Nature as Revelation Across Abrahamic Mysticism: Sufi, Kabbalistic, and Christian Mystical Ecotheologies
M. Nawa Syarif Fajar Sakti, Bagus Haziratul Qodsiyah, Muh Nur'afwan, Irpan Husaini, Sofyan Atstsauri
Pharos Journal of Theology January 1, 2026 Peer reviewed DOI: 10.46222/pharosjot.107.123 via OpenAlex
Summary
The article examines how Sufism, Kabbalah, and Christian mysticism view nature as a form of divine revelation. While all three traditions see nature as sacred and a means to encounter the Divine, they differ in their theological emphases: Sufism focuses on divine love, Kabbalah on cosmological myths and ethical tasks, and Christian mysticism on creation's sacramentality. These perspectives contribute to ecological ethics, framing the environmental crisis as a religious calling that fosters an ethical approach to ecological justice and sustainability.
Study at a glance
| Key finding | The mystical perspectives of Sufism, Kabbalah, and Christian mysticism provide a spiritual foundation for ecological ethics, viewing the environmental crisis as a religious calling. |
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Abstract
This article explores the ecotheological dimensions of three Abrahamic mystical traditions (Sufism, Kabbalah, and Christian mysticism) by viewing nature as a form of non-verbal revelation. Through a comparative theological approach, this study highlights both the convergences and divergences in how these traditions understand the relationship between humanity, the cosmos, and God. All three regard nature as a sacred reality: Sufism interprets nature as tajallī (manifestation) that guides the seeker toward divine love and fanāʾ; Kabbalah situates nature within the cosmological myth of shevirat ha-kelim and the ethical-spiritual task of tikkun olam; while Christian mysticism emphasizes the sacramentality of creation and its Christological dimension as an icon of God’s presence. These mystical perspectives converge in viewing the cosmos as a medium of encounter with the Divine, yet they differ in theological and spiritual emphasis. This article argues that such perspectives provide not only a metaphysical framework but also a spiritual foundation for ecological ethics, allowing the contemporary environmental crisis to be understood not merely as a scientific or political issue, but also as a religious calling. Thus, Abrahamic ecotheology offers transformative insights for constructing an ethical paradigm of ecological justice, sustainability, and the sacredness of creation.