Mind & Life periodically invites guest writers to contribute to the blog. Below, Sevim Kalyoncu, Executive Director of Green Muslims, a Washington, DC-based nonprofit, shares work her organization is doing to connect Islamic spiritual practices to the environment with the support of a Mind & Life Contemplative Changemaking grant.
Growing up Muslim in Alabama, surrounded by trees and creeks, I found my strongest connection to God when spending time in nature. When exploring the woods, I felt an immense beauty and higher presence that confirmed the teachings of my faith that everything on Earth comes from the same source and is deeply interconnected.
That experience now informs my work with Green Muslims, where we educate Muslim youth and adults about the importance of environmental awareness to their spiritual, mental, and physical well-being. Our faith calls us to embrace the role of khalifa, or steward of the Earth, and our programs help American Muslims explore that sacred role.
“Our faith calls us to embrace the role of khalifa, or steward of the Earth,
and our programs help American Muslims explore that sacred role.”
In the wake of the pandemic, as more American Muslims turned to the outdoors for renewal, we saw an opportunity to go deeper: to link core Islamic practices directly to the natural world. Supported by a Mind & Life Contemplative Changemaking Grant, we launched a four-part outdoor educational series focused on basic tenets of religious practice and how they relate to nature. We partnered with scholars and community leaders to host discussions at local parks examining four Muslim practices and their connection to nature.
The series opened at Kenilworth Park and Aquatic Gardens in Washington, DC, with a focus on salaah, the ritual prayer performed five times a day by devout Muslims. A respected local imam and environmental advocate invited participants to reflect on how the prayer is an embodied act that includes standing without shoes, sitting on the ground, and prostrating with foreheads touching the earth.
He also spoke of “Islamic timesense,” and the way the rising and setting of the sun and the rhythm of the lunar calendar shape the daily prayer cycle and our spiritual lives. After a reflective walk, the group performed the midday prayer outdoors, commenting afterward on their experiences with spirituality and nature and how special it was to be with others who felt a shared connection between their faith and the natural environment.
Our second event, held at Leopold’s Preserve in Broad Run, Virginia, turned to dua, the personal prayer of supplication. While salaah is a formal, ritual prayer with specific words (in Arabic) and physical movements, dua is a personal prayer or request that Muslims make directly to God. Our speaker, a university professor of religious studies, noted how dua can always come in one’s own language from the heart. With participants gathered on a dock overlooking a pond, the presenter shared that gratitude for the gifts of nature can be itself a form of prayer. After a walk down to a beaver dam, attendees ate lunch beneath a tree reflecting on how nature stirs feelings of closeness to God.
“…gratitude for the gifts of nature can be itself a form of prayer.“
Hosted by Nature Forward, the third gathering at Woodend Sanctuary in Chevy Chase, Maryland, explored the Islamic practice of dhikr, or remembrance—the ritual chanting and recitation performed by Muslims to remember God and the Prophet Muhammed. A Muslim chaplain welcomed participants to perform a silent dhikr while walking the wooded trails. Later, as we paused beside a pond, it was noted that the sounds of nature—birds, crickets, frogs—are described in Muslim spiritual circles as a form of dhikr, remembrance of God, by the animals.
The final event at the Patuxent Research Refuge in Laurel, Maryland, turned to the deeper spiritual concept of muraqaba, or meditation on God. A professor of world religions and intercultural studies introduced the audience to this concept of meditation and the idea of nature being a spiritual path. The scholar reflected on how, in nature, even inanimate objects come from God and automatically worship their Creator, even if we humans can’t sense it. This event once again incorporated a talk, a hike, group discussion, and the ritual prayer, salaah, in congregation.
Across the four gatherings participants affirmed how their faith and nature are connected. Many spoke to the uniqueness of the experience. Some were brought to tears, with one attendee noting that this was the first time they felt this comfortable and not judged by others of their faith. While most attendees were Muslim, the events were open to all, and non-Muslim participants also found resonance in the themes explored and our shared responsibility toward nature.
What became clear is that these conversations are missing from many Muslim spaces in the Washington metropolitan region. Nature is not a common theme of Friday sermons at local mosques and gatherings. Many of us feel that our automatic connection between faith and nature is unique, or that it may be misunderstood or judged by others of our own faith.
The program also sought to introduce participants to local parks and environmental organizations, planting seeds for further involvement. We’re deeply grateful to our host organizations and excited to expand these partnerships as we work to connect more American Muslims to local environmental communities and volunteer opportunities. Green Muslims is eager to continue this work—with more talks, partnerships, and contemplative nature experiences that weave Islamic practice with ecological awareness.
Sevim Kalyoncu is an environmental educator and the Executive Director of Green Muslims. She is also the founder of Innate Nature, LLC, an outdoor education business based in Northern Virginia. She leads educational nature hikes, hosts women’s retreats, and teaches outdoor classes for kids with an emphasis on connecting deeply with nature and serving as its steward.
