Eco-Maqāṣid as an Integrative Islamic Response to Climate Change through a Conceptual Synthesis of Indonesian Ulama Council Fatwas

Fakhriy Ahmad; Ahmad Sudirman Abbas; Roma Wijaya

doi:10.28918/1rf94j41

Authors

Fakhriy Ahmad Syarif Hidayatullah State Islamic University Jakarta
Ahmad Sudirman Abbas Syarif Hidayatullah State Islamic University Jakarta
Roma Wijaya Ankara University

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.28918/1rf94j41

Abstract

This article aims to analyze the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) Fatwa Number 86 of 2023 concerning the Law on Global Climate Change Control through the integration of two main conceptual frameworks: maqāṣid al-sharī‘ah as the normative framework of Islamic law and social-ecological systems (SES) as a systemic framework that emphasizes adaptive interactions between humans and the environment. Using a qualitative or a normative-conceptual approach based on literature, this study examines how the values of maqāṣid are articulated in the fatwa text and how the fatwa functions as an instrument of adaptive governance in strengthening the socio-ecological resilience of Muslims. The results of the analysis show that the MUI fatwa reflects an eco-maqāṣid perspective, namely an ecological reinterpretation of maqāṣid al-sharī‘ah that positions environmental protection (ḥifẓ al-bī’ah) as a contemporary expression of the objectives of classical sharia. This perspective shows that the fatwa plays a role not only as a legal product, but also as a moral and social mechanism that strengthens collective ecological awareness. Unlike previous research that tends to position fatwas as mere normative texts, this article emphasizes the dynamic function of fatwas within social-ecological systems. Theoretically, this research contributes an integrative perspective that enriches the epistemology of maqāṣid al-sharī‘ah by incorporating an ecological dimension; practically, it offers conceptual guidance for religious-based environmental governance and adaptive responses to the global climate crisis.

Keywords:

Fatwa of the Indonesian Ulema Council, Maqāṣid al-Sharī‘ah, Climate Change, Social-Ecological Systems, Eco-Maqāṣid

References

A. Janssen, M. (2002). Introduction. In M. A. Janssen (Eds.), Complexity and Ecosystem Management: The Theory and Practice of Multi-Agent System. Edward Elgar Publishing.

Abumoghli, I. (2024). The Role of Religions, Values, Ethics, and Spiritual Responsibility in Environmental Governance and Achieving the Sustainable Development Agenda. Religion and Development, 2(3), 485–495. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.30965/27507955-20230008

Aburounia, H., & Sexton, M. (2006). Islam and Sustainable Development. Proceedings of the 6th International Postgraduate Research Conference in the Duilt and Human Environment. 6th International Postgraduate Research Conference in the Built and Human environment - Salford, UK.

Al-Fāsī, A. ‘Abdillāh M. ibn A. M. (2011). Al-Itqān wa al-Aḥkām (Vol. 2). Dār al-Ḥadīth.

Al-Ḥamd, R., & Sa‘īd Ṣabārīnī, M. (1978). Al-Bī’ah wa Mushkilātuhā. Majlis al-Waṭanī li al-Thaqāfah wa al-Funūn wa al-Adāb.

Al-Jayyousi, O. R. (2012). Islam and Sustainable Development. Gower.

Al-Nadwī, ‘Alī Aḥmad. (1986). Al-Qawā‘id al-Fiqhiyyah (1st ed.). Dār al-Qalam.

Al-Shāṭibī, A. I. I. (2015). Al-Muwāfaqāt fī Usūl al-Sharī‘ah (Vol. 2). Dār al-Kutub al-‘Ilmiyah.

Al-Suyūṭī, J. ‘Abd R. (1996). Al-Ashbāh wal al-Naẓāir (2nd ed.). Dār al-Fikr.

Al-Zarqā, A. ibn M. (1989). Sharḥ al-Qawā‘id al-Fiqhiyyah (2nd ed.). Dār al-Qalam.

Ansori, I. (2017). Kedudukan Fatwa di Beberapa Negara Muslim (Malaysia, Brunei Darussalam dan Mesir). Analisis, 17(1), 137–166. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.24042/ajsk.v17i1.1790

Ansori, Iqbal Juliansyahzen, M., & Angga Prihantoro, H. (2025). Eco-Fatwas and the Challenges for Local ‘Ulamā’ in Addressing Environmental Issues in Indonesia: Evidence from Riau Province. Studi Islamika, 32(2), 181–209. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.36712/sdi.v32i2.38706

Atho Mudzhar, M. (n.d.). Fiqh dan Reaktualisasi Ajaran Islam. Retrieved November 9, 2025, from http://media.isnet.org/kmi/islam/Paramadina/Konteks/Reaktualisasi.html

Atho Mudzhar, M. (1993). Fatwa-fatwa Majelis Ulama Indonesia: Sebuah Studi tentang Pemikiran Hukum Islam di Indonesia 1975-1988. INIS.

Hamad, N. bin. (2017). Foundation for Sustainable Development: Harmonizing Islam, Nature, and Law [Doctoral Dissertation, Pace University]. https://digitalcommons.pace.edu/lawdissertations/20/

Boy ZTF, P. (2012). The Functions of Fatwa in Contemporary Muslim Societies: An Indonesian Experience. Jurnal Salam, 15(1). https://ejournal.umm.ac.id/index.php/salam/article/view/1093

Bsoul, L., Omer, A., Kucukalic, L., & H. Archbold, R. (2022). Islam’s Perspective on Environmental Sustainability: A Conceptual Analysis. Social Sciences, 11(6), 1–11. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.3390/socsci11060228

Damiti, R. A., Pakaya, P., Heru Prasetyo, M., Wahyuni K. Baderan, D., & Utina, R. (2025). Stabilitas Ekosistem Hutan Indonesia dalam Menghadapi Deforestasi dan Kerusakan Lingkungan: Tinjauan Literatur. Botani: Publikasi Ilmu Tanaman dan Agribisnis, 2(2), 176–188. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.62951/botani.v2i2.343

Dietz, T., Ostrom, E., & C. Stern, P. (2003). The Struggle to Govern the Commons. Science, 302, 1907–1912. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1091015

Efendi, D., Indra Kurniawan, N., & Santoso, P. (2021). From Fiqh to Political Advocacy: Muhammadiyah’s Ecological Movement in the Post New Order Indonesia. Studi Islamika, 28(2), 349–383. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.36712/sdi.v28i2.14444

Erfan Riadi, M. (2011). Kedudukan Fatwa Ditinjau dari Hukum Islam dan Hukum Positif (Analisis Yuridis Normatif). Ulumuddin: Journal of Islamic Legal Studies, 7(1), 468–477. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.22219/ulumuddin.v7i1.1305

Fahmi, M. (2022). Ijtihad Konservasi Lingkungan dalam Islam (Studi Pemikiran Yusuf al-Qaradawi dan Seyyed Hossein Nasr) [Master’s Thesis, Sekolah Pascasarjana UIN Syarif Hidayatullah Jakarta]. https://repository.uinjkt.ac.id/dspace/handle/123456789/78342

G. Wolff, B. (2009). Environmental Studies and Utilitarian Ethics. Bioscene: The Journal of College Biology and Teaching, 35(2), 42–46. http://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ859824.pdf

Gade, A. M. (2015). Islamic Law and the Environment in Indonesia. Worldviews, 19(2), 161–183. https://doi.org/10.1163/15685357-01902006

Harnowo, T., & Hasani Habib, F. (2024). Islamic Law and Environment Issues: Indonesian Ulama Council’s Fatwas on Climate Change. Ahkam: Jurnal Ilmu Syariah, 24(1), 101–118. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.15408/ajis.v24i1.34161

Ḥaydar, ‘Alī. (1991). Durar al-Ḥukkām Sharḥ Majjalah al-Aḥkām (Vol. 2). Dār al-Kutub al-‘Ilmiyah.

Hulme, M. (2020). Introduction: Why and How to Debate Climate Change. In Contemporary Climate Change Debates: A Student Primer. Routledge.

Hussein, J. M., Abdullah, S. K., Dahash, Z. M., Zuhair, M., & Maksutalievna, A. M. (2024). Islamic Legal Perspectives on Climate Change and Global Policy Frameworks. Al-Istinbath: Jurnal Hukum Islam, 9(2), 723–742. https://doi.org/10.29240/jhi.v9i2.11185

Ilyas, M. (2008). Lingkungan Hidup dalam Pandangan Islam. Jurnal Sosial Humaniora (JSH), 1(2), 154–166. https://doi.org/http://dx.doi.org/10.12962%2Fj24433527.v1i2.672

Iskandar, I., & Sofuoğlu, H. (2025). Islamic Environmentalism in Indonesia: An Analytical Study of MUI Fatwas on Environmental Protection. Bulletin of Islamic Research, 3(2), 177–202. https://doi.org/10.69526/bir.v3i2.168

Jenkins, W. (2005). Islamic Law and Environmental Ethics: How Jurisprudence (Usul al-Fiqh) Mobilizes Practical Reform. Worldviews: Global Religions, Culture, and Ecology, 9(3), 338–364. https://doi.org/10.1163/156853505774841641

Khalid, F. (2010). Islam and the Environment—Ethics and Practice an Assessment. Religion Compass, 4(11), 707–716. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1749-8171.2010.00249.x

Koehrsen, J. (2021). Muslims and Climate Change: How Islam, Muslim Organizations, and Religious Leaders Influence Climate Change Perceptions and Mitigation Activities. WIREs Climate Change, 12(3), 1–19. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1002%2Fwcc.702

Kumar, A., Ahuja, D., Sharma, C., Thakur, S., & Chopra, J. (2025). Environmental Degradation and its Consequences on Global Biodiversity. International Journal of Environmental Sciences, 11(23s), 3470–3477. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.64252/5xwt1n45

M. Murad, M. (2010). Islamic Environmental Stewardship: Nature and Science in the Light of Islamic Philosophy. Union Theological Seminary, 63(1–2), 145–163. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.7916/D8GQ6X2Z

Majeri Mangunjaya, F., & Praharawati, G. (2019). Fatwas on Boosting Environmental Conservation in Indonesia. Religions, 10(10), 1–14. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.3390/rel10100570

Mufid, Moh. (2020). Green Fatwas in Bahtsul Masā’il: Nahdhatul Ulama’s Response to the Discourse of Environmental Crisis in Indonesia. Al-Ihkam: Jurnal Hukum & Pranata Sosial, 15(2), 173–200. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.19105/al-lhkam.v15i2.3956

Najemi, A., & Rapik, M. (2024). Islamizing Environmental Law in Indonesia: Rethinking the Green Fatwa. Jambe Law Journal, 7(1), 253–274. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.22437/home.v7i1.290

Nitami Ahmady, N., & Rahman, I. (2025). Dampak Perubahan Iklim terhadap Ekosistem Pesisir Dipantai Pangandaran. Wissen: Jurnal Ilmu Sosial Dan Humaniora, 3(1), 1–6. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.62383/wissen.v3i1.483

Norberg, J., & Cumming, G. (2008). Complexity Theory for a Sustainable Future. Columbia University Press.

OECD. (2025). Global Drought Outlook: Trends, Impacts and Policies to Adapt to a Drier World. OECD Publishing.

Ostrom, E. (2009). A General Framework for Analyzing Sustainability of Social-Ecological Systems. Science, 325(5939), 419–422. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1172133

Ostrom, E., Gardner, R., & Walker, J. (1994). Rules, Games, and Common-Pool Resources. University of Michigan Press.

Permata Indah, F., Asfya, N., & Darma, F. (2025). The Impact of Global Warming on Climate Change (Systematic Literature Review). Journal of Climate Change Society (JCCS), 3(1), 37–44. https://doi.org/10.24036/jccs/Vol3-iss1/43

Rachmatika Dewi Andayani, A., Imelda, R. D. A., & Setiadi, K. (2022). Pengantar Loss and Damage. Indonesia Research Institute for Decarbonization (IRID).

Rafii Nur Fauzan, M., Suhardiman, A., Fiqra Naufalianto, I., Syarifudin, A., Nugroho, A., & Rucmana Saud, O. (2025). Dinamika Perubahan Tutupan Lahan dan Emisi Karbon dari Deforestasi dan Degradasi Hutan di Kabupaten Kutai Timur Tahun 2019–2024. Makila: Jurnal Penelitian Kehutanan, 19(2), 425–438. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.30598/makila.v19i2.22634

Ramlan, S. (2019). Religious Law for the Environment: Comparative Islamic Environmental Law in Singapore, Malaysia, and Indonesia. NUS Centre for Asian Legal Studies Faculty of Law. https://law.nus.edu.sg/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/CALS-WPS-1903.pdf

Ramlan, S. (2020). Implementing Islamic Law to Protect the Environment: Insights from Singapore, Malaysia, and Indonesia. Asia Pacific Journal of Environmental Law, 23(2), 202–230. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.4337/apjel.2020.02.05.

Ridwan. (2007). Hukum Islam dan Perubahan Sosial. Ibda’: Jurnal Studi Islam dan Budaya, 5(2), 276–285. https://www.academia.edu/11284022/Hukum_Islam_dan_Perubahan_Sosial

Rittel, H. W. J., & Webber, M. M. (1973). Dillemas in a General Theory of Planning. Policy Sciences, 4(2), 155–169. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01405730

Robi Amri, Mohd., Yulianti, G., Yunus, R., Wiguna, S., Adi, A. W., Nur Ichwana, A., Evans Randongkir, R., & Tri Septian, R. (2016). Risiko Bencana Indonesia. BNBP, Direktorat Pengurangan Risiko Bencana.

Saha, L. (2024). The Role of Civil Society and Religious Organizations in Shaping Environmental Policy in Bangladesh. Religion and Policy Journal, 2(1), 41–48. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.15575/rpj.v2i1.933

Salimi Turkamani, H. (2023). The Role of Islam in Realizing the Goals of Climate Change Law: From Theory to Practice? Journal for European Environmental & Planning Law, 20(1), 24–50. https://doi.org/10.1163/18760104-20010007

Sobirin, M., & Khasanah, K. (2023). The Pesantren Scholar’s 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 & Humanities, 10(1), 1–16. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1080/23311983.2023.2193023

Sudirman Abbas, A. (2004). Qawa’id Fiqhiyyah dalam Perspektif Fiqh. Pedoman Ilmu Jaya.

Testriono, Ropi, I., Nur Fadil Auliya, A., Ibmar, D., Billahi, S., & Rohayati, T. (2024). Gerakan Green Islam di Indonesia Aktor, Strategi, dan Jaringan. UIN Jakarta Press, PPIM UIN Jakarta.

Wade, R. (1989). Village Republics: Economic Conditions for Collective Action in South India. Cambridge University Press.

Zulkifli, Nuryaman, & Hafidhoh. (2023). Islamic Approaches to the Environmental Preservation: A Systematic Literature Review. Al-A’raf: Jurnal Pemikiran Islam dan Filsafat, 20(2), 176–208. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.22515/ajpif.v20i2.7848