Skip to main navigation menu Skip to main content Skip to site footer

Vol. 11 No. 3 (2026)
Special Issue: Risale-i Nur Studies and Bediüzzaman Said Nursi’s Intellectual Legacy

Special Issue: Risale-i Nur Studies and Bediüzzaman Said Nursi’s Intellectual Legacy

Fortifying the Deep Ecology Platform: Nursi’s Tafakkur Īmānī as a Metaphysical Completion to Naess’ Deep Questioning

https://doi.org/10.55831/ajis.v11i3.1057

Published 13.04.2026

  • Moh. Isom Mudin
    • ,
  • Hadi
    • ,
  • Nabila
Moh. Isom Mudin
Nursi Center for Studies and Research, University of Darussalam Gontor, Indonesia

Hadi
University of Darussalam Gontor, Indonesia

Nabila
Nursi Center for Studies and Research, University of Darussalam Gontor, Indonesia

Abstract

The escalating environmental crisis underscores the inadequacy of purely technical solutions, necessitating a fundamental reorientation of humanity’s relationship with nature. This article examines two transformative approaches to this challenge. It first considers Arne Naess’ Deep Ecology, whose method of Deep Questioning effectively repositions humanity within the broader ecological community and establishes a philosophical basis for biocentric equality and the Ecological Self. Naess’ principal achievement lies in developing an inclusive framework that fosters ecological solidarity across diverse traditions. However,
the movement’s philosophical openness—its chief strength—simultaneously presents its central limitation: the absence of a definitive metaphysical foundation capable of sustaining long-term environmental commitment. The study, therefore, turns to Bediüzzaman Said Nursi's tawhidic ecology, arguing that its core practice of tafakkur īmānī (contemplation of faith) complements and enhances the Deep Ecology project rather than supplanting it. Grounded in tawḥīd taḥqīqī (verified monotheism) and naẓar ḥarfī (interpreting creation as Divine signification), Nursi’s framework re-conceives the biosphere as a manifestation of Divine Names (tajalliyāt al-asmā’ al-ḥusnā). The resultant synthesis preserves the horizontal-immanent strengths of Naess’ approach while augmenting it with a vertical-transcendent epistemology, thus forging a comprehensive environmental philosophy.

Keywords

deep ecology, ecotheology, ecosufism, tafakkur īmānī islamic environmental ethic

PDF

Author Biography

Hadi

Associate Professor and Lecturer at the Faculty of Ushuluddin, University of Darussalam Gontor, Indonesia. His research interests include Islamic philosophy, Sufism, and Risale-i Nur studies

References

  1. Albayrak, Ismail. “Prison Life in the Eyes of Bediüzzaman Said Nursi and Aleksander Solzhenitsyn: A Comparative Study.” Australian Journal of Islamic Studies 8, no. 3 (2023): 16–36. https://doi.org/10.55831/ajis.v8i3.609. DOI: https://doi.org/10.55831/ajis.v8i3.609
  2. Asnawi, Aqdi Rofiq, Syukron Affani, and Zaenatul Hakamah. “Scientific Qur’anic Exegesis in Indonesia: Contributions by Scholars, Institutions, and the Government.” Australian Journal of Islamic Studies 6, no. 4 (2021): 25–46. https://doi.org/10.55831/ajis.v6i4.401. DOI: https://doi.org/10.55831/ajis.v6i4.401
  3. Bodian, Stephen. “Simple in Means, Rich in Ends. An Interview with Arne Naess.” In Deep Ecology for the Twenty-First Century, edited by George Sessions, 26–36. Shambala Publications, 1995.
  4. Capra, Fritjof. The Hidden Connections: Integrating the Biological, Cognitive, and Social Dimensions of Life into a Science of Sustainability. Doubleday, 2002.
  5. Capra, Fritjof. The Web of Life; A New Scientific Understanding of Living System. Flamingo, 1996.
  6. Carson, Rachel. Silent Spring. Mariner Book, 2022.
  7. Clark, John P. “A Dialogue with Arne Naess on Social Ecology and Deep Ecology (1988-1997).” The Trumpeter 26, no. 2 (2010): 20–39.
  8. De Jonge, Eccy. Spinoza and Deep Ecology: Challenging Traditional Approaches to Environmentalism. Ashgate New Critical Thinking in Philosophy Series. Routledge, 2004. https://philpapers.org/rec/DEJSAD.
  9. Devall, Bill, and George Sessions. Deep Ecology. Gibbs M. Smith, Inc./Peregrine Smith Books, 1985.
  10. Devall, Bill, and George Sessions. Deep Ecology. Nachdr. Smit, 1999.
  11. Ergi, Omer Atilla. “The Necessary Connection between Laws of Physics and Metaphysics.” Australian Journal of Islamic Studies 9, no. 2 (2024): 66–78. https://doi.org/10.55831/ajis.v9i2.625. DOI: https://doi.org/10.55831/ajis.v9i2.625
  12. Fox, Warwick. “Intellectual Origins of the ‘Depth’ Theme in the Philosophy of Arne Naess.” The Trumpeter 9 (1992): 68–73. Accessed September 3, 2025. https://trumpeter.athabascau.ca/index.php/trumpet/article/download/427/698?inline=1.
  13. Gare, Arran. “The Grand Narrative of the Age of Re-Embodiments: Beyond Modernism and Postmodernism.” Cosmos and History: The Journal of Natural and Social Philosophy 9, no. 1 (2013): 327–57.
  14. Glasser, Harold. “Learning Our Way to a Sustainable and Desirable World: Ideas Inspired by Arne Naess and Deep Ecology.” In Higher Education and the Challenge of Sustainability, edited by Peter Blaze Corcoran and Arjen E. J. Wals, 131–48. Springer Netherlands, 2004. https://doi.org/10.1007/0-306-48515-X_11. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/0-306-48515-X_11
  15. Guilherme, Alex. “Metaphysics as a Basis for Deep Ecology: An Enquiry into Spinoza’s System.” The Trumpeter 27, no. 3 (2011): 60–78.
  16. Ihsan, Nur Hadi, and Moh. Isom Mudin. “Paradigma Kalam Dalam Konservasi Lingkungan Menurut Said Nursi” [Said Nursi’s Kalam Paradigm for Environmental Conservation]. Tasfiyah 4, no. 1 (2020): 27–40. https://doi.org/10.21111/tasfiyah.v4i1.4052. DOI: https://doi.org/10.21111/tasfiyah.v4i1.4052
  17. Jum`ah, Ali. Al-Bi`ah Wa Huffadz Alaiha Min Mandzur al-Islam [Environment and its Preservation from the Islamic Perspective]. Wabil, 2009.
  18. Katz, Eric, Andrew Light and David Rothenberg. “Introduction: Deep Ecology as a Philosophy.” In Beneath the Surface: Critical Essays in the Philosophy of Deep Ecology, edited by Eric Katz, Andrew Light and David Rothenberg, ix–xvii. MIT Press, 2000. http://archive.org/details/beneathsurfacecr0000unse.
  19. Keskin, Zuleyha. “Inner Peace in the Life of Said Nursi.” Australian Journal of Islamic Studies 4, no. 3 (2019): 51–66. https://doi.org/10.55831/ajis.v4i3.243. DOI: https://doi.org/10.55831/ajis.v4i3.243
  20. Khayatzadeh, Mehdi, and Mohammad Pakdin Asl. “Al-Muḥaqqiq al-Iṣfahānī’s Ontological Argument and Spinoza’s Ontological Arguments for the Existence of God: A Comparison.” Australian Journal of Islamic Studies 7, no. 2 (2022): 35–58. https://doi.org/10.55831/ajis.v7i2.485. DOI: https://doi.org/10.55831/ajis.v7i2.485
  21. Mudin, Isom. “Bediuzzaman Said Nursi on the Deep Environmental Values: Towards a New Environmental Vision for Sustainable Living.” Istanbul Foundation for Science and Culture 14 (2023): 45–65.
  22. Mudin, Moh Isom, Hamid Fahmy Zarkasyi, and Abdul Kadir Riyadi. “Prinsip Ekologis Untuk Kehidupan Berkelanjutan Perspektif Teologi Islam: Kajian Atas Kitab Rasail al-Nur Sa`id Nursi” [Ecological Principles for Sustainable Life from the Perspective of Islamic Theology: A Study of Sa’id Nursi’s Risale-i Nur]. Fikrah 9, no. 1 (2021): 45-62. https://doi.org/10.21043/fikrah.v9i1.9018. DOI: https://doi.org/10.21043/fikrah.v9i1.9018
  23. Naess, Arne. “Author’s Preface.” In The Selected Works of Arne Naess, edited by Alan Drengson, xix–xxi. Springer Netherlands, 2005. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4020-4519-6_87.
  24. Naess, Arne. “Beautiful Action: Its Function in the Ecological Crisis.” In The Selected Works of Arne Naess, edited by Alan Drengson, 2383–90. Springer Netherlands, 2005.
  25. Naess, Arne. “Deepness of Questions and the Deep Ecology Movement.” In Deep Ecology for the Twenty-First Century, edited by George Sessions, 204–212. Shambala Publications, 1995.
  26. Naess, Arne. “Deepness of Questions and the Deep Ecology Movement.” In The Selected Works of Arne Naess, edited by Alan Drengson, 2279–90. Springer Netherlands, 2005. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4020-4519-6_87. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4020-4519-6_87
  27. Naess, Arne. Ecology, Community, and Lifestyle: Outline of an Ecosophy. Translated by David Rothenberg. Cambridge University Press, 1989. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511525599
  28. Naess, Arne. Ecology of Wisdom: Writings by Arne Naess. Edited by Alan R. Drengson and Bill Devall. Counterpoint, 2008.
  29. Naess, Arne. “Introduction: Ecosophy T-from Intuition to System.” In Ecology, Community and Lifestyle, ed. and trans. David Rothenberg, 1–22. University of Cambridge, 1989. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511525599.002
  30. Naess, Arne. “The Apron Diagram.” In The Deep Ecology Movement: An Introductory Anthology, edited by Alan Drengson and Yuichi Inoue, 11–12. North Atlantic Books, 1995.
  31. Naess, Arne. “The Deep Ecology Movement.” In Problems of International Justice, edited by Steven Luper-Foy, 144–48. Routledge, 2019. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780429303111-9. DOI: https://doi.org/10.4324/9780429303111-9
  32. Naess, Arne. “The Politics of the Deep Ecology Movement.” In The Selected Works of Arne Naess, edited by Alan Drengson, 2464–82. Springer Netherlands, 2005.
  33. Naess, Arne. “The Shallow and the Deep, Long-Range Ecology Movement: A Summary.” In The Selected Works of Arne Naess, edited by Alan Drengson, 2263–69. Springer Netherlands, 2005. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4020-4519-6_85. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4020-4519-6_85
  34. Naess, Arne. “Through Spinoza to Mahayana Buddhism or Through Mahayana Buddhism to Spinoza?” In The Selected Works of Arne Naess, edited by Alan Drengson, 2143–65. Springer Netherlands, 2005. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4020-4519-6_78. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4020-4519-6_78
  35. Naess, Arne, and Per I. Haukeland. Life’s Philosophy: Reason and Feeling in a Deeper World. University of Georgia Press, 2008.
  36. Al-Najjar, Abd al-Majid. Qadlaya Al-Bi`ah Min Mandzur al-Islami [Environmental Issues from the Islamic Perspective]. 2nd ed. Wuzarah al-Awqaf wa as-Syu`un, 2004.
  37. Nasr, Seyyed. Man and Nature: The Spiritual Crisis of Modern Man. Unwin, 1990.
  38. Nursî, Said. Al-Kalimāt [The Words]. 6th ed. Translated by Ihsan Kasim Salihi. Sozler Publications, 2011.
  39. Nursî, Said. Al-Lama‘āt [The Flashes]. 6th ed. Translated by Ihsan Kasim Salihi. Sozler Publications, 2011.
  40. Nursî, Said. Al-Maktūbāt [The Letters]. 6th ed. Translated by Ihsan Kasim Salihi. Sozler Publications, 2011.
  41. Nursî, Said. Al-Malāḥiq [The Appendices]. 6th ed. Translated by Ihsan Kasim Salihi. Sozler Publications, 2011.
  42. Nursî, Said. Al-Mathnawī al-‘Arabī an-Nūrī [The Staff of Moses]. 6th ed. Edited by Ihsan Kasim Salihi. Sozler Publications, 2011.
  43. Nursî, Said. Asy-Shu‘ā‘āt [The Rays]. 6th ed. Translated by Ihsan Kasim Salihi. Sozler Publications, 2011.
  44. Nursî, Said. Isyārāt Al-I‘jāz Fī Maẓān al-Ījāz [Signs of Miraculousness]. 6th ed. Edited by Ihsan Kasim Salihi. Sozler Publications, 2011.
  45. Nursî, Said. Mulḥaq Qasṭamūnī [The Kastamonu Addendum]. Sozler Publications, 2015.
  46. Nursî, Said. Ṣayqal Al-Islām [The Polish of Islam]. 6th ed. Edited by Ihsan Kasim Salihi. Sozler Publications, 2011.
  47. Al-Qaradlawi, Yusuf. Ri`ayah Al-Bi`ah Fi Syari`ah al-Islam [Environmental Care in Islamic Law]. Dar as-Syuruq, 2001.
  48. Ravazzoni, Davide. “Ibn Qayyim Al-Jawziyya’s Himma: Entrepreneurial Leadership as an Expression of the Islamic Tradition.” Australian Journal of Islamic Studies 8, no. 2 (2023): 76–95. https://doi.org/10.55831/ajis.v8i2.531. DOI: https://doi.org/10.55831/ajis.v8i2.531
  49. Sayem, Md Abu. “Eco-Religious Teachings and Environmental Sustainability: An Analysis of Workability of Seyyed Hossein Nasr’s ‘Eco-Spirituality’ in the Context of Bangladesh.” Australian Journal of Islamic Studies 6, no. 3 (2021): 69–83. https://doi.org/10.55831/ajis.v6i3.357. DOI: https://doi.org/10.55831/ajis.v6i3.357
  50. Sayem, Md Abu. “Religions and Environmental Sustainability: Focusing on Some Practical Approaches by John B. Cobb Jr. and Seyyed Hossein Nasr.” Australian Journal of Islamic Studies 6, no. 1 (2021): 65–80. https://doi.org/10.55831/ajis.v6i1.265. DOI: https://doi.org/10.55831/ajis.v6i1.265
  51. Schroeder, Julia, Celia Coyne, and John Farndon. The Ecology Book. DK Publishing, 2019.
  52. Sponsel, Leslie E. “Spiritual Ecology.” In Encyclopedia of Religious Psychology and Behavior, edited by David A. Leeming, 1718–23. Springer, 2025. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-38971-9_2054-1. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-38971-9_2054-1
  53. Susanto, Primadi Candra, Lily Yuntina, Euis Saribanon, Josua Panatap Soehaditama, and Esti Liana. “Qualitative Method Concepts: Literature Review, Focus Group Discussion, Ethnography and Grounded Theory.” Siber Journal of Advanced Multidisciplinary 2, no. 2 (2024): 262–75. https://doi.org/10.38035/sjam.v2i2.207. DOI: https://doi.org/10.38035/sjam.v2i2.207
  54. Warren, Karen J. “Feminism and Ecology: Making Connections.” Environmental Ethics 9, no. 1 (1987): 3–20. https://doi.org/10.5840/enviroethics19879113. DOI: https://doi.org/10.5840/enviroethics19879113
  55. Young, Iris Marion. “‘Feminism and Ecology’ and ‘Women and Life on Earth: Eco-Feminism in the 80’s.’” Environmental Ethics 5, no. 2 (1983): 173–79. https://doi.org/10.5840/enviroethics1983525. DOI: https://doi.org/10.5840/enviroethics1983525
  56. Yucel, Salih. “An Islamic Perspective of the Natural Environment and Animals: Said Nursi and his Renewalist Philosophy.” UMRAN – International Journal of Islamic and Civilizational Studies 5, no. 2 (2018): 55–69. https://doi.org/10.11113/umran2018.5n2.236. DOI: https://doi.org/10.11113/umran2018.5n2.236
  57. Yucel, Salih. “Purpose-Driven Life in Islam and Emotional Stability: Examining Said Nursi’s Perspective.” Australian Journal of Islamic Studies 9, no. 2 (2024): 19–36. https://doi.org/10.55831/ajis.v9i2.649. DOI: https://doi.org/10.55831/ajis.v9i2.649

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.