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Islam and Environmental Ethics: A Qur’anic Approach

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Asian Spiritualities and Social Transformation

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Abstract

This chapter explores the Islamic moral teachings of the environment and their correlation with human moral responsibility toward the natural world. Using the Qur’an as a guide, the chapter examines familiar Qur’anic terms to determine whether the Islamic view of the natural world supports an anthropocentric or biocentric approach to environmental ethics. The chapter argues that the Islamic approach to the environment is unique and offers a balancing perspective. It contends that this approach is necessary to address the present environmental degradation and work toward environmental sustainability. By presenting this Islamic balancing approach, the chapter aims to contribute to the field of environmental ethics and demonstrate the relevance of Islamic teachings to contemporary environmental issues.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    “The term ‘anthropocentrism’ comes from the Greek word anthropos, ‘human’, and kentron, ‘center’; so, it means an ideology that places human beings at the central position in the world, which indicates the supremacy of human beings over all other creatures” (Sayem 2018, 2).

  2. 2.

    “The term originally comes from the Greek bios, ‘life’ and kentron, ‘center’; so, it refers to all living things small and big, visible and non-visible, human and non-human. The term is mostly used in an ecological sense of morality and responsibility that there is inherent value in all living things in nature” (Sayem 2018, 2).

  3. 3.

    For translation of the Qur’anic verses used in this paper, the author has consulted: Al-Hilal, Muhammad Taqi-ud-Din, and Muhammad Muhsin Khan, trans. 1420 A.H. Translation of the meanings of the noble Qur’an in the English language. Madinah: King Fahd Complex for the Printing of the Holy Quran.

  4. 4.

    In addition, there is another approach—the theocentric approach—according to which only God is valuable and other things have no value. This is an ascetic approach. In reality, it is true, but when we come to discuss the creation of God, we should be convinced by our understanding that God’s creation is not valueless and purposeless. In discussing environmental issues, this ascetic approach seems irrelevant.

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Acknowledgments

The contents of this chapter was first published as a research article in Islamic Studies 60, no. 2 (2021): 157–172, by Islamic Research Institute of International Islamic University Islamabad. The author is very much grateful to the editorial board of Islamic Studies for the permission of republishing it in this edited book as a chapter.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of World Religions and Culture, University of Dhaka, Dhaka, Bangladesh

    Md. Abu Sayem

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  1. Md. Abu Sayem
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Divinity School of Chung Chi College, Chinese University of Hong Kong, New Territories, Hong Kong

    Simon Shui-Man KWAN

  2. Department of Cultural and Religious Studies, Chinese University of Hong Kong, New Territories, Hong Kong

    Wai-Yin CHOW

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© 2023 The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd.

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Sayem, M.A. (2023). Islam and Environmental Ethics: A Qur’anic Approach. In: KWAN, S.SM., CHOW, WY. (eds) Asian Spiritualities and Social Transformation. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-99-2641-1_15

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