By: Chase Gibson ’26
In May of 2015, Pope Francis released his encyclical Laudato si’, a call to care for our common home. In his closing prayer, he writes:
All-powerful God, you are present in the whole universe
and in the smallest of your creatures.
You embrace with your tenderness all that exists.
Pour out upon us the power of your love,
that we may protect life and beauty.
The McMullen Museum of Art has the privilege of exhibiting Wonders of Creation. The exhibit contains a cosmography by the Islamic judge and professor named Zakariyya ibn Muhammed al Qazwini with an encyclopedic description of the wonders and rarities of the universe from the Heavens to the Earth. In the same spirit as Pope Francis, Qazwini investigated the world with a sense of wonder. He defamiliarized the familiar and documented the world because of its inexplicability. The rare, the wonderful, and the mysterious can be found in the pages of Qazwini’s cosmography.
Pope Francis criticizes “throwaway culture,” a mindset that views the Earth and its creatures as objects to be used, exploited, and discarded. He warns that this consumerist logic dulls our sense of awe and weakens our moral responsibility to care for creation. Though centuries apart, Qazwini and Pope Francis both issue a call to wonder. For Pope Francis, it takes the form of Laudato si’, a summons to care for ‘our common home.’ For Qazwini, it was cataloging creation to better understand God’s design. Their works challenge us to cultivate awe not for consumption, but for protection.
Qazwini’s work is marked by an insatiable curiosity. Medieval Islamic scholars called this attitude towards nature taʿajjub, or marveling. This marveling was not childish distraction, but the root of devotion. Pope Francis, too, advocates for this attitude when he speaks of creation as a ‘joyful mystery.’ Their works encourage a spiritual discipline of attentiveness, an act of seeing that becomes praise.
Qazwini documented Sheep (gusfand), The Islands and Strange Animals of the China Sea (‘Abd al-Majid), Constellations of the Centaur and Lion, and Cuttlefish, Crab, and Skink. He recorded the characteristics, attributes, and uses of these phenomena to better understand God’s creation. Qazwini believed that his research allowed him to reach higher states of knowledge for contemplation and appreciation of divine creation. His object of study carried talismanic value, useful for healing and protection. Yet Qazwini’s interest in the universe extended beyond mere utility. He believed that the subjects of his study had value for their utility as well as their beauty.
In an era where data often overshadows meaning, Qazwini’s work invites a reconsideration of how we study the world. He studied animals not to dominate them, but to learn from them. His cosmography reads as both science and scripture in an effort to trace divine fingerprints across the cosmos. Pope Francis echoes this when he warns of a ‘technocratic paradigm’ that disconnects us from nature.
Pope Francis believed that science is a gift from God and a tool for the preservation of humanity. It is through science and technology that humanity can find the solutions to climate change and pollution. The Pope wrote, “We need only take a frank look at the facts to see that our common home is falling into serious disrepair… Hope would have us recognize that there is always a way out… science and religion can enter into an intense dialogue fruitful for both.” While science and technology are necessary to care for humanity, ethics and spiritual wisdom have their role in guiding humanity toward the common good.
Pope Francis and Qazwini were both religious men who saw the Earth and its inhabitants as divine creation. They are united by a common interest that transcends their religious differences. In the age of interfaith dialogue, Qazwini’s cosmography is a powerful reminder that the pursuit of knowledge has long served as common ground between Islamic and Christian traditions. Both Pope Francis and Qazwini challenged the modern notion that faith and reason are at odds. Their shared reverence for the natural world encourages a renewed conversation between science, spirituality, and stewardship across religious boundaries.
The McMullen’s exhibit invites us to recover a sacred way of seeing. Qazwini’s pages urge us to pause, marvel, and learn; Pope Francis called us to act with urgency and compassion. Their voices, one medieval and one modern, remind us that creation is not ours to dominate, but to cherish. Between them, they offer a roadmap not just for understanding the world, but for protecting it.
Wonders of Creation: Art, Science, and Innovation in the Islamic World will be in the Daley Family and Monan Galleries from February 9 to June 1, 2025.