Ecology and Tasawwuf

1. Ecology and Tasawwuf Shahidan Radiman School of Applied Physics Faculty of Science and Technology UKM E-mail: shahidan@ukm.my Bengkel PengIslaman Ekologi dan Kajian Alam Sekitar anjuran ASASI (10-11 Mei 2008, EiMAS , UKM)

2. The quintessence of ecology was, of course, expressed in the Koran: BismillahirRahmanirRahim -”Eat, drink, but do not waste.” (7: 31)

3. Content of Talk • I. Statement of Current Ecology Problems around the World • II. Background of Talk • III. The less known world of Tasawwuf • IV. Ecological Ethics to be developed from Tasawwuf • V. Tasawwuf in Modern Pespective and the Future. • VI. Conclusions

4. I. Statement of Current Ecology Problems around the World “ The roots of our ecological crises are axiomatic : they lie in our belief and value structures which shape our relationship with nature , with each other and the lifestyles we lead “ – Ziauddin Sardar , Islamic Futures p218 , 1985.

5. “ can we … check this threat to our planet simply by introducing stricter legislation against pollution , industrial waste and nuclear spills? Can we reverse the degradation of our environment by adopting conservationist policies on both national and international levels? O could it be that the whole ecological imbalance betokens the spiritual and teleological crisis of modren civilisation itself? Does it require fundamental revision of our own way of life , our cherished goals , indeed our very conception of ourselves and the world? “ – Parveez Manzoor , in Touch of Midas, 1985 ( Edit. Z. Sardar)

6. This gives rise to the need of ecological ethics: There is no consensus about the form which in environmental ethic should take. There have been long (and inconclusive) debates about whether an environmental ethic should be a (Kantian) ethic of principles to guide our actions with respect to the natural world, or a utilitarian ethic of consequences according to which our activities with respect to the natural world should be concerned above all with mitigating destructive environmental consequences, or a virtue ethic according to which we should be primarily concerned with the development of virtuous dispositions for 2 agents when they make choices that affect the natural world. Each of these approaches has been explored at length and each of them has been found to be problematic.

7. Approaches to Ecological Ethics • Process Ecological Ethics (Christian viewpoint) Process metaphysical systems are mostly theistic, though even in the Whiteheadian camp there are also non-theistic versions (esp. Donald Sherburne). For our purposes, we may distinguish a spectrum of views from minimal religious naturalism' (Stone, 1993) to various maximal possibilities. Minimal religious naturalism talks in terms of immanent and transcendent resources for the task of living together in the natural world, without specifying a single metaphysical source for these resources. There is in our lives, for example, a lure towards goodness, truth and beauty, and perhaps something analogous to this further down the line.

8. There are a variety of maximal theistic versions, Whitehead, Hartshorne, Cobb, Griffin, Suchocki, the Christian Trinitarianism of Joe Bracken to mention some of them. Typically and deriving from Whitehead, God is noted as principle of limitation providing a kind of focus for the cosmic process; also as principle of possibility and of novelty within the process. There is also a fairly common division made between the Primordial Nature and the Consequent Nature of God, with sometimes also a Projective or Superjective Nature.thrown in. Roughly, this comes down to, God as Creative, God as Receptive and God as Responsive. There is also the God as Primordial Qualification of Creativity of the Belgian philosopher Jan Van der Veken.

9. Early Books on Theocentric Approaches • Originally published in 1972, Is It Too Late? A Theology of Ecology, by John B. Cobb, Jr., was the first single-authored book-length environmental ethics text to deal with the ecological crisis. • Originally published in 1989 by Prentice Hall, Foundations of Environmental Ethics, by Eugene C. Hargrove, is an investigation of the history of ideas behind environmentalism generally and environmental ethics specifically. • Max Oelschlaeger is the author of The Idea of Wilderness, The Environmental Imperative, and Religion in a Time of Ecological Crisis and the editor of The Wilderness Condition

10. More recently , Ecological Ethics in general: 1.Earth's Insights: A Multicultural Survey of Ecological Ethics from the Mediterranean Basin to the Australian Outback (Paperback)by J. Baird Callicott (Author) "Since the 1960s, those Western scholars who responded professionally to industrial civilization's environmental crisis have argued that an implicit environmental ethic has existed in many..."  Publisher: University of California Press (December 29, 1997) Language: English ISBN-10: 0520085604 ISBN-13: 978-0520085602 2. Ecological Ethics: An Introduction (Paperback)by Patrick Curry (Author) Publisher: Polity (November 11, 2005) Language: English ISBN-10: 0745629083 ISBN-13: 978-0745629087

11. Ecological Ethics Something is “right”when it tends to preserve the integrity, stability, and beauty of the biotic community; it is wrong when it does otherwise. (Leopold, 1966)

12. Some remarks by Ecologists/Environmentalists Constructing a sustainable world is a challenge to society on many levels. It is a philosophical challenge to construct a robust set of beliefs and values which provide support for the principle of sustainability. It is an economic challenge to build the technological infrastructure to support human flourishing in a sustainable world. This will increasingly be identified with a carbon-neutral economy. -William Grey , Univ. of Queensland.

13. We also need environmental philosophy • Celia Deane-Drummond in The Ethics of Nature (Oxford: Basil Blackwell, 2004) says the following: ..to be credible an environmental philosophy needs to have four key components. These consist of: (a) a theory about what nature is; (b) a theory about human beings; (c) a theory of value and evaluation of human action; (d) a theory of method, or standards against which claims are to be tested or confirmed. (p31)

14. Islam as a holistic religion have it all (ethics , philosophy etc) • Of course we can start with the syariah , the law and regulations but we shouldn’t neglect the other 3 aspects ( tareqah , makrifah and haqiqah , the “reality” of things) • It is the point of this talk to stress on the tasawwuf , the last 3 aspects mentioned , as the way of the Sufi.

15. II. Background of Talk Islam comes from the Quran and the Prophet s.a.w (Sunnah) in 4 forms: Syariah – the rules and regulations and jurisprudence Tareqah – the Sunnah of doing the rituals Makrifah – what Rasulullah s.a.w put in the heart Haqiqah – gnosis of Allah s.w.t ,what Rasulullah s.a.w feeled.

16. The Syariah has always been stressed in many forms of Islamic law , however the tareqah , makrifah and haqiqah aspects has generally been neglected by the Ummah. (It is also for this reason that the Ummah has undergone a declination) The repositories of these has been the Sufis of various tareqah al muktabarah e.g Naqshabandi , Chisti , Shadzili, Ahmadi , Rifa’i, Shattari and others.

17. Religion approach towards Ecology Crisis has been started by Mary E.Tucker and John Grim , Harvard Divinity School who started to Conference series “Religions of the World and Ecology” since 1996. (see Tucker and Grim, Daedalus , Fall, 2001) The approach of Tasawwuf or Sufism has aspects of Universality especially among those of the Samawi Religions . (see S.Nomanul Haq , Daedalus , Fall 2001)

18. One main result of the Religions of the World and Ecology conference series is a book : Islam and Ecology : A Bestowed Trust Edited by R.Foltz,F.Denny dan Azizan Baharuddin , Harvard Univ. Press , 2003.

19. An important aspect in Sufism is the following : Advice of the Nobles Apostle (s) to Abu Dharr Ghifari, may God be pleased wide him: • اللَهَ كَأَنَّكَ تَرَاهُ، فَإنْ لَمْ تَكُنْ تَرَاهُ فَإنَّهُ يَرَاكَاعْبُدِ `Worship God as if you see Him, and if you cannot see Him, then worship Him as if knowing that He sees you.'

20. A hadith qudsi which is central in Sufi literature • Allah s.w.t says • “ I was a Hidden treasure , I loved to be known , so I created the world in order to become known” • It has now become a doctrine in Sufi literature that the world is created via the Act of Love (we will discuss this aspect from al-Farghani’s viewpoint later)

21. Example of Newpaper report on the role of religion concerning the environment Environmental ethics, religion and survival By Vivian Pulle On 27th June 2007, the Daily Mirror in an introduction to Judge Weeramantry’s article entitled “Islam, the environment and the human future,” called for readers to contribute towards achieving inter religious understanding through readers themselves contributing articles on the attitude to problems concerning the environment of one or other of the great world religions which have occupied a long standing, respected place among the indigenous population of Sri Lanka. Judge Weeramantry’s presentation on Islam made to the World Future Council in Hamburg was offered as a case in point. Without contesting the excellence of the presentation, one note nevertheless that religion can contribute to the cause of human survival only in the long term. The word problem no longer adequately describes the seriousness of the current global situation. What we have on our hands today is a global emergency and one may legitimately ask what this kind of discussion can contribute to the world’s predicament. The world needs action and needs it fast.

22. III.The less known World of Tasawwuf The opposite of knowledge (scientific) is ignorance, while the opposite of marifa is denial. Marifa is the substance of knowledge attained through reflection, intuition, and inner perception. A person realizing marifa is imperceptible to others, who are without such knowledge. The following words are narrated in books concerning Sufism as a hadith qudsi-saying inspited by and received from God -

23. O humankind! One who knows his self also knows Me; one who knows Me seeks Me, and one who seeks Me certainly finds Me; one who finds me attains all his aspirations and expectations, and prefers none over Me. Oh humankind! Be humble that you can have knowledge of Me. One who renounces his self finds me. In order to know Me, renounce your own self. A heart which has not flourished and been perfected is blind.

24. In Sufism Tazkiyah an Nafs is particularly stressed and guided by a mursyid teacher to attain the maqam Ihsan – there is a 100 stations to reach Allah as described by Sh. Abdullah Ansari of Herat, based on ayat 9 surah As Syams 91 : Qad aflahaman zakkaha Lowness of ego and self-control as pointed out in ayat 45 surah al Baqarah 2: Innaha lakabiratun illa a’lal khasi’in

25. According to Ibn Qayyim al Jauziyah there are 4 jihad which is wajib upon a Muslim that is : to reduce the ego, the fight the nafs , to fight against syaitan dan do not fall prey into love of the world (hubuddunya) It is also for this reason that Saidina Ali kar. was called Abu Turab (father of soil) by Prophet s.a.w

26. The road to Sufism is not easy • If you do not give up the crowdsyou won't find your way to Oneness.If you do not drop your selfyou won't find your true worth.If you do not offer all you have to the Beloved,you will live this life free of thatpain which makes it worth living. - Shaikh Abu Saeed Abil Khair - "Nobody, Son of Nobody" - Vraje Abramian

27. Views of the 4 Imams of Mazhab regarding Sufism • Imam Ahmad bin Hanbal r.a praised Hariths al-Muhasibi by saying “ I have never heard words on the knowledge of haqiqah better than that from him” . • Imam Abu Hanifah r.a bacame a Sufi under the teaching of Imam Jaafar As Sadiq r.a, whereas Imam Shafie was the disciple of Imam Abu Hanifah r.a.

28. "Sufism" has been defined as a type of knowledge by the great Sufi masters. Shaykh Ahmad Zarruq, a 14th century Sufi who wrote "The Principles of Sufism" defined Sufism as, "a science whose objective is the reparation of the heart and turning it away from all else but God.” Ibn 'Ajiba, one of the best known Sufi masters defined Sufism as "a science through which one can know how to travel into the presence of the Divine, purify one’s inward from filth and beautify it with a variety of praiseworthy traits."

29. The conventional view is that the word originates from Suf (صوف), the Arabic word for wool, referring to the simple cloaks the early Muslim ascetics wore. However, not all sufis wear cloaks or clothes of wool. Another etymological theory states that the root word of Sufi is the Arabic word safa (صفا), meaning purity. This places the emphasis of Sufism on purity of heart and soul.Others suggest the origin is from "Ashab al-Suffa" ("Companions of the Veranda") or "Ahl al-Suffa" ("People of the Veranda"), who were a group of Muslims during the time of the Prophet Muhammad s.a.w who spent much of their time on the veranda of the Prophet's mosque devoted to prayer.

30. The Sufis stressed on Inner rather than Outer dimensions The position of the spiritual centers (Lataif) is as under:

31. The theory of Lataif was formulated during the early development of Sufism ( Hasan basri , Junaid al Baghdadi and others ) but was finalised by work of Syed Ahmad Sirhind and Shah Waliyullah Dehlavi

32. All creatures are under the dominion of Allah s.w.t. In one hadith from Sunan Abu Daud Rasulullah s.a.w made dua : O Allah , I swear that all of Your makhluk are brothers !

33. One important principle in Sufism is to apply the akhlak of Allah to oneself:

34. Sa’di, the famous Persian poetand Sufi , echoed the same sentiments when he said: (Higher spiritual life is nothing but service of humanity, It is not (chanting) the rosary, (remaining on the) prayer carpet or (wearing) coarse garments.)

35. Shaikh Abu Sa’id Abil Khair on of a Famous Khurasaian Sufi has his motto in life: (Whoever causes grief to us, May his life get more and more happiness.)

36. Their approach towards human relationships is neatly expressed in the imagery of eyes: (Learn from the eyes the way to develop unity and oneness. The two eyes appear different but their vision is one.) This reflect the view of many of the Sufi paths

37. Some of the early Sufi resources are the following: Al-Wasaya wa al-Ri'aya (The Advices and Observation of Rules) by al-Muhasibi, Al-Ta'arruf li-Madhhab Ahl al-Sufi (A Description of the Way of the People of Sufism) byKalabazi, Al-Luma' (The Gleams) by al-Tusi, Qut al-Qulub (The Food of Hearts) by Abu Talib al-Makki, and Al-Risala al-Qushayri (The Treatise) by al-Qushayri are among the precious sources that discuss Sufism according to the Qur'an and the Sunna.

38. After these great compilers came Hujjat al-Islam Imam al-Ghazzali, author of Ihya' al-'Ulum al-Din (Reviving the Religious Sciences), his most celebrated work. He reviewed all of Sufism's terms, principles, and rules, and, establishing those agreed upon by all Sufi masters and criticizing others, united the outer (Shari'a and jurisprudence) and inner (Sufi) dimensions of Islam.

39. Love (mahabbah) as the Cause of Self-Manifestation (tajalliyat) of the Absolute Mystery ( viewpoint of Said al Din al Farghani) • Said al Din Abu Uthman Muhammad al Farghani is the disciple of Sadr al Din al-Qunawi who is the foremost disciple of Ibn Arabi. When young he was initiated into Suhrawardiyya Order . • According to al-Farghani ( see Scattolin , JMIAS 29, 2006 pp33 -) the Original Love ( God’s love for Himself) coming from the Absolute Mystery was the original impulse that drove towards the completion of the process of manifestation (kalam al-zuhur).Such a process is compared to the flowing of the breath (nafas) in the act of breathing.

40. This creative breath by which everything comes into existence is caklled Nafas ar_Rahman ( Breath of the All-Merciful) and it is breathed from the Original Love (al mahabba al-asliyya) and the Essential mercy (al rahma al-Dzatiyya) of the Essence. The designation of the first two Self-Manifestation of the Divine Essence are al-ahadiyya and al-wahidiyya ( this has been accepted by all Sufi Orders ) – the 7 levels of manifestation , the First Manifestation (tajalli al-awwal) of which is called reality of Realities ((haqiqat al-haqaiq). The station of the “nearest” (aw adna) is the station attained by Prophet Muhammad s.a.w , he alone reached the highest level of nearness i.e the Absolute Unity ( Ahadiyya ) whereas other prophets and saints can only reach the station of “ the distance of two extremes of the bow” ( qab qawsayn) corresponding to the level of Related Unity ( al Wahidiyya).

41. Since the Universe and whatever is contained in it is created from Love , then everything is is related by Love and they should be in harmony and bliss . Islam in fact is the religion of Love as written in many Sufi literature . In fact, the prophet of Islam , Muhammad s.a.w is “Habiballah” ( “the Lover of Allah”) and he is “rahmatul lil alamin” –Mercy for all the Worlds – the Malaikah, the jinn, the man , the animal and the plant Kingdoms. • We should learn and take example from the glorious life of Prophet Muhammad s.a.w about how he treated the animals and plants – there are many hadiths about how animals and plants talk to him.

42. New Paradigm Thinking in Science, by Fritjof Capra (These ideas are in line with the Syariah as well as Sufism ) The old scientific paradigm may be called Cartesian, Newtonian, or Baconian, since its main characteristics were formulated by Descartes, Newton and Bacon. The new paradigm may be called holistic, ecological, or systemic, but none of these adjectives characterises it completely. New-paradigm thinking in science includes the following five criteria - the first two refer to our view of nature, the other three to our epistemology.

43. 1. Shift from the Part to the Whole In the old paradigm it was believed that in any complex system the dynamics of the whole could be understood from the properties of the parts. In the new paradigm, the relationship between the parts and the whole is reversed. The properties of the parts can be understood only from the dynamics of the whole. Ultimately, there are no parts at all. What we call a part is merely a pattern in an inseparable web of relationships. 2. Shift from Structure to Process In the old paradigm it was thought that there were fundamental structures, and then there were forces and mechanisms through which these interacted, thus giving rise to processes. In the new paradigm every structure is seen as the manifestation of an underlying process. The entire web of relationships is intrinsically dynamic.

44. 3. Shift from Objective Science to "Epistemic Science" In the old paradigm scientific descriptions were believed to be objective, i.e. independent of the human observer and the process of knowledge. In the new paradigm it is believed that epistemology - the understanding of the process of knowledge - is to be included explicitly in the description of natural phenomena. At this point there is no consensus about what the proper epistemology is, but there is an emerging consensus that epistemology will have to be an integral part of every scientific theory.

45. 4. Shift from Building to Network as Metaphor of Knowledge The metaphor of knowledge as building - fundamental laws, fundamental principles, basic building blocks, etc - has been used in Western science and philosophy for thousands of years. During paradigm shifts it was felt that the foundations of knowledge were crumbling. In the new paradigm this metaphor is being replaced by that of the network. As we perceive reality as a network of relationships, our descriptions, too, form an interconnected network representing the observed phenomena.

46. 5. Shift from Truth to Approximate Descriptions The Cartesian paradigm was based on the belief that scientific knowledge could achieve absolute certainty. In the new paradigm, it is recognised that all concepts, theories, and findings are limited and approximate. Science can never provide any complete and definitive understanding of reality. Scientists do not deal with truth (in the sense of exact correspondence between the description and the described phenomena); they deal with limited and approximate descriptions of reality.

47. Key concepts in Tasawwuf/Sufism • Muraqabah • Tawbah • Jihad al-Nafs and the 7 nafs (and the Lata’if). • Stages in tazkiya to attain makrifah and seeing Reality as in the dua of Rasulullah s.a.w: O Allah , make me see the truth as truth and the batil as batil

49. The World of Nature (in Sufi literature): Water (sea , lakes , glaciers etc) – the dominion of Khidr a.s Land (forests , hills, mountains , islands etc) – the dominion of Ilyas a.s So, these resources are not be spoilt but looked after to respect these Prophets.

50. Nature and al-Quran: The Universe as a whole is Quran Tadwini whereas the real al-Quran (the Kitab) is Quran Taqwini. If you destroy Nature, you’re destroying the al-Quran. In fact, one day (near Kiamah) the Quran will be lifted! And that’s when humanity is at its worst stage !