The Environmental Ethical Crisis and Islamic Mysticism’s Solutions for It

Environmental ethics is an area of ethics that faces two fundamental challenges. On the one hand, moral responsibility in other domains can be explained based on respecting the rights of human beings who possess rights; however, regarding the environment, the object of morality in this domain is human individual or collective behavior toward the environment. The question is: how can an status be established for the environment such that human beings have a moral responsibility toward it? On the other hand, the environmental crisis is essentially a consequence of human arrogance toward nature. This arrogance is rooted in an anthropocentric and dominating worldview, which stems from the notion that God created the heavens and the earth for human utility and dominion, and after creation, placed humanity as the master of all creatures. Islamic mysticism can address these two challenges. On the one hand, by presenting the theory of love for God and, consequently, love for all creation—including nature and the environment—Islamic mysticism teaches humans to love the environment and, just as a lover never harms the beloved, to care for and nurture the environment. On the other hand, by introducing the environment (inanimate nature, plants, and animals) as a manifestation of God, it helps secure the moral status and dignity of the environment. Furthermore, by rejecting the anthropocentrism of creation, Islamic mysticism interprets the station of human vicegerency of God not as ownership of the environment, but as its preservation, considering humans as guardians and responsible stewards of the universe.

کلیدواژه ها:

Environmental crisis ، Environmental Ethics ، Islamic mysticism ، Doctrine of Love ، Doctrine of Divine Vicegerency ، Doctrine of Manifestation