Reconstructing Ecological Ethics from Fakhr al-Dīn al-Rāzī: The Possibilities and Limits of Its Contextualization in Indonesian Ecotheological Policy
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.29240/alquds.v10i2.15999Keywords:
qur'anic ecotheology, fakhr al-din al-razi , mafatih al-ghayb, islamic environmental ethics, environmental policyAbstract
Contemporary Islamic environmental discourse increasingly draws on classical theological and exegetical traditions, yet the methodological legitimacy of translating premodern concepts into modern ecological categories remains contested. This study critically examines how selected concepts in Fakhr al-Dīn al-Rāzī’s Mafātīḥ al-Ghayb khalīfah (Q. 2:30–31), amānah (Q. 33:72), mīzān (Q. 55:7–9), fasād (Q. 30:41), and isrāf (Q. 7:31) can be ecologically reconstructed and compared with the ecotheological policies of Indonesia’s Ministry of Religious Affairs. Using qualitative library research and policy analysis, the study employs hermeneutic reading, content analysis, and thematic comparison. The findings show that these concepts contain theological, ethical, and cosmological elements that permit ecological reinterpretation, although they were not originally formulated as a systematic environmental theory. Contemporary categories such as theocentrism, anthropocentrism, ecocentrism, and cosmocentrism are therefore treated as analytical lenses rather than as al-Rāzī’s own conceptual vocabulary. Comparison with Eco-Friendly Mosques, Forest Waqf, tree-planting initiatives, and the National Ecotheology Policy Document 2025–2029 reveals normative correspondence but not direct historical influence, conceptual identity, policy causation, or institutional effectiveness. The study concludes that the relationship between al-Rāzī’s exegesis and contemporary ecotheological policy is interpretively constructed, normatively comparable, and marked by significant historical and conceptual discontinuities.
Downloads
References
Abd-Elsalam, AMF, and S Binay. “Sustainable Development in Islamic Theology: From an Event-Based Approach to a Comprehensive Understanding of Sustainability Using the Example of Fatwas Regarding Water in Jordan.” Religion 15, no. 12 (2024). https://doi.org/10.3390/rel15121487.
Acim, S A. “THE CONCEPT OF FIQH AL-BI'AH IN THE QUR'AN: A Study of the Verses of the Qur'an on the Environment in the View of Lombok Ulama.” Ulumuna 27, no. 1 (2023): 115–40. https://doi.org/10.20414/ujis.v27i1.694.
Adamson, Peter. “Fakhr al-Din al-Razi on Place.” Arabic Sciences and Philosophy 27, no. 2 (2017): 205–236. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0957423917000029.
Al-Qurtubi, Muhammad. Al- Jami' li Ahkam Al-Qur'an. Cairo: Dar al-Kutub al-Misriyyah, nd
al-Razi, Fakhr al-Din. Mafatih Al-Ghayb (Al-Tafsir Al-Kabir) . Beirut: Dar al-Fikr, 1981.
Alicia, F R. “Implementation of Instruments for the Prevention of Pollution and Environmental Damage in Indonesia: Issues and Challenges.” Indonesian Journal of Environmental Law and Sustainable Development 3, no. 1 (2024): 125–56. https://doi.org/10.15294/ijel.v3i1.78892.
Alwi, Z, A Ilyas, Z Darussamin, and AG Syafii. “A SOCIO-ECOLOGICAL-RELIGIO-CULTURAL APPROACH IN HANDLING ENVIRONMENTAL DAMAGE: AN INTERPRETATIVE ANALYSIS BASED ON THE QURAN AND HADITH.” Revista de Gestao Social e Ambiental 18, no. 1 (2024). https://doi.org/10.24857/RGSA.V18N1-127.
Anwar, R, and L Hakim. “AL-Qur'an LEARNING BASED ON ISLAMIC ECO-THEOLOGY IN ISLAMIC BOARDING SCHOOL.” Journal of Islamic Education 9, no. 2 (2023): 169–86. https://doi.org/10.15575/jpi.v9i2.24933.
Baharuddin, A, and MN Musa. “Environmental Ethics in Islam.” In Islamic Bioethics: Current Issues and Challenges , 161–82, 2017. https://doi.org/10.1142/9781783267507_0008.
Bakri, M, M Meutia, and M Sari. “Sustainable Mosque Concept for Oman Al-Makmur Mosque, Banda Aceh, Indonesia.” In IOP Conference Series: Earth and Environmental Science , Vol. 1510, 2025. https://doi.org/10.1088/1755-1315/1510/1/012080.
Balushi, AMAR Al, and MKAL Janabi. “Mukhalafat Al - Imam Al-Razi Li Abi Muslim Al-As fahani Fi Tafsir Surah Maryam Min Khilal Al-Tafsir Al-Kabir. ” Quranic 16, no. 2 Special Issue 12 (2024): 446–85.
Blankinship, LA, S Gillaspie, and BH Aboul-Enein. “Highlighting the Importance of Biodiversity Conservation through the Qur'an.” Conservation Biology 39, no. 1 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1111/cobi.14309.
Conradie, Ernst M. Christianity and Ecological Theology: Resources for Further Research . Stellenbosch: SUN Press, 2006.
Efendi, D, NI Kurniawan, and P Santoso. “From Fiqh to Political Advocacy: Muhammadiyah’s Ecological Movement in Post-New Order Indonesia.” Studia Islamika 28, no. 2 (2021): 349–83. https://doi.org/10.36712/sdi.v28i2.14444.
El-Rouayheb, K. “Logic in the Arab and Islamic World.” In Encyclopedia of Medieval Philosophy: Philosophy between 500 and 1500 , 1074–83, 2020. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-024-1665-7_303.
Fazlhashemi, M. “Islamic Ecotheology.” In Intersections of Religion, Education, and a Sustainable World , 25–40, 2025. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-81809-7_3.
Foltz, Richard C, Frederick M Denny, and Azizan Baharuddin. Islam and Ecology: A Trust Given . Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 2003.
Frain, J. “Qualitative Research.” In ABC of Evidence-Based Healthcare , 39–46, 2025. https://doi.org/10.1002/9781394219346.ch5.
Gade, A M. "Islamic Law and the Environment in Indonesia: Fatwa and Da.Wa." Worldviews: Environment, Culture, Religion 19, no. 2 (2015): 161–83. https://doi.org/10.1163/15685357-01902006.
Haris, A, A Widodo, ID Tantri, and S Sarah. “Eco-Maqasid in Climate Change Campaigns: From an Ecolinguistics Study to the Philosophy of Islamic Law. ” Al-Manahij: Journal of Islamic Legal Studies 18, no. 2 (2024): 219–36. https://doi.org/10.24090/mnh.v18i2.10652.
Indonesia, Ministry of Religious Affairs of the Republic of Indonesia. “Formulation of the National Ecotheology Policy Document 2025–2029,” 2025.
Islam, MS, and S Samsudin. "Interpretations of Al-Amanah Among Muslim Scholars and Its Role in Establishing Peace in Society." Social Change 48, no. 3 (2018): 437–50. https://doi.org/10.1177/0049085718781689.
Islami.co. “Ministry of Religion Formulates National Ecotheology Policy Document,” 2025.
Ismail, Nurjannah. “RECONSTRUCTION OF WOMEN’S INTERPRETATION: BUILDING A GENDER-FAIR INTERPRETATION (A Critical Study of the Thoughts of Asghar Ali Engineer, Fatima Mernissi and ….” Gender Equality: International Journal of Child and … , 2015. https://jurnal.ar-raniry.ac.id/index.php/equality/article/view/778%0Ahttps://jurnal.ar-raniry.ac.id/index.php/equality/article/viewFile/778/608.
Izzi Dien, Mawil Y. The Environmental Dimensions of Islam . Cambridge: Lutterworth Press, 2000.
Jakarta, Center for Islamic and Community Studies (PPIM) UI N. “National Survey: Majority of Indonesian Muslims Believe in Climate Change,” 2024.
Janos, Damien, and Muhammad Fariduddin Attar. A Comprehensive, Annotated, and Indexed Bibliography of the Modern Scholarship on Fakhr Al-Din Al-Razi, (544/1150–606/1210). Leiden: Boston: Bril, 2023.
Kadir, F K A, N Rusli, A H Embong, A H A Rahman, and N Ali. “The Role of Human Beings as Caliphs in Preserving Nature.” Multidisciplinary Science Journal 5 (2023). https://doi.org/10.31893/multiscience.2023059.
S. "The Concept of Absolute Being in the Philosophical Theology of Fakhr Al - Din Al - Razi . " Islam and Christian-Muslim Relations 15, no. 1 (2004): 125–33. https://doi.org/10.1080/09596410310001631867.
Kolacek, J. “The Qur'an as a Source of Contemporary Islamic Environmental Ethics*. ” Oriental Archives 88, no. 2 (2020): 221–48.
Kopnina, Helen, Haydn Washington, Bron Taylor, and John J. Piccolo. “Anthropocentrism: More than Just a Misunderstood Problem.” Journal of Agricultural and Environmental Ethics 31 (2018): 109–127. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10806-018-9711-1.
Kurniawan, D W. “Human Responsibility for the Environment in the Quran.” Journal of Islam and Indonesian Muslim Society 2, no. 2 (2012): 293–322. https://doi.org/10.18326/ijims.v2i2.293-322.
Latif, M, D Hanafi, R Damis, and A Goncing. “Environmental Theology and Its Relevance to Islamic Law: Perceptions of Muslim Scholars in Makassar, Indonesia.” Samarah 7, no. 3 (2023): 1734–56. https://doi.org/10.22373/sjhk.v7i3.18905.
Masoumbeigi, H, NM Mohammadi, HS Gooshki, A Khoshi, M Mesri, F Najjarzadegan, A Esrafili, M Kermani, and N Mahmoudi. “Approaches to the Anthropological Theory of the Quran and Hadith and Their Role in Reducing Environmental Degradation.” International Journal of Medical Toxicology and Forensic Medicine 11, no. 4 (2021). https://doi.org/10.32598/ijmtfm.v11i4.36166.
Mauluddin, M, MF Firdaus, M Munir, and UM Azkiyah. “Sufi Hermeneutics and Symbolic Interpretation in the Javanese Manuscript Hakikate Bismillah.” Journal of Qur'anic and Hadith Studies 26, no. 2 (2025): 413–43. https://doi.org/10.14421/qh.v26i2.6315.
Mohammadyani, D, and S Majid. “The Influence of the Quranic Teachings on Famous Muslim Philosophers.” Studies in Religion and Theology 34, no. 1 (2015): 5–18. https://doi.org/10.1558/rsth.v34i1.24545.
Mohidem, NA, and Z Hashim. “Integrating Environment with Health: An Islamic Perspective.” Social Sciences 12, no. 6 (2023). https://doi.org/10.3390/socsci12060321.
Mortada, H. “TRADITIONAL ISLAMIC VALUES FOR PASSIVE ENVIRONMENTAL DESIGN.” In Cities of Opportunities: Connecting Culture and Innovation , 107–19, 2020. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003022299-12.
Muhammad, M, MZN Yaqin, FKR Mahfud, and FMS Alahmadi. "Freedom is Not Absolute: Ecological Ethics and Human-Nature Relations in the Qur'an." Studia Ecologiae et Bioethicae 22, no. 4 (2024): 17–27. https://doi.org/10.21697/seb.5821.
Mustofa, ML, MF Zenrif, and A Barizi. “Towards Islamic Ecotheology: Indonesian Muslim Organizations in Climate Mitigation and Adaptation Efforts.” Problemy Ekorozwoju 20, no. 2 (2025): 21–31. https://doi.org/10.35784/preko.7089.
Najemi, A, and M Rapik. “The Islamization of Environmental Law in Indonesia: Revisiting the Green Fatwa.” Jambe Law Journal 7, no. 1 (2024): 253–74. https://doi.org/10.22437/home.v7i1.290.
Nasir, NM, MS Nair, and PK Ahmed. “ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY AND CONTEMPORARY ISLAMIC SOCIETY: A SHARIAH PERSPECTIVE.” Asian Academy of Management Journal 27, no. 2 (2022): 211–31. https://doi.org/10.21315/aamj2022.27.2.10.
Nasr, SH Religion and the Natural Order . New York, NY: Oxford University Press., 1996.
Nasr, S H. “Questions about Cosmogenesis—Cosmos as a Subject of Scientific Study.” In Studies on the Relationship between Islam and Science: Volume 1 , 171–87, 2017. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315242187-19.
News, Antara. "Ministry of Religious Affairs Makes Mosques and Religious Affairs Offices the Driving Forces of the National Ecotheology Movement," 2025.
Nur, A, HB Husin, and M Yasir. “Qur'anic Ecotheology and the Ethics of Forest Protection in Indonesia.” Journal of Qur'anic and Hadith Studies 26, no. 2 (2025): 351–82. https://doi.org/10.14421/qh.v26i2.6312.
Oulddali, A. "When a Usuli Interprets the Qur'an: Aspects of the Acceptance of Legal Theory in the Exegesis of Fahr Al-Din Al-Razi." Arabica 71, no. 1–2 (2024): 141–80. https://doi.org/10.1163/15700585-20231679.
Pambudi, YS, A Harahap, M Mahbub, S Sabarudin, and P Parji. “Analysis of the Influence of School Policies on Teacher Participation in the Cleanliness Program at Adiwiyata Award-Receiving Schools in Surakarta City, Indonesia.” International Journal of Advanced Science and Technology 29, no. 5 (2020): 409–16.
Quadir, T M. “Islam and Sustainability: Norms and Barriers.” In Routledge Handbook of the History of Sustainability , 120–33, 2017. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315543017-9.
Ragozina, S A. “Environmentalism in Modern Islamic Philosophy.” RUDN Journal of Philosophy 27, no. 2 (2023): 233–50. https://doi.org/10.22363/2313-2302-2023-27-2-233-250.
Rusdiyana, E, R Setyowati, E Lestari, and HRN Hakim. “Why Haven't Mosques Been Selected as Climate Village Driving Institutions?” In IOP Conference Series: Earth and Environmental Science , Vol. 1515, 2025. https://doi.org/10.1088/1755-1315/1515/1/012013.
Sa'ad, S, D Ming, A Sukirno, Y Rahman, and AK Riyadi. “The Impact of Sufi Thought in Contemporary Quranic Interpretation on Sustainable Development in Indonesia.” Pharos Journal of Theology 106, no. Special Issue-2 (2025): 1–15. https://doi.org/10.46222/pharosjot.106.2018.
Saeed, Abdullah. Interpreting the Qur’an: Towards a Contemporary Approach. London and New York: Routledge, 2006.
Shaleh, A, and MS Islam. “Avoiding Planetary Existential Threats: Islamic Environmental Ethics for Addressing Contemporary Environmental Crises.” Intellectual Discourse 32, no. 1 (2024): 239–64. https://doi.org/10.31436/id.v32i1.1937.
Shihadeh, A. “Fakhr Al-Din Al-Razi and Ghurid Self-Fashioning.” Afghanistan 5, no. 2 (2022): 253–92. https://doi.org/10.3366/afg.2022.0095.
Sindonews. "PPIM UIN Survey: Majority of Residents Never Involved in Interfaith Environmental Action," 2024.
Skinner, Quentin. “Meaning and Understanding in the History of Ideas.” In Visions of Politics, Volume 1: Regarding Method, 57–89. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2002.
Sobirin, M, and K Khasanah. "The Pesantren Scholars' Fatwa on Global Warming and Climate Change: An Integrative Analysis of Islamic Law, Theology, and Environmental Sciences on the Practice of Multidisciplinary Ijtihad." Cogent Arts and Humanities 10, no. 1 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1080/23311983.2023.2193023.
Somma, B. “Fahr Al-Din Al-Razi's Multispecies Epistemology.” In Knowing Life: The Ethics of Multispecies Epistemologies , 248–62, 2025. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781032659985-18.
Statistics, Central Agency. “Indonesian Environmental Statistics 2024,” 2024.
Steen-Johnsen, K, and V Schanke Sundet. “Theories of the Policy Process.” In Handbook of Media and Communication Governance , 100–111, 2024. https://doi.org/10.4337/9781800887206.00016.
Supriyanto, Supriyanto, and Akhmad RB Zaman. “Living Quran in the Context of Rural Communities: A Study on the Miracle of the Quran in Gentasari, Kroya, Cilacap.” Al-Bayan – Journal of Quran and Hadith Studies 21 , no. 2 ( 2023): 199–216. https://doi.org/10.1163/22321969-20230132 .
Surjanti, J, MA Rafsanjani, RY Kurniawan, D Fitrayati, and H Musfidah. “Exploring Predictors of Prospective Teachers’ Intentions Towards Environmental Education: Lessons from Adiwiyata Schools in Indonesia.” International Journal of Sustainable Development and Planning 19, no. 11 (2024): 4463–72. https://doi.org/10.18280/ijsdp.191133.
Tariq Jaffer, Razi. Qur'anic Exegesis and Theological Reasoning . Edited by Oxford University Press. Oxford, 2015.
Wahdini, M, and H Jubba. “ENVIRONMENTAL GOVERNANCE IN INDONESIA: THE ROLE OF MUHAMMADIYAH, STATE INTERVENTION, AND THE DYNAMICS OF LEGAL PRACTICE.” Sharia: Journal of Law and Thought 24, no. 1 (2024): 189–205. https://doi.org/10.18592/sjhp.v24i1.12897.
Wersal, L. “ISLAM AND ENVIRONMENTAL ETHICS: TRADITION RESPONDS TO CONTEMPORARY CHALLENGES.” In International Law and Islamic Law , 271–79, 2017. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315092515-14.
Yakub, M, O Firmansyah, and A Muhajir. “Exploring the Spiritual Ecology of Islam in Indonesia: Perspectives from Progressive Intellectuals of Nahdlatul Ulama.” Journal of Spirituality Studies 13, no. 2 (2023): 180–98. https://doi.org/10.1080/20440243.2023.2238203.
Yu, H, I Zahidi, CM Fai, and D Ø Madsen. “Sustainable Development in Mosque Construction.” Scientific Reports 15, no. 1 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-96786-x.
Yustrisia, L, K Wardiono, N Surbakti, and A Budiono. “Mining Corruption, Environmental Damage, and the Increase in Property Ownership Without Permission from State Officials.” Edelweiss Applied Science and Technology 8, no. 4 (2024): 1856–65. https://doi.org/10.55214/25768484.v8i4.1558.
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
Citation Check
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Al Fiqri Ardiansyah; Yusuf Rahman, Zubair (Author); Marhamah Annazah Tambunan; Nur Cholis (Author)

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
Authors who publish with AL QUDS : Jurnal Studi Alquran dan Hadis agree to the following terms:- Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0) that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgment of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgment of its initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work (See The Effect of Open Access).





