The Future Scientist Series : Letter 16

 The Earth We Will Leave Behind : A Father's Last Letter on Environmental Applications—and His First Letter About Life

My beloved Ayan/Saad,

Assalamu Alaikum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh.

Today, I write this letter with a heart that is both happy and a little emotional.

Happy...because we have reached the end of a beautiful journey.

Emotional...because endings always remind us how quickly time passes.

It feels like only yesterday that I wrote the first letter.

I asked you a simple question: "Why you should study Environmental Applications?"

Since then, we have travelled farther than I ever imagined. Together, we walked through forests where every tree had a story. We watched rivers carrying memories from mountains to oceans. We discovered that soil beneath our feet is alive. We learned that air, though invisible, is among Allah's greatest blessings.

We stood beside farmers who feed the world. We looked through satellites orbiting hundreds of kilometres above the Earth. We imagined future cities powered by sunlight and guided by intelligence.

But today...I do not want to speak about forests.          Or rivers.       Or pollution.

Today, I want to speak about you.

 

One Day...

One day, these letters will become old. The paper may become yellow. The technology we discussed may become outdated. Artificial Intelligence will become more intelligent. New discoveries will replace today's discoveries.

Some of today's environmental problems may be solved. New ones will appear.

But I hope one thing never changes.

I hope the young boy reading these letters never loses his curiosity.

Because curiosity is one of Allah's greatest gifts.

It is curiosity that asks,

§  "Why is the sky blue?"

§  "Why do birds migrate?"

§  "How does a seed know which way to grow?"

§  "Can we build cities that produce no waste?"

The day curiosity dies... learning ends.

Never allow that day to come.

 

What Environmental Science Really Taught You

Perhaps you think these sixteen letters were about:

ü  ecosystems,

ü  soil,

ü  air,

ü  water,

ü  technology,

ü  or climate change.

Not really.

Those were only the classrooms. The real lessons were different.

v Environmental science taught you that everything is connected. Faith taught you that everything is entrusted.

v Science taught you to observe carefully. The Qur'an taught you to reflect deeply.

v Engineering taught you to solve problems. The Sunnah taught you to serve others with mercy.

When these come together, they shape not merely a student, but a human being.

 

The Three Questions

As you grow older, people will ask you many questions.

Ø  "What career have you chosen?"

Ø  "Where do you live?"

Ø  "How much do you earn?"

Those questions matter.

But I hope you also ask yourself three questions every year of your life.

First

What have I learned this year that made me a better person?

Not merely smarter. Better.

Second

Whose life became easier because I was here?

Perhaps your family. Perhaps your neighbours. Perhaps strangers you never meet.

The Prophet ﷺ taught us that the best people are those who benefit others. Make that your measure of success.

Third

If Allah were to ask me today about the trust He placed in my hands, what would I say?

§  Not only the trust of wealth.

§  Or time.

§  Or talent.

§  Also the trust of the Earth.

§  The rivers.

§  The animals.

§  The trees.

§  The people who depend on them.

Success          :           The world has many definitions of success.

Some count money.                        Others count followers.                 Others count awards.

I want to share your Abba's definition.  

A successful person is someone who:

v Leaves more kindness than he found.

v Leaves more knowledge than he received.

v Leaves more hope than he inherited.

v Leaves the Earth healthier than when he arrived.

That is success.

Remember the Earth Is Not Ours

When people buy a house, they often say,         "This is my land."

When countries draw borders, they say,                        "This is our territory."

But the Qur'an reminds us of a greater truth.    Everything belongs to Allah.

We are only travellers that have come to this examination hall called Earth for a test. Temporary caretakers.  Think of a traveller spending one night in a guest house or examination center.

Would he tear down the walls?    Pollute the garden?             Waste the food?

Of course not. Because he knows it is not his.

The Earth is Allah's guest house.

We have been invited for a short stay for examination purpose.

May we leave it in better condition than we found it.

 

Your Children

Perhaps one day, many years from now, Allah may bless you with children.

Maybe one evening your son or daughter will ask: "Abbu... did you know about climate change?"

You will answer,                                                                  "Yes."

"Did people know forests were disappearing?"            "Yes."

"Did people know rivers were polluted?"                       "Yes."

Then they may ask the question that matters.               "What did you do?"

I hope your answer will not begin with,                         "Someone should have..."

I hope it begins with,                                                          "I tried..."

Because Allah never asks us to control the outcome. He asks us to be sincere in our effort in the test.

---

Faith Meets Science

Allah says: "It is He who has made you successors (khala'if) upon the earth..."  Surah Fatir 35:39)

Notice that Allah calls us successors.

Each generation inherits the Earth from the previous one.    Not as owners.           As trustees.

One day... your generation will hand this trust to another.

The question is not whether the Earth will survive. Allah's creation has endured for ages.

The real question is: What condition will we leave it in?

 

The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ said: "When a human being dies, all his deeds come to an end except three: ongoing charity, beneficial knowledge, and a righteous child who prays for him." (Sahih Muslim)

As I wrote these letters, I often thought about this hadith. Perhaps these letters become a small piece of beneficial knowledge.

Perhaps they inspire you to plant one tree. Protect one river. Teach one child. Invent one useful technology. Help one farmer. Conserve one wetland.

Or simply become a man who treats Allah's creation with mercy.

If they do... then these letters will continue working long after both of us have finished reading them.

---

 

Your Final Examination

No school will conduct this examination. No invigilator will supervise it. No marks will be awarded.

The questions are simple.

When you waste water...                                       what do you choose?

When you see injustice towards nature...                       what do you do?

When technology offers profit but harms people...what decision do you make?

When no one is watching...                                               who are you?

Those answers will define your life far more than any board examination.

 

There Is One Last Assignment

I promised you missions throughout these letters. This one is different. There is no deadline. No marks. No submission.

I simply ask you to write a letter.

Not today.     Not tomorrow.         One day, when you are ready.

Write a letter to your own child.

Tell them:

ü  what you learned,

ü  what mistakes humanity made,

ü  what beauty still remains,

ü  and why protecting Allah's creation is worth dedicating a lifetime to.

When that day comes...      this series of letter will truly be complete.

 

Before I Fold This Final Letter...  Ayan/Saad!!!

One day you will realise that fathers quietly grow older while their children quietly grow up.

There may come a time when these letters are all that remain of our conversations about Environmental Applications.

If that day ever comes, I hope you will remember not the words... but the intention behind them.

v I never wanted you to become the smartest student in your class. I wanted you to become the kind of man whose knowledge brings mercy to the world.

v If, years from now, you plant a tree because of these letters... they have succeeded.

v If you conserve water because of these letters... they have succeeded.

v If you design a cleaner technology because of these letters... they have succeeded.

v If you raise your own children to love Allah by caring for His creation... they have succeeded beyond anything I could ever imagine.

 

A Father's Final Prayer

My beloved son, I pray that Allah grants you a heart that never becomes hard.

v A mind that never stops asking questions.

v Hands that always build rather than destroy.

v Eyes that continue to see wonder in His creation.

v Knowledge that benefits humanity.

v Wealth that never corrupts your character.

v Humility that grows with your success.

v Friends who remind you of Allah.

v Courage to stand for what is right.

v Compassion for every living creature.

v And when your own journey on this Earth is complete, may you return to your Lord having fulfilled the trust He placed in your hands—with gratitude, integrity, and hope.

 

The Last Words

The purpose of education is not simply to make a living.

It is to make a life that is worth living.

The purpose of science is not simply to understand the world.

It is to protect and improve it.

The purpose of faith is not simply to prepare for the Hereafter.

It is to guide how we live in this world so that both this life and the next are enriched.

And the purpose of these letters... was never really to teach you Environmental Applications.

It was to remind you that every leaf, every river, every bird, every mountain, every breath, and every human being is part of a magnificent trust from Allah.

Take care of that trust.

And one day, when you stand before your Creator, may He say of you:

"He honoured the trust I gave him."

That is the success your Abba prays for.

With all my love in this world, with endless prayers for your Hereafter, and with gratitude to Allah for the privilege of being your father,

Always and forever,

Your Abbu 🌿

The Future Scientist Series : Letter 15

What Difference Can One Boy Make? : The Day You Stop Being a Student and Begin Becoming a Steward of the Earth

My dearest Ayan/Saad,

Assalamu Alaikum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh.

Today, I am not writing to you as your teacher. I am writing to you simply as your father.

Over the past weeks, we have travelled together through forests, rivers, mountains, villages, cities, farms, factories, laboratories and even satellites orbiting the Earth.

We met earthworms hidden beneath the soil. We watched bees pollinate flowers. We followed raindrops from the clouds to rivers and back again. We learned how forests breathe, how cities grow, how pollution spreads, and how scientists search for solutions.

§  You have studied ecosystems.

§  Food chains.

§  Biodiversity.

§  Soil.

§  Water.

§  Air.

§  Agriculture.

§  Technology.

§  Climate.

§  Sustainability.

§  Artificial Intelligence.

§  Renewable energy.

By now, you know far more about the environment than many adults ever learn.

But today I want to ask you one final question. Perhaps the most important question of all.

 

Knowledge Is Easy.            Character Is Difficult.

Imagine two students.

Both score 100 out of 100 in Environmental Applications.

One throws plastic bottles out of the car window. Leaves lights switched on unnecessarily. Wastes food. Cuts down trees without thought.

The other student quietly carries a reusable water bottle. Plants trees. Repairs broken things. Uses water carefully. Speaks politely to those who collect waste. Protects animals.

Who truly understood Environmental Science?            Certainly not the one with higher marks.

     Knowledge becomes meaningful only when it changes behaviour.

 

One Person Cannot Change the World...

People often say,     "I'm only one person. What difference can I make?"

I understand why they say that.

The Earth is enormous.      Its problems seem overwhelming.

o   Climate change.

o   Pollution.

o   Plastic.

o   Deforestation.

o   Extinction.

It is easy to feel powerless.

But let me tell you a story.

 

The Boy and the Beach

After a violent storm, thousands of starfish were stranded on a beach. A young boy began picking them up, one by one, and throwing them back into the sea.

An elderly man smiled kindly and said, "There are thousands of them. You cannot possibly make a difference."

The boy picked up another starfish. Threw it into the ocean.

And replied, "It made a difference to that one."

Whether the story is historical or not matters less than its lesson. The world rarely changes because one person solves every problem.

     It changes because millions of people each solve one small part.

 

The Environmental Scientist's Promise

     If one day you become an engineer...      Build things that last.

     If you become a doctor...    Protect public health by caring about clean air and water.

     If you become a businessman...    Remember that profit earned by destroying creation is not true success.

     If you become a teacher...  Inspire curiosity rather than fear.

     If you become a government officer...     Think about the people who cannot speak in meetings:

·       the forests,

·       the rivers,

·       the birds,

·       the unborn generations.

     Whatever profession Allah chooses for you...   Carry your environmental values with you.

 

Leadership Begins at Home

Many people dream of addressing the United Nations.

Few remember to switch off unnecessary lights in their own bedroom. Real leadership begins long before anyone notices. It begins when no one is watching.

The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ taught us that sincerity is measured by what we do when only Allah sees us.

Environmental responsibility is exactly the same. No applause. No cameras. No awards. Just quiet acts of responsibility.

 

Imagine Two Futures                     Let us travel once more to the year 2050.

Future One

o   Cities are hotter.

o   Water is scarce.

o   Many rivers are polluted.

o   Species continue disappearing.

o   People compete for dwindling resources.

o   Children rarely see clear night skies.

Future Two

·       Cities are greener.

·       Buildings produce their own energy.

·       Rivers are cleaner.

·       Forests are expanding.

·       Food is produced sustainably.

·       Technology serves both people and nature.

·       Children still hear birds singing.

Which future becomes reality?     That depends on millions of decisions made by ordinary people.     

Including yours!!!

 

Success Is Not Measured by Salary/Money Alone

As you grow older, many people will ask,         "What do you do?"

Some may ask,                                                         "How much do you earn?"

Very few will ask,                                                    "How much good have you done?"

Yet I believe Allah's scales are different from ours.

ü  A teacher who inspires thousands of children.

ü  A farmer who restores degraded soil.

ü  A scientist who develops cleaner technology.

ü  An entrepreneur who reduces waste.

ü  A volunteer who protects wetlands.

Their contributions may never appear in headlines.    But they leave the Earth better than they found it.

That is success.

 

Your Environmental Covenant

Today, I would like you to make a promise—not to me, but to yourself.

You may write it in your notebook.         You may revise it as you grow older.

But let it guide you.

v I will seek knowledge before opinions.

v I will respect evidence and remain open to learning.

v I will never waste Allah's blessings knowingly.

v I will leave every place cleaner than I found it whenever I can.

v I will treat animals with mercy and people with justice.

v I will support technologies that benefit humanity without harming creation.

v I will remember that future generations have rights over the Earth I use today.

This is not an exam answer.          It is a way of living.

---

Faith Meets Science

Allah says: "Indeed, Allah commands justice, excellence, and generosity to relatives, and He forbids immorality, wrongdoing, and oppression." (Surah An-Nahl 16:90)

Environmental destruction often begins when justice is forgotten. When forests are cleared without concern for those who depend on them. When rivers are polluted because someone else bears the cost. When future generations are ignored.

Justice is not only about people. It is also about how we treat the trust that Allah has placed in our hands.

A Lesson from the Prophet ﷺ

Among the beautiful teachings of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ is this: "The most beloved deeds to Allah are those that are done consistently, even if they are small." (Sahih al-Bukhari and Sahih Muslim)

Think how encouraging this is. You do not have to solve climate change by yourself. You do not have to plant a thousand trees tomorrow.

You simply have to remain faithful in the small acts you can do:

·       using less water,

·       avoiding waste,

·       helping others,

·       sharing knowledge,

·       protecting life.

Small deeds, repeated over a lifetime, become a great legacy.

 

Think Like a Leader

Whenever you face a decision, ask yourself three questions:

v Is it good for me?

v Is it good for other people?

v Is it good for Allah's creation?

When the answer to all three is "yes," you are probably walking the right path.

 

 

ICSE Exam Corner

By now, this is less about revision and more about integration.

Review these ideas one last time:

✔ Ecosystems

✔ Biodiversity

✔ Soil conservation

✔ Air pollution control

✔ Water conservation

✔ Sustainable development

✔ Resource efficiency

✔ Appropriate technology

✔ Environmental ethics

Remember: Most examination questions test understanding, not memorisation.

v Whenever you answer, try to explain why, not only what.

 

Your Final Mission Before the Last Letter

I want you to begin your own Environmental Journal.

Not for school.         Not for marks.          For yourself.

Write one page answering these questions:

1. Which topic in this series changed the way I think the most?
2. What environmental problem worries me most?
3. What profession would allow me to contribute to solving it?
4. What habits will I change starting today?
5. What kind of world do I hope my own children will inherit one day?

Keep this page safely.         Read it again after ten years.         You may be surprised by how much you have grown.

 

Before I Signoff...

Ayan/Saad, when you were born, I held you in my arms and wondered what kind of man you would become.

ü  I prayed that you would be intelligent.

ü  I prayed that you would be healthy.

ü  I prayed that you would be kind.

Today, after writing these letters, I realise there is one more prayer I should make.

ü  I pray that knowledge never makes you arrogant.

ü  I pray that success never makes you forget those who have less.

ü  I pray that technology never replaces your compassion.

ü  I pray that your love for Allah always guides your love for His creation.

ü  And above all, I pray that when your own children ask you, "Abbu, what did you do when the Earth needed people to care?" you will be able to smile—not because you were perfect, but because you were faithful.

     Faithful to the trust Allah gave you.

     Faithful to the knowledge you received.

     Faithful to the small daily choices that quietly made the world a little better.

That, my dear son, is the difference one person can make.

May Allah make you among those who are remembered not for the wealth they accumulated, but for the good they left behind.

With all my love, my endless prayers, and gratitude to Allah for the privilege of being your Abba,

Yours Abba