The Human–Nature Relationship in the Mind of Yunus Emre: A Mystical Reading on Amanah Consciousness


Gürbüz M., Moh Naseem M. H.

Religions, vol.17, no.5, pp.1-20, 2026 (Peer-Reviewed Journal)

  • Publication Type: Article / Article
  • Volume: 17 Issue: 5
  • Publication Date: 2026
  • Doi Number: 10.3390/rel17050554
  • Journal Name: Religions
  • Page Numbers: pp.1-20
  • Kocaeli University Affiliated: Yes

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The Human–Nature Relationship in the Mind of Yunus Emre: A Mystical Reading on Amanah Consciousness

by 
Muhammadullah Haji Moh Naseem
 1,* and
Meryem Gürbüz
 2
1
Independent Researcher, Kocaeli 41000, Turkey
2
Department of History, Faculty of Arts and Sciences, Kocaeli University, Kocaeli 41000, Turkey
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Religions 202617(5), 554; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel17050554
Submission received: 26 December 2025 / Revised: 20 April 2026 / Accepted: 29 April 2026 / Published: 3 May 2026
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Mysticism and Nature)

Abstract

This study examines the human–nature relationship in the thoughts of Yunus Emre (d. ca. 1320) and addresses the Qur’anic positioning of humanity as laden with responsibility through the idea of amanah (entrustment), while focusing on Yunus Emre’s reflections on this concept as both a mystical stance and a moral state. His poems place humanity not as an absolute claim of ownership over the world and other beings, but rather within a relationship based on testimony, decency, and equality. He presents nature not as an object requiring protection or an area needing transformation but as a framework for contemplation and reflection in which the divine order is visible. In this context, humans’ established relationship with the world reflects a stance determined not by domination or interference but by a consciousness of limitation and a sense of moderation. By revealing the aspects of his understanding of humanity and nature that overlap with the concept of amanah in Islamic thought, this study argues that this overlap should be evaluated not as conceptual equivalence but rather in terms of mystical and moral affinity. This approach aims to demonstrate how Yunus Emre’s ideas, while not offering direct solutions to modern environmental debates, provide a historical mystical perspective that allows for a rethinking of the human–nature relationship.