Sufism, Climate Change, and Ecological Living

As human societies grapple with a future marked by ecological disaster, climate change is often conceived as a technological, economic, or political problem with a corresponding solution. Muhammad Faruque reframes the crisis as not simply a problem to be solved but rather a profound crisis of meaning, value, and human self-understanding. Drawing on a vast range of philosophical, environmental, and climate science discourses, as well as postgrowth economic theories, Faruque develops a theory of the “interconnected universe,” a new way of understanding the relationship between human beings, the climate, and the more-than-human world. Much of modern life as we know it is characterized by the ubiquitous presence of carbon footprints, an ideology of endless growth, and a fragmented sense of reality. In light of increasing environmental crises, however, we are nowforced to reimagine what it means to be modern. As Faruque argues, it is precisely here that Sufi philosophy and practice foster a holistic view of the universe rooted in an “anthropocosmic” vision of the self, which emphasizes organismic unity and cosmic harmony. The Interconnected Universe thus provides a comprehensive reorientation of how we understand the climate crisis and shows us how that can translate into meaningful ecological living.

Praises for the Book

The Interconnected Universe is a work of great importance not only because of the significance of the issues of environmentalism, but also because Muhammad Faruque is able to deal with the subject at hand in a masterful fashion. This book opens the world of Sufism to new audiences and explores how its teachings concerning the natural world and human relations to it apply to the condition of humanity today.

—Seyyed Hossein Nasr, The George Washington University

In this work of outstanding and wide-ranging scholarship, Muhammad Faruque retools ideas and subjectivities from Sufi universes to present a distinctive vision of our world as a holistic matrix. He highlights various interconnections not only across metaphysical orders of being but also across epistemic domains in our increasingly fragmented academic disciplines. Interrogating the key idioms of climate science, economics, and the environmental humanities, he sketches an insightful genealogy of ecological crises propelled by different forms of mechanistic dualism and technocratic rationality. With profound hermeneutic sensitivity, he develops a Sufi contemplative ecology where the solution lies not in applying quantitative fixes but in cultivating a moral relationality to the very root of being.

– Ankur Barua, University of Cambridge

Profoundly influenced by the Sufi tradition in Islam, Muhammad Faruque develops a compelling vision of an interconnected universe. In doing so, he brilliantly and skillfully draws on insights from diverse fields, including climate science, the environmental humanities, ecological economics, and the history of science. For Faruque, the root of our planetary predicament lies not in technological or policy challenges but in a deeper crisis of consciousness. He therefore calls for a transformation of consciousness and the cultivation of values that can foster planetary well-being. The Interconnected Universe makes a serious contribution to our understanding of humanity’s growing alienation from the rest of creation and offers an ethically responsible path toward planetary healing.

—Syed Farid Alatas, National University of Singapore

Climate change is conventionally understood as a problem that needs to be resolved through scientific means, but can humanistic approaches help as well? For Muhammad Faruque, the answer is a resounding ‘yes.’ In The Interconnected Universe, he delves into the emerging field of environmental humanities to provide a holistic approach to what he calls ‘ecological living,’ which requires humans to address the crisis in values that prevents us from seeing the climate as a meaningful part of purposeful living and spirituality. To this end, insights derived from Sufi metaphysics, Greek philosophy, and other philosophical traditions can be harnessed to allow for human flourishing while living with nature in synergistic harmony. The book is an epistemological tour de force that asks us to think outside the box and to fundamentally reimagine the relation between nature and humans in late modernity—something that just may pull us back from the precipice of existential ruin.

– Asma Afsaruddin, Indiana University, Bloomington

Muhammad Faruque has written a brave and important book, arguing that the undeniably valuable achievements of our modern form of life are made possible precisely by their fearsome destructiveness of our physical environment. But his remarkable originality lies not so much on this critique—however detailed and learned—as on the argument for an alternative way of life based on the Sufi rejection of the nature/culture opposition central to modernity. This book deserves to be widely read and pondered over.

– Talal Asad, City University of New York

The Interconnected Universe is a bold, thought-provoking, and deeply inspiring reflection on the power of the religious imagination in our time of ecological tragedy. Muhammad Faruque demonstrates that the spiritual and contemplative teachings of Sufism can help us challenge environmentally harmful assumptions about the nature of modernity. The result is a must-read book that offers a striking new vision of the self and our countless entanglements with the world around us.

– Ariel Evan Mayse, Stanford University

In this groundbreaking work, Muhammad Faruque expands the boundaries of environmental philosophy. By bringing global perspectives, especially Sufi-inspired ones, into conversation with longstanding environmental debates in the Euro-American academy, The Interconnected Universe opens new possibilities for thinking about the most fundamental questions of human existence and the viability of an ethical life on Earth. This landmark book will be an indispensable resource for researchers and instructors in environmental ethics and Islamic philosophy alike.

– Cyrus Ali Zargar, University of Central Florida