Reviving Hima (الحِمى): Why Does It Matter Now?

(MENAFN- OMC) Muslims experience the month of Ramadan as a time of reflection, gratitude, and conscious living. Across the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), many believers choose to worship during the holy month, not only through fasting, but also by adopting eco-friendly actions such as mindful consumption, reducing food waste, conserving water, and avoiding single-use plastics as a way to individually commit to environmental stewardship.

Beyond Ramadan

How can these individual sustainable practices be replicated beyond Ramadan month? How to collectively protect the resources that communities rely on and share?
Hima (الحِمى) is a centuries-old system of community-managed protected areas with an extremely effective and locally adapted approach to environmental care. Historically, Hima (الحِمى) systems have been established to safeguard grazing areas, forests, and water sources, among others, with communities managing them according to their local knowledge. This ensured the balance between human well-being and nature preservation, a balance modern societies lack.
Ramadan is a month of mindfulness, gratitude, and care. Hima (الحِمى), as an economic environmental system, is a natural extension of the values and the individual practices adopted during this period; it is a long-term collective solution and response to socio-economic and environmental challenges. Reviving Hima (الحِمى) helps with protecting livelihoods, preventing conflicts over resources, ensuring fair access to water and land, strengthening communities’ solidarity and resilience.
Hima (الحِمى) and water scarcity in the MENA Region
Today, the Middle East and North Africa region (MENA) finds itself at the center of a global water crisis, as it is considered the most water-stressed region in the world. Its communities face exacerbated droughts, diminishing rivers, and disappearing springs, threatening livelihoods, food security, and stability. According to Relief Web (2017), Over 60% of the region’s population lives under high or very high water stress, compared to the global average of approximately 35%. The water crisis that the region is witnessing is not only due to low rainfall or climate change; it is also a result of the collapse of watersheds as a consequence of uncontrolled urbanization, deforestation, pollution, and substantial extraction.
How can Hima (الحِمى) help face this crisis?
●Preserves watersheds and recharge zones
●Prevents pollution and over-extraction
●Restores soil health
●Ensures equitable access to water resources
●Creates socio-economic benefits like green jobs and safeguards livelihoods
In this context, Hima (الحِمى) offers a culturally rooted community-led pathway to prevent water depletion and desertification while restoring ecosystems and supporting local livelihoods.
Hima (الحِمى): from the community to the community
Unlike top-down approaches, Hima (الحِمى) fosters local ownership, accountability, and cohesion. By combining traditional knowledge with modern ecological practices, local communities, especially in the countries of the Global South, can create their own Hima (الحِمى) areas that sustain both people and nature. In its essence, this system resonates with the concept of Hifz al-Nafs (preservation of life) of Maqasid al-Shariah (purpose of Shariah laws). It recognizes the significance of resource conservation and preservation for the protection of life, human health, and food systems.
In an era defined by crises, notably the climate crisis, reviving Hima (الحِمى) is not just about honoring the past, it is a type of local climate governance rooted in culture to help build a resilient, sustainable, and harmonious future.

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