El Maaroufi, Al-Daghistani, „Und jedes Tier kennt sein Preislied“

This article explores the fundamental question of the significance and role of nonhuman animals and their praises within the exegetical debates of Islamic mysticism. In particular, the Sufi hermeneutical approaches to the concept of tasbīḥ with regard to animals and nature are presented in order to examine whether and how the question of piety and spirituality of both nonhuman animals and nonliving nature were addressed and treated in the Qur'anic exegetical works of Sufi authors. For this purpose, the perspectives of one of the most important Sufi scholars and Quran exegetes Abū ʾl-Qāsim al-Qušayrī (d. 1074) will be examined on the basis of his commentary on the Quran, Laṭāʾif al-išārāt, while also drawing on views and interpretations of other Muslim mystics in a complementary manner. In this context, the article also discusses in detail and conceptually critically the mystical method of interpretation (taʾwīl/išārāt) prevalent among the Sufis before explicitly addressing al-Qušayrī's commentary on the Qur'an. Finally, the article turns to those Qur'anic verses that deal with perspectives on animal piety, considering them in terms of mystical-exegetical interpretations. The paper concludes with some open questions and impulses that should stimulate further exploration and engagement with the aspects discussed here.