Preserving, Promoting and Globalizing Indigenous Islamic Literature for Universal Sustainable Development

Universal framework of multi civilizational world and United Nations’ agenda of global sustainable development warrant preservation of civilizational diversity by preserving diverse indigenous folk cultures as reservoirs of millenia-old indigenous folk wisdom for preserving biodiversity and ensuring universal sustainable development. Preservation of indigenous folk culture is a social goal of environmentally sustainable development. Civilizational diversity balances socioeconomic and environmental interests of groups and generations of people. Translations of folk literature in foreign languages disseminate local folk wisdom and promote civilizational diversity and biodiversity on a global level. Universalization of indigenous folk cultures and folk literature is a key to realize Islamic universal sustainable development. This view is reflected in the English translation of Allama Iqbal’s Persian poetry entitled The Secrets of the Self and Pashto poetry of Rehman Baba entitled The Nightingale of Peshawar. This article highlights indigenous folk wisdom as preserver-cum-promoter of civilizational diversity, biodiversity, and sustainable development. It presents a retrospective on translations of folk wisdom-based Islamic literature in foreign languages and contributes pertinent policy recommendations.