Quran Interpreters Have Paid Attention to Nature in Recent Centuries: Scholar

IQNA – Environmental concerns and attention to nature in the field of Quranic interpretation have been a focus for Mufassirs (Quran commentators) over the past century, a scholar said.

Nosrat Nilsaz made the remark in an address to the International Conference on Environment and Islamic Culture and Civilization in Tehran, adding that in recent centuries, we have witnessed an approach in interpretation that has also paid serious attention to nature.

The scholar, who is the scientific secretary of the conference, expressed hope that one day a wise perspective, coupled with ethics and fairness, toward nature would prevail, becoming widespread in the minds of all people.

She hoped that everyone would put this noble verse of the Quran  into practice: “Those who remember Allah when standing, sitting, and on their sides, and contemplate upon the creation of the heavens and the earth (saying:) ‘Lord, You have not created these in falsehood. Exaltations to You! Guard us against the punishment of the Fire.’” (Verse 191 of Surah Al Imran)

She also said that changing humanity's perspective toward nature and fostering a culture of friendship and closeness with nature play a fundamental role in preserving the environment.

“Therefore, the Iranian Society for Quranic Studies and Islamic Culture and Civilization has designed the conference around seven themes based on various fields of humanities, Islamic-Iranian studies, culture, art, ethics, literature, and more,” Nilsaz stated.

She went on to say that more than a large number of abstracts were submitted to the conference secretariat and added that the abstracts reflect thematic diversity.

“The seven themes of the conference will be examined and analyzed over two days in the form of four panels, which are the result of seven months of collective effort by a group of colleagues in the society.”

The Institute for Humanities and Cultural Studies is hosting the International Conference on Environment and Islamic Culture and Civilization on February 25-26, 2025.

Some 120 papers submitted by Iranian and foreign experts are presented in four panels of the conference, including Panel 1: Contemporary Environmental Crises and Religious Solutions, Panel 2: Environment in the Quran, Hadith, and Islamic Heritage, Panel 3: Environment, Islamic Jurisprudence, and Law, and Panel 4: Environment in Islamic Literature, Art, and Architecture.

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