The interview with Seyyed Hossein Nasr articulates the essential role of a religious perspective in addressing the environmental crisis, contrasting this with the inadequacies of a secular viewpoint. Nasr argues for a paradigm shift where nature is not merely viewed as material for exploitation, but as a sacred entity that possesses intrinsic spiritual significance. He emphasizes the importance of traditional sacred cosmologies in fostering a deeper understanding of humanity's relationship with nature, suggesting that modernism's materialistic worldview has contributed to environmental degradation. The discussion serves as a critique of contemporary environmental activism and highlights the need for a return to more holistic, religiously informed views of nature.

Worldviews: Global Religion, Culture and Ecology, 2012

A survey of the proliferating literature by Muslims on ecology indicates that the majority favors some role for traditional Islamic law in order to solve the current environmental crisis. And so what is the meaning of the word “Shari’a” that appears so often? A close look at this discourse reveals an inherent fuzziness in its use of Shari’a. All of the scholar/activists surveyed in this paper, though on the conservative end of the spectrum, chiefly refer to “Shari’a” as a source of ethical values. The first to address these issues was Iranian-American philosopher Seyyed Hossein Nasr whose pluralist theology is hospitable to the spiritual input of all faiths; yet the most influential environmentalists today are the British scholars Mawil Izzi Dien and Fazlun Khalid, whose writings and campaigns have impacted millions of Muslims worldwide. Their appeal to past norms of eco-friendly Shari’a norms and their desire to update them in the present context fits nicely with the Earth’s Charter call for “a sustainable global society founded on respect for nature, universal human rights, economic justice, and a culture of peace.”

2021

Access the recording here. Access the audio transcript here. What can religion offer for resolving the environmental crisis? How can we recover a sacred view of the universe? What resources can the Islamic and Christian traditions offer in response to the environmental crisis? This lecture examines the spiritual and intellectual origins of the environmental crisis, rooted in the desacralization of nature in the modern period. It surveys traditional Islamic and Christian views of nature and offer resources, from the Christian heritage and Islamic understandings of the relationship of God, humanity, and nature, that can address our contemporary environmental crisis and help recover a sacred view of the universe. Dr. Seyyed Hossein Nasr is University Professor of Islamic Studies at George Washington University, Dr. Seyyed Hossein Nasr is regarded as one of the leading Islamic thinkers in the world today. A pioneer in addressing the roots of the environmental crisis from a theological p...

The Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2020

This study shows how Cobb and Nasr address environmental issues with their respective religious traditions and why a comparative study of Cobb’s eco-theological view and Nasr’s eco-spiritual vision is significant for the present discussion concerning religion and ecology. In this study, an explorative description of their eco-religious understandings is presented, and then a critical analysis is made 1) on their views of human dignity in an ecological context, 2) their opinions of modern science and technology, 3) their interpretations regarding the roots of the ecological crisis, 4) their eco-religious approaches to public issues, and 5) their positions on the existing approaches to environmental ethics. This project takes Cobb’s “economism” and Nasr’s “scientism” as the key concepts for exploring the roots of the ecological crisis. It is argued that by being more aware of the destructive aspects of economism and scientism, humans can be convinced to adjust their behaviour to be in greater balance with the ecosystem. Furthermore, Cobb’s proposal of “bioregionalism” offers a more environmental-friendly alternative to the present market-driven economic system, and Nasr’s conception of “scared science” can expose the limitations of the prevalent ecologically destructive understandings of technology and science. Based on Cobb’s “ecological model of life and development” as well as Nasr’s “sacredness of nature” and “sanctity of life” models, the present study emphasizes restoring a human-nature relationship that has been broken by the mechanistic and materialistic worldview of nature. In similar vein, Cobb’s organic view of the world as a community (instead of merely a commodity), and Nasr’s metaphysical view of nature as a conscious being, can refute the current misconception that the environment is a lifeless machine on the one hand, and highlight the importance of ecological equilibrium and the inseparability of humanity and nature on the other. The present study adopts the methodology of “reciprocal illumination” to compare Cobb and Nasr, as well as their respective faith communities. As a part of this, some major converging and diverging ideas and suggestions are juxtaposed to make a comparative analysis of Cobb’s postmodern approach and Nasr’s traditionalist approach. Whereas Cobb’s ecological asceticism and Nasr’s simplicity of lifestyle share the same spirit in regard to environmental sustainability, Cobb’s process philosophy and Nasr’s perennial philosophy offer contradictory approaches to the philosophical foundations of environmentalism. However, Cobb and Nasr can further their discussions by considering each other’s supportive and distinctive understandings. This can also inspire other religious scholars, especially Christians and Muslims, to continue working on Cobb’s and Nasr’s eco-religious ideas, and thus illuminating each other and creating more opportunities for dialogue and action.

2005

The themes of this hefty tome, consisting of twenty-three essays, preceded by prefaces and introductions, are closely connected with the May 1998 conference on Islam and ecology, which was held in the framework of a series of gatherings on the stance of the world’s religious traditions towards today’s environmental crisis, hosted by the Center for the Study of World Religions at Harvard University between 1996 and 1998. The editors of this volume must be credited with giving the contributors opportunity to present the most up-to-date essays, which must have been quite a strain on the editing process of an ambitious project like this.

Published in The Temenos Academy Review 2017. Identifies the root causes of our environmental crises in the modern scientific worldview, with its narrowed scope of inquiry limited to the material, mechanical and quantitative domains of reality, and the abandonment of the traditional understanding that all Reality is One, including the psychic and spiritual domains. Points to remedies of restoring and improving traditional technologies, and the works of Mulla Sadra (Sadr al-Din Shirazi, d.1640) on "substantial motion" as the basis for establishing a new sacred science -- congruent with findings of prominent 20th Century physicists, such as Bohr, Heisenberg, Schrödinger, et al.

2024

İbn Haldun Üniversitesi, 2020

Bu tez çalışması, iki farklı döneme ait uzmanların Kur'an'daki bir kısım ayetleri yorumlamasını karşılaştırıyor. Birinci dönem yorumları için 4./10. yüzyılları ile 9./15. yüzyılları arasında yaşamış yedi müfessirin tefsir çalışmaları dikkate alınırken, ikinci dönem için modern "eko-İslam" hareketinin akademik savunucularının Kur'an-ı Kerim ayetleri hakkındaki yorumları dikkate alınıyor. Bu tezde incelenen ikinci dönem yazarlarına göre, İslam geleneği, özellikle Kur'an-ı Kerim, modern bir konsept olan "çevrecilik" ile uyumlu bir şekilde; gezegeninin korunması, hayvan ve bitki hayatlarının himaye edilmesi, ve doğal kaynakların ölçülü kullanımı hakkında öğretiler içeriyor. Bu tez günümüz eko-İslam savunucuları tarafından en çok referans yapılan Kur'an ayetlerini belirleyerek, onların Kur'an ayetlerine getirdikleri yorumlar ile, tarihten çeşitli klasik Sünni müfessirlerin yorumlarını karşılaştırıyor. Böylece eko-İslam'ın köklerinin klasik gelenekten mi geldiğini yoksa İslam düşüncesine yakın zamanda mı eklendiğini inceliyor. İki dönemin yorumlarını karşılaştırdıktan sonra, vardığım sonuç şu ki, bazı düşüncelerin devamlılığının sekteye uğramasına rağmen, İslami Çevreciliğin köklerini klasik İslam düşüncesi geleneğinde görebiliyoruz. Nihayetinde, bu tez yalnızca İslami Çevreciliğin tarihini, kökenini ve gelişimini incelemekle kalmıyor aynı zamanda modern İslam ve onun geleneksel kökleri arasındaki derin ilişkiye ve İslam'ın ana kaynağı olan Kur'an-ı Kerim'in tefsirinin, modern söylem ve güncel meseleler ışığında nasıl şekillendiğine de ışık tutuyor.

Environmental Conservation, 2001

Over thirty years ago a debate began as to whether religion in general, or the Judaeo-Christian faith in particular, were in some sense responsible for the present environmental predicament. Islam, as a major world religion which shares the same Abrahamic roots as the Judaeo-Christian tradition, has been largely absent from this debate. Most conservationists now believe that it is essential that there be comprehensive discussion not only of environmental policies, but also of the ethics underlying environmental protection. This paper looks at the importance of the environment in the main sources of Islamic instruction, namely the Koran and Prophet's Hadiths (teachings). These texts turn out to be on the side of conservation, the emphasis being on respect for creation, the protection of the natural order and avoidance of all wasteful activities which may cause injury to the environment. These positions are contrasted with views expressed by political Islam, which has become influ...

Journal of Islamic Faith and Practice, 2019

This paper explores Islamic interpretations that contribute to understandings of the importance of protecting the environment and living a “green” lifestyle. These concepts are explored within the wider sphere of eco-theology. In addition to an exploration of these concepts in general, this paper specifically aims to understand how Muslims interpret their role in environmental stewardship. Its focus is an interview with Nana Firman, GreenFaith’s Muslim director and the co-director of the Islamic Society of North America’s Green Mosque Initiative. This interview provides the basis for explorations into a faith-based environmental activism in the Muslim American community.

2010

AI

In 2009, I had the honour to interview Professor Seyyed Hossein Nasr, who is a Professor of Islamic Studies at George Washington University, Washington, DC, as part of the 'Muslim Heritage Interview Series'. During the interview, Nasr touched on various topics related to Islam and modernity, Sufism, spirituality, consumerism and the environment. Thirteen years had elapsed since that interview and, with so many changes having taken place across the world in this intervening period, I was keen to speak to him again on some of the core themes we discussed then and to see how things have evolved in those areas over the years. The interview with Nasr covers some rare gems and insights from his illustrious career along with the following themes -Islamic Environmentalism, Trust, Resaclarization of the Sacred Tradition, Inspirational Scholars, The Concept of al-insān al-kāmil, Impact of Covid-19, Extremist Narratives, Globalization, Saudi 2030 Vision, Iran, Social and Geo-Political Trends, Traditionalism and Modernity. I conducted the interview with Nasr at George Washington University in December 2022. I do hope that the readers find the interview both enlightening and beneficial.

ICR Journal

The Royal Aal Al-Bayt Institute for Islamic Thought (RABIIT), the publisher of this volume, has become better known throughout the world as an institution dedicated to the pursuit of meaningful interfaith dialogue on a global scale. Perhaps its most well known initiative is A Common Word, the historic global Muslim-Christian interfaith initiative which has brought together leading Muslim and Christian scholars and public figures from all parts of the world and generated a series of dialogues held in major cities of the West and the Islamic world.

London; New York: Routledge , 2022

Religion and Ecological Crisis delves into the complex relationship between religions and ecology, presenting Christian and Islamic perspectives on ecological issues through the work of John Boswell Cobb and Seyyed Hossein Nasr. It examines how faith traditions of the world see and respond to our current unprecedented climate change issues. This is the first comparative study of Cobb and Nasr’s eco-religious understanding and explores how their prescriptions can contribute alternatively to techno-scientific initiatives in environmental sustainability. Taking Cobb’s “economism” and Nasr’s “scientism” as the key concepts for surveying the roots of the ecological crisis, the book offers interdisciplinary and interreligious insights into the debates about ecological equilibrium, motivational awareness in human mind, and entanglements between religion and the environment. This will be an insightful resource for policy makers, faith leaders, and academics working in Environmental Studies and Religious Studies.

Middle East Media Educator, 2011

Recently, I attended a session of the conference Belief in Dialogue: Science, Culture and Modernity at the American University of Sharjah, organized by the British Council, in partnership with the University in association with the International Society of Science and Religion. Billed as a media roundtable, the session closed the three-day conference that included scholars from Europe, North America, UK, Asia, and the Middle East discussing how science and religion might be reconciled in an Islamic context and in the context of other religions.

Religion and The Arts, 2021

Traditionally, the construction of Islamic Studies as a scholarly field has accepted boundaries so limited, and so conditional on the presumptions underlying the humanistic scholarly tradition in the West, resisting opportunities to identify and explore its intersection with other fields. Anna Gade’s Muslim Environmentalism: Religious and Social Foundations uses such an intersection to critique our understanding of the knowledge structures underlying Islamic environmental theory and practice, and to argue for new ways of thinking about Islamic Studies.

Undeclared ambitions for the future notwithstanding, my current research profile is one that could qualify me as an "environmental historian" by only the most indulgent of standards. My contribution to this roundtable will thus be written less in the mode of a practicing researcher in the field and more from the perspective of a teacher (at a U.S. public land-grant university) currently in the process of trying to "environmentalize" two large survey courses in history. Here I must begin by confessing my motivations for this venture, which are of the most mundanely pragmatic sort. Like most universities in the United States, mine is in the midst of a severe fiscal crisis, and the humanities in particular are under mounting pressure both to increase enrollments and to make themselves "relevant." As a result, our faculty has been called to redesign all of its introductory-level courses according to a new set of "Liberal Education Themes," among which "the environment" figures particularly prominently. However, lest we pesky historians get the wrong idea about what this category of "environment" might actually imply, the official university guidelines include a stern warning that merely "raising issues about the environment" is not sufficient for certification. Instead, all qualifying courses must "explore solutions to environmental problems" that, most important of all, "must be based in science!" This is truly a tall order for a humanist-moreover, one for which my own professional training might be fairly judged more inadequate than most. After all, not only am I a nonscientist, but as a historian I suffer the particular foibles of my generation, having been nurtured as an undergraduate on healthy servings of Edward Said and shepherded through graduate school during the halcyon days of postcolonial studies. This has conditioned me, as a first impulse, to see "science" not as a solution but rather as a problem and to regard "scientific principles" not as objectives to be internalized and implemented but rather as objects to be critiqued and deconstructed. Nevertheless, because these are undoubtedly desperate times, I have done what I can to adopt correspondingly desperate measures. And, almost despite myself, after much trial and error, I have now seen one of my courses officially certified "environmental" by the powers that be. So what have I learned from the process so far? First and foremost, I have gained a new appreciation for the historical moment in which my students are coming of age and for the important and valuable ways in which their perspective consequently differs from my own. As I write these words, for example, tens of thousands of barrels of oil continue to spew from a hole in the bottom of the Gulf of Mexico, in what is now being referred to as "the greatest environmental catastrophe in the history of the United States." Meanwhile, closer to my home in Minnesota, we have just logged the warmest spring on record, pushing our much lauded "10,000 lakes" yet farther down a treacherous climatic path that, scientists tell us, will see them shrink from evaporation and, with great likelihood, vanish entirely in the decades to come. And of course, we ponder these present and future

Islamic Studies 58:3 (2019) pp. 439–451, 2019

This review essay focuses synthesising Seyyed Hossein Nasr's (b. 1933) views on ecological questions through a critical analysis of his works on eco-religious understanding from a practical perspective. It aims to make the reader familiar with Nasr's eco-philosophical and eco-spiritual thought and show how he connects the present ecological issues with religious and spiritual traditions of the world, making a significant contribution to sustaining the environment. In so doing, the survey is expected to enrich the current discussions of ecological issues from religious perspectives.

Introduction and Preliminary Notes This essay presents a short overview of the Islamic philosophical approach to nature, the Islamic perspective on modern science and the relations between sacred tradition, nature, and science in light of the ongoing environmental crisis. It also proposes a solution to the environmental crisis, based on an integrated understanding of these subject matters. This is conducted through a lens that is Islamic by method but universal in principle and conclusion.1 The prime source of all Islamic thought and practice, from theological doctrine to sacred law, is the Holy Qur’an. Similarly, in this essay, the influence of Qur’anic teachings is much greater than what may just appear in citations; their influence is central to this work. With that said, if there is anything presented in this essay that is disharmonious with the Qur’anic message, it is the fault of the essay’s author. Another prime source used for the purpose of this essay is the work and teaching of the Islamic philosopher Seyyed Hossein Nasr. An esteemed author of over 50 books and 500 articles, Nasr has written extensively on a wide array of subjects including Sufism, perennial philosophy,2 comparative religion, the sacred sciences and the natural environment.3 In fact, much of this essay can be regarded as a summary of his integrated writings on modern humanity’s approach to science, spirituality and nature. Nasr has spoken at many lecture-series and seminars, and in 1980 he was the first Muslim to deliver the prestigious Gifford Lectures- a renowned annual lecture series in Scotland that features the most prominent thinkers in the integrated field of religion, science and philosophy. In 1966, Nasr delivered the Rockefeller Lectures at the University of Chicago; there he traced the root issues of the environmental crisis to the spiritual crisis of modern humanity. These lectures became the basis of his book, Man and Nature: The Spiritual Crisis of Modern Man, which was used as a prime text for direction and reference in this essay. The writings of others affiliated with Nasr, namely his late teacher Frithjof Schuon and his student William C. Chittick, have as well had significant influence on this essay’s content and direction.

Journal of Economic Cooperation and Development, 2013

For the last two hundred years, unprecedented environmental challenges and irreversible mass extinctions have been caused on the Earth including a rising trend in the global temperature during the 20th century. The loading capacity of the world has already been reached, and severe tensions between unending demands of the human beings and the finite natural resources of the world have become more apparent. The seemingly innocent and dulcet "laissez-faire" rhetoric in capitalist system promoted the removal of all meaningful checks and balances pertaining to production and consumption activities, and have resulted in the terrific destruction of our natural assets. Excessive consumption (and so production) and squandering are in the heart of the global environmental problems, and there is a strong need for the revival of the critical human values of moderation and thriftiness. Cumulative burden of individual irresponsibility can no longer be tolerated. Recent experiences demon...

2013

The field of the environmental issues has gained less concern amongs Muslim scholar. This article is an attempt to shed lights on this matter through selected Muslim scholars and philosophers. Sayyid Hussein Nasr is chosen here as the main thinker on the issue of the environment studies amongst our contemporary Muslim thinkers. By adopting an analytical method; this article found that the environmental concern is deep-rooted in Islam: Its creeds, practices and world-view. The concept of Tawhid (Unity of Allah), the relation of humanto the Creator, the Sufi concept of Wahadat al Wujud, etc… all these support the argument that natural environment and its conservation is a core concern of Islam. However, the contemporary Muslim scholars have attempted to address this issues from various perspestives. Some have even achieved significant contribution in this matter surpassing that of the Western environmental scholarly activities. Further researches are needed in order to bring up these various Muslim contributions in a systematic view in the environmental studies.

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