of the Quran, the sacred texts of Muslims, demonstrates that Islam is an anthropocentric tradition for two reasons. Islam establishes that humanity is superior to other beings and encourages humans to save the environment due to its materialistic value to them. First, Islam declares that human beings are the most important and blessed creatures on earth, for which all other beings were created. For example, when describing the powers of Allah, the Quran states: “He who made the earth a habitat for you, and the sky a structure, and sends water down from the sky, and brings forth fruits therefrom, as your sustenance". .Accordingly, God created the earth, sky, water, and fruits as a means of support, nourishment, and survival for human beings. Furthermore, Allah describes the history of human creation by saying: “When I have formed him and breathed my spirit into him, I will fall prostrating before him. Then the angels prostrated themselves, all together." The fact that the spirit of God was breathed only into human beings means that of all creatures they are the most eminent and closest to god in rank. Furthermore, the kneeling of the angles before man as a sign of submission emphasizes the sovereignty of humans because even the creature closest to god, the angles, are subordinate to humans. Subsequently, the Quran describes the relationship between cattle and humanity as it indicates, And the cattle: He created them for you. In them there is warmth and benefits for you, and of them, what you eat. And they transport your loads to territories you couldn't have reached without great difficulty. Essentially, farm animals have no intrinsic value and were created to provide humans with work, food, and comfort. Furthermore, it is right for animals to suffer to provide convenience to humans by importing their cargoes since humans are superior to animals. Similarly, the Quran explains the relationship between humans and plants by saying that the god "produces for you grains, olives, date palms, grapes and all kinds of fruits." Once again, it is observed that the Quran examines all creatures from the perspective of human beings. For example, there are no verses that analyze the innate value of plants and how they contribute to the sustenance of the atmosphere. Interestingly, there are no verses demonstrating their relationship to insects, birds, or other animals, but their use for humans was mentioned several times in the text. Please note: this is just an example. Get a custom paper now from our expert writers. Get a Custom Essay Finally, Islam is an anthropocentric tradition as it looks at nature only from the human perspective.