What was said to the rose that made it open was said to me, here, in my chest : the influences of Jalal Al-Din Rumi in Seyyed Hossein Nasr's Sufi diagnosis of the environmental crisis

Abstract

This thesis traces the genealogy of contemporary Muslim scholar Seyyed Hossein Nasr’s diagnosis of the environmental crisis. I argue that if one understands the thought of thirteenth century Sufi mystic Jalal al-Din Rumi’s approach to the Quran, there are incursions of this in Nasr’s diagnosis of the environmental crisis as an eco-theological crisis in the hearts and minds of human beings. These men envision nature as a signifier of the existence of God, and that all of creation is on a journey returning to its Creator. In addition, Rumi and Nasr see a dichotomy between the purposes of human knowledge and divine intuition for understanding these truths about the natural world. And, when one recognizes such evidences of nature’s sacred quality, the Sufi on the path to God evolves, spiritually, into the perfect human (insan al-kamil). Moreover, this being is responsible for maintaining the balance and harmony of the natural world. This thesis aspires to add a notable contribution to the ongoing discussion for understanding the way human-earth relationships have been conceptualized.