Reconstructing Islamic Legal Norms in Environmental Governance: A Maqasid-Based Legal Critique of Indonesia’s Resource Policies

Lina Marlina Susana; Ramadhani Irma Tripalupi; Suparman Kholil; Nur Efendi; Gina Sakinah

doi:10.29240/jhi.v10i2.13038

Authors

Lina Marlina Susana Universitas Muhammadiyah Bandung, Indonesia
Ramadhani Irma Tripalupi Universitas Islam Negeri Sunan Gunung Djati Bandung, Indonesia
Suparman Kholil Universitas Islam Negeri Sunan Gunung Djati Bandung, Indonesia
Nur Efendi Universitas Islam Negeri Sunan Gunung Djati Bandung, Indonesia
Gina Sakinah Universitas Islam Negeri Sunan Gunung Djati Bandung, Indonesia

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.29240/jhi.v10i2.13038

Keywords:

Islamic Environmental Ethics, Maqasid al-Shariah, Resource Governance, Policy Reform

Abstract

This study examines the integration of Islamic legal principles into Indonesia’s natural resource governance, with a particular focus on sustainability and social justice. The research is motivated by the exploitative and anthropocentric orientation of current policies, which neglect intergenerational equity and ecological justice. To address this gap, the study employs a normative-juridical method with a critical approach, analyzing law as a system of norms rather than merely as social practice. Sources include statutory laws such as the Minerba Law and Job Creation Law, relevant fatwas issued by the Indonesian Council of Ulama, as well as Qur’anic and Hadith texts interpreted through the framework of maqāṣid al-sharī‘ah. Case studies of deforestation in Kalimantan and mining conflicts in West Nusa Tenggara are presented to contextualize the neglect of Islamic values in environmental management. The findings reveal four structural problems: legal dualism between state law and Islamic ethics, weak institutionalization of sharia principles, sectoral fragmentation in governance, and centralization of authority that marginalizes indigenous communities. These issues contribute to the persistent neglect of maslahah, ‘adl, and environmental justice in public policy. The study proposes a maqāṣid-based reconstruction of legal norms through ijtihād maqāṣidī and taḥqīq al-manāṭ as methodological tools to realign governance with ethical and ecological imperatives. Recommendations include revising extractive laws, integrating environmental fatwas into statutory frameworks, strengthening participatory governance, and establishing a Maqāṣid Commission for ecological oversight. In conclusion, the research demonstrates that reconstructing Islamic law through maqāṣid not only fills the ethical gap in Indonesia’s regulatory system but also offers a transformative model for just, participatory, and sustainable environmental governance.

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