TheImprovement ofTropical and Subtropical Rangelands

322 IMPROVEMENT OF TROPIOAL AND SUBTROPIOAL RANGELANDS
Al-Iman al-Shafi'y (ninth century) stated that during pre-Islamic
days, a Shara/.ol./coom (influential person), upon arriving in a village,
would mark the boundary of his grazing land by the distance one
could hear a dog bark. In addition to this area for his personal use, he
also enjoyed the privilege of the surrounding lands grazed by others.
This extremely unfair practice, according to al-Imam al-Shafi'y,
was the system practiced by the Jahilia (pre-Islamic or unenlightened
people). It was subsequently corrected in accordance with the saying
of the prophet, "Muslim people are partners in water, fire, and
ephemeral range."
The Hema al-Ra'bza, near Dari'yain Saudi Arabia, is the pasture
preserve once protected by 'Umar ibn-al-Khattab, the second caliph.
The length of the hema was about 250 km. A geographic Arabic
dictionary, Mo l gam ma uta l gam, revealed that during the time of
'Uthman, the third caliph, this hema was expanded and the number
of grazing animals (mainly camels and horses) increased to 40,000.
'Umar ibn 'abd Aziz (seventh century), one of the most capable
caliphs of the early days of Islam, is known to have been very strict
in keeping the hema protected. Cutting of even a single branch from
such a reserve warranted a severe beating.
The Holy Qur'an is a proponent of conservation and forbids
the unnecessary cutting down of trees, destruction of crops, or any
wanton destruction whatsoever in war or in peace. Both law and the
Islamic concept are opposed to such destruction.
Types of Ahmla
The ahmia may be classified according to the type of protection:
• Animal grazing is prohibited, but cutting of grasses is permissible
during specified periods and droughts. The head of the tribe
grants special privileges for a limited number of needy people to use
the reserved range. A specified member of each family is allowed to
cut mature grass during the season, either for storage or for direct
use.
• Grazing, cutting, or both are permitted but are restricted to
certain seasons of the year, as in Hema Elazahra and Hema Hameed
around Belgurashi in Saudi Arabia.
• Grazing is allowed year-round. The kind and number of animals
permitted for grazing are specified. Most of the ahmia around