Written by : Syeda Uzma
July 15th, 2026
The morning sky over Toronto looked strange.
Instead of the familiar bright blue, everything outside Amina’s apartment window had turned a
dull yellow. The sunlight looked weak, and the CN Tower in the distance appeared faded behind
a thick haze.
She checked her phone.
“Air Quality Warning: Wildfire smoke affecting Southern Ontario.”
Amina sighed.
“I was planning to take a long walk today.”
Her father looked out the window and quietly said,
“Sometimes Allah changes the sky to remind us to look up.”
Curious, Amina opened the news.
The smoke wasn’t coming from Toronto.
Hundreds of kilometres away, large wildfires were burning across northwestern Ontario, with
smoke spreading across Manitoba, northern Saskatchewan, parts of Alberta, and drifting into
southern Ontario, including Toronto, Mississauga, Brampton, Hamilton, Ottawa, and even parts
of the northeastern United States. Tiny smoke particles had travelled high in the atmosphere,
turning the sky yellow and making the air unhealthy to breathe.
She had always thought that disasters happened “somewhere else.”
Today, that “somewhere else” had arrived at her doorstep.
Her younger brother asked,
“Did Toronto catch on fire?”
“No,” Amina replied. “The wind carried the smoke here.”
Her father smiled gently.
“One small action far away can affect millions of people.”
Those words stayed with her.
That afternoon, instead of opening all the windows, the family kept them closed. They turned on
their air purifier and set the air conditioner to recirculate. They postponed their outdoor walk and
decided to pray Dhuhr together before reading a few verses of the Qur’an.
After the prayer, Amina read:
“Corruption has appeared on land and sea because of what people’s hands have earned, so He
may let them taste some of the consequences of their deeds, that perhaps they will return.”
(Qur’an 30:41)
She paused.
She had always thought this verse referred only to major disasters.
Now she wondered if it also reminded people to care for Allah’s creation.
Allah had entrusted the earth to humanity.
Being grateful meant protecting it—not wasting it.
The next day, Amina volunteered at her local masjid.
The imam announced that many firefighters and families near the wildfire zones needed
donations, du’a, and support.
For the first time, Amina didn’t think,
“Someone else will help.”
Instead she thought,
“Allah gave me the chance to help.”
She donated what she could.
She encouraged others to make du’a for the firefighters risking their lives, for the families forced
to leave their homes, and for rain that would extinguish the fires.
As the days passed, Amina began making small but meaningful changes in her daily life. She
became more mindful about turning off lights whenever she left a room and used water carefully,
remembering that the Prophet Muhammadصلى الله عليه وسلمtaught Muslims not to waste water, even when
beside a flowing river. She started reducing waste, recycling more carefully, and carrying
reusable bags and bottles whenever possible. Whenever it was practical, she chose to walk or
take public transit instead of asking for a car ride. She also joined community efforts to plant
flowers and trees, hoping to leave the earth a little greener than she had found it. Whenever she
saw younger children, she gently reminded them that caring for the environment is part of being
grateful to Allah, and that protecting His creation can become an act of worship when done with
a sincere intention.
Deep in her heart, Amina knew that these small actions alone would not stop every wildfire or
solve every environmental problem. Yet she also understood that every believer is responsible
for doing their part. Allah asks each of us to do our part with sincerity, trusting that even the
smallest good deed is never lost in His sight.
As Prophet Muhammadصلى الله عليه وسلمsaid:
“If the Final Hour comes while one of you has a seedling in his hand, let him plant it.”
Even when the future seems uncertain, a believer continues doing good.
A few weeks later, rain finally fell.
The yellow sky disappeared.
Blue returned.
People celebrated cleaner air.
But Amina knew something more important had changed.
The sky wasn’t the only thing that had cleared.
Her perspective had changed.
She no longer saw environmental care as someone else’s responsibility.
She saw it as part of being a grateful servant of Allah.
Whenever she looked at a clear blue sky, she remembered that clean air was a blessing—not a
guarantee.
And whenever the weather warning appeared on her phone, she no longer complained first.
She made du’a first.
“O Allah, send beneficial rain, protect those affected by the fires, grant safety to the firefighters,
heal the sick, and make us among those who care for the earth You have entrusted to us.
Ameen.”