Introduction
The triple planetary crisis- catastrophic climate change, mass biodiversity loss, and unrestrained resource consumption, is the eventual outcome of the demise of nature’s spiritual significance. Despite decades of politico-economic efforts, technological innovations, and climate activism, these solutions have largely failed and backfired, pushing the Earth system toward ecological collapse by breaching seven of the nine planetary boundaries[1]. Critical scholars recommend this failure stems from overlooking an underlying cause: a secularized worldview rooted in de-sacralization of nature since the seventeenth-century Western intellectual transformations[2].
Traditional societies venerated nature as sacred, modernization replaced this perception with reductionism, radical scientism, and humanism, turning the natural world into capitalized commodities. This shift brutally ruptured the spiritual intimacy between humanity and nature, leaving the eco-spiritual dimension essentially unexplored in popular ecological discourse.
From a Sufi perspective, the ecological breakdown is not merely a technological or political failure, rather a deep-rooted spiritual crisis. This worldview posits that humanity is spiritually connected to the natural world, and this disconnection reduces nature to a mere object of consumption. Due to the disequilibrium between humanity and the natural world, losing the sense of nature’s sacredness as a reflection of God’s names and qualities, renders the alive nature ‘dead’ in all spiritual senses. Many cultures have long perceived nature as crucial for human physical, moral, and spiritual well-being.
Spiritual traditions, including Abrahamic religions, Buddhism, Taoism, and Hinduism, emphasize the indispensable unity between humanity and nature2. Within Islam, this vision is profoundly reflected and expressed in Sufism, perceiving nature as a manifestation of the Divine through which humans understand the attributes of God[3]. Thus, contemplation of nature is celebrated as a powerful spiritual act to connect with the Divine presence.
This study explores the contemporary ecological crisis through the prism of Sufism, examining how Sufis interpret humanity’s spiritual belonging to the divineness imprinted in nature. It argues that the severance of this belonging intensifies an existential emptiness within human hearts, and the destruction of nature and domination over the rights of God’s creation result in a massive eco-spiritual crisis.
Relying on key Sufi concepts—such as stewardship (khalīfah), sacred trust (amānah), God-consciousness (iḥsān), the universal human (al-insān al-kāmil), and the interconnectedness of all existence (waḥdat al-wujūd)—the study proposes that the outer ecological breakdown solely reflects humanity’s inner spiritual crisis. It further offers a pathway toward spiritual realignment, as a philosophy and movement, recommending that healing the planet foremostly requires the healing of human souls.
Cosmos as a Divine Book
Sufi metaphysics views ‘cosmos’ as the sacred order of all levels of reality, encompassing all of the beings in the universe, except the Supreme Source of all beings who Himself is the Designer of the sacred order. Prof. Sayyed Hossein Nasr exemplified the sacred order of reality as an ‘onion-shaped cosmos’ to introduce the hierarchical levels of reality[4]. Man realizes different levels of reality leading to the Ultimate Reality of divine love according to the level of self-purification.
The binding force of the universe is the Divine Love3. God loves to be reflected in His creations through the revelation of this Divine Love to the eyes and hearts that are liberated from the shackles of nafs and ego. Therefore, God’s continuous sound of breathing, “Kun Faya Kun’ recreates the cosmos in every moment4.
A popular Turkish sufi, Said Nursi referred to the natural world as ‘the book of the universe’ that reflects God’s beautiful names and attributes[5]. Sufis perceive nature as God’s means of becoming known and loved to His creation. Hence, as the God’s stewards, contemplation and nurturing the sacred order is the divinely ordained task for humankind.
Sufism emphasizes humans as both the universe’s macrocosm and microcosm4. As macrocosm, the Universal Man (al Insan al kamil) is enlightened with knowledge of all beings through the Abrahamic lineage, and mirrors all divine qualities and names[6]. Also, the human heart is the microcosm of the cosmos where God’s presence is affirmed. This affirmation came through the sacred hadith, “The Heavens and the earth cannot contain Me, but the heart of my faithful servant does contain Me.”[7]
Reaching the stage of illuminative knowledge requires realizing human’s sacred station at the centre of the cosmos, embracing Divine love. Unlike animals and the rest of the creation, humans possess the emancipation of choice. However, today’s modern man has dislocated the sacred order, creating disequilibrium with nature2. The scientific revolution, by secularizing cosmology and designing a God-less ‘modern cosmology’ focused only on physics, stars, and so forth. This de-sacralization has consequently caused a grave spiritual crisis for humanity4. Therefore, without re-vitalizing the divine significance of the cosmos, it’s impossible to resolve this eco-spiritual crisis.
Living Nature and Sacred Symbolism
Verily, in the creation of the heavens and of the earth, and the succession of night and day: and in the ships that speed through the sea with what is useful to man: and in the waters which God sends down from the sky, giving life thereby to the earth after it had been lifeless, and causing all manner of living creatures to multiply thereon: and in the change of the winds, and the clouds that run their appointed courses between sky and earth: [in all this] there are messages indeed for people who use their reason. (Q 2:164)[8]
Nature is considered the ‘cosmic Quran,’ imprinted with signs of God (Ayat Allah)[9]. These signs reveal a higher Source of knowledge to those who contemplate them. Every element of nature manifests Divine wisdom and mercy, and carries secret messages, reflecting God’s desire to be known through creation[10].
Sufis connect to the natural world symbolically, linking elements to divine qualities—water and the moon symbolize Divine Mercy and Beauty, and wind manifests the Breath of the Most Merciful[11]. Sufi literature and poetry, such as Rumi’s Mathnavi and Ibne Arabi’s Fusus al-Hakim, unearth these hidden symbolisms, using nature as metaphors for Divine Reality[12].
For example, branches of trees reaching heaven depict illumination, while deep roots delving inside the earth symbolize soul’s spiritual growth[13]. Ruzbihan symbolized the birds and their songs to portray different spiritual experiences, as narrated in the following:
“The bird of isolation sang “allāh, allāh,” the bird of uniting (tawḥīd) said, “I am the Real (anā al-ḥaqq)”, the bird of sanctification said “Glory be to me (subḥānī).” When they arose from the New Year’s garden of witnessing, they flew with the wings of pre-eternities in the post-eternities of post-eternities. Those birds of divinity brought the secret of divinity to the palace of humanity, and spoke with the soul of divinity in the tongue of humanity.”
Furthermore, symbolizing birds as the carrier of spiritual messages is particularly indispensable in Sufi thought, art, and literature[14]. Through contemplation, meditation, and prayer, sufis transcend veiled separation and achieve a sense of unity with the divine essence in nature.
There is a crucial tension between the textual depiction of nature as living worshippers of God and the way humans perceive the natural world as some lifeless thing. Lack of God-consciousness in every situation constrains our sight of nature. Rumi describes that every element of nature forever remains in the state of God-consciousness, waiting for God’s command so that natural phenomena are held. However, it was nature’s consciousness that made the sea split for Prophet Musa and his followers, and pacified fire when Abraham was pushed into it.
The Sufi tradition offers theophony (tajalli) as a form of remembrance of God when contemplating nature. Through worshipping God by contemplation, meditation, and dhikr, a traditional man became a bridge between earth and heaven by joining the natural world in their constant praising of God. However, these contemplative practices enlighten sufis by realizing the deep sense of interconnectedness with the natural world.
This profound sense of interconnectedness paves the way to the attainment of the Unity of beings (Wahdat al-Wujud). According to the sufi philosophy of Bayezid Al-Busthami, al-fana (annihilation) and al-baqa (persistence of the self in the divine) conditions of sufism – which serve as preconditions for the ultimate Unity – enable the sufis to traverse their anthropocentric self and perceive nature as the holy book of God[15]. Union with God is the true destination of a spiritual traveler of the path of a sufi tariqah. Acquiring illuminative knowledge with the union with God is the condition of death before death. As Rumi penned based on the Prophetic tradition of ‘die before ye die’ as follows:
“O you who possess sincerity, (if) you want that (Reality) unveiled, choose death and tear off the veil [of your selfexistence]— Not such a death that you will go into the grave, a death consisting of (spiritual) transformation (but)” (VI, 73839).
Indeed, this inner enlightenment and unveiling the hidden secrets of nature prevent human participation in any eco-spiritually harmful activities that exacerbate the ecological crisis.
In an era marked by de-sacred fashion and secular materialism, the spiritual significance of a tree is often overshadowed by its utility as a mere commodity. Therefore, a modern man’s quest for peace, driven by a profound spiritual emptiness, commonly relies on anthropocentric solutions. However, Sufi philosophy advocates for a potential resolution for this eco-spiritual crisis that lies in the re-sacralization of nature and the re-establishment of harmony with the sacred cosmic order.
Divine Stewardship, and Sacred Trust
The sufi thoughts elaborates the ultimate purpose of humanity is to realize the meaning and significance of the Universal Man (al-Insan-al-Kamil), embodying all divine values and serving as ‘channel of grace’ towards creation. The Quran declares humanity’s central responsibility is to deliver God’s Sacred Trust (Amanah). In the Quran, God reveals-
“We offered that trust to the heavens, but they were unable to accept it.” Consider how many tasks are performed by the heavens, whereat the human reason is bewildered…. All these things they do, yet that one thing is not performed by them; that task is performed by man.
And We honored the Children of Adam” (Quran, XVII, 72).
Consequently, the idea of Stewardship (Khalipha) and Sacred Trust (Amanah) are placed at the very centre of Sufi philosophy. Sufism regards all of existence, from every nano particle to the human body to the entire universe, as a divine trust bestowed on the shoulders of humanity. It is for their fulfillment of the role of guardian by striving for the qualities of the Universal Man. This pathway as a divine steward pre-requisites inner and outer transformation through self-purification towards the realization of non-separation of human and nature.
Sufism elaborates ‘divine stewardship’ as righteousness (adab), service (khidmat), and detachment from worldly desires (Zuhd), promoting internal transformation rooted in moderation, simplicity, and deep reverence for all creation. Today’s planetary stewards have integrated these sufi principles with practical ecological measures, forming a broader Eco-Sufism movement. They aim to foster an ‘eco-ethical consciousness’ through education and community welfare practices- such as organic farming and renewable energy utilization in Islamic boarding schools, madrashahs, society clubs, and so forth[16].
Furthermore, Sufi contemplative practices such as meditation (muraqaba), reflection (tafakkur), vision (shuhud), unitive prayer in solitude or collectively are the pathways of illumination[17]. These further cultivates a deep sense of non-separation, reverence and gratefulness for all creation. As an illustration, eco-dhikr and eco-salawat are two recent significant editions in the domain of Eco-Sufism practices. In this context, Eco-Sufism, as a worldview and movement, offers a profound pathway to re-establish a reverential human approach towards nature.
Immediately Illness and Spiritual Alchemy
Illness of souls itself paves the way to eternal healing. Through healing from existential vacuum, a soul touches the pearl of experiential and inspirational knowledge. This knowledge is considered as the ocean where all other faculties of knowledge are like islands. Indeed, the wisdom of God and his mysteries requires a severe level of suffering inside. Through the sufferings and trials, a blessed servant of God experiences ease and containment. Thus, inner and outer illness of a man can lead him through the pathway of spiritual alchemy.
The holy Quran affirms the significance of every difficulty or unease as the pathway of finding ease, mentioning, “Verily, with every hardship comes ease”(94:6). As the book ‘The Alchemy of Happiness’ recounted it,
“Illness itself is one of those forms of experience by which man arrives at the knowledge of God, as He says by the mouth of His Prophet, “Sicknesses themselves are My servants, and are attached to My chosen.”7
Nature reflects this spiritual alchemy by every moments’ recreation and renewal of life. Winter leaves the colorful nature lifeless and colorless, after months of void in the natural world, spring comes with blossoming flowers in the branches of colorful trees, full of life and joyous. Colorless nature symbolizes the inner illness of a soul which suffers hard, and goes through the process of healing but awaits for the disclosure of God’s mysteries and blessings in the perfect timing to grow again. And, finally the time of renewal comes with spring- the time of realization and submission after healing.
Furthermore, connecting to the sacredness of the natural world is an antidote to spiritual illness, according to Sufis. Contemplating with nature, one can heal his or her pain as all elements of nature reflect God’s mercy and beauty. However, disharmony with the universe creates spiritual sickness inside human hearts.
When illness is part of the healing and enlightening process of a soul, rather the actual problem of today is the heedlessness towards the sense of spiritual dimension of nature, nurturing the soul’s health. Modernity pushed human society into massive information and transaction flow. These non-stop social media feeds and artificially created ‘multiverse’ distorting the higher dimension of the universe deepened the inner emptiness of humanity. Thus, ignoring the real problem and not recognizing the deep-rooted spiritual crisis is the underlying cause of today’s ecological crisis, though the spiritual breakdown itself is a way to spiritual alchemy if addressed properly.
Moreover, a genuine planetary steward who makes efforts to channel the grace of God towards humanity, is the person who went through the process of spiritual alchemy. And, the process of healing removes all veils from his heart, beautifying the heart as a mirror reflecting God’s names and attributes everywhere.
Hence, illness is also part of this sacred order, symbolized earlier by the fall of Adam from heaven to earth. The world needs to address the circumstances of leaving the illness without proper medication to reduce the modernity-caused sufferings of nature and humanity.
Conclusion
Sufis perceive the ecological catastrophe as a well-entrenched spiritual crisis. Thus, based on the Sufi traditional scholarship, and contemplation, this eco-spiritual crisis requires spiritually-oriented solutions by re-vitalizing the sense of sacredness in nature, and reconnecting with God through His manifested creation. Through the contemplative lens of Sufism, the study finds some major principles of the mystic tradition profoundly connected to the underlying causes and solutions of the contemporary ecological crisis. The Universal Man is the one who realized the sense of interconnectedness of every portion and aspect of the sacred cosmic order. This sense of Divine unity helps a cosmic man play his stewardship role by establishing harmony and balance between man and nature. Sufis emphasize on man’s individual and collective efforts to deliver God’s sacred trust towards His creation. They also perceive nature as constant worshippers of God and the reflection of God’s Divine love. Perceiving different elements of the natural world as the bearer of sacred messages and symbols can help establish peace and balance between man and nature. However, Sufism opens up the way to explore the spiritual dimension of the ecological crisis and related solutions. Therefore, the contemplative prism of mystical Islam offers both a philosophical transformation and spiritually-empowered action-oriented prescription to reduce the catastrophic impacts of the ecological breakdown. The present study will be helpful to support researchers to design more specific Sufism-based individual and collective practices to defend the expanding eco-spiritual crisis in the upcoming days.
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