Much of the contemporary Muslim discourse surrounding the environment takes place at the level of ethical duty—juristic commands and prohibitions. The present essay seeks to complement and underpin this necessary ethical discourse by offering considerations as to the metaphysical dimensions of a Muslim environmental consciousness.

Through a beautiful and lucid engagement with the Qur’an, the Prophetic sunnah, and the insights of some of Islam’s greatest mystical poets, a vista unfolds in which the natural order is perceived as a locus of the theophany of the divine names. In light of this connection, the Shari‘ah’s teachings as to man’s relationship with creation as steward (khalīfah) may be both better understood and experienced.