Islamic jurisprudence and environmental outreach in the anthropocene era: responding to the ecological crisis

Abstract

Abstract. Deanova AK, Pristiawati CM, Solikhah. 2025. Islamic jurisprudence and environmental outreach in the anthropocene era: responding to the ecological crisis. Dakwah & Islamic Outreach 1: 38-49. The escalating ecological crisis marked by climate change, biodiversity loss, resource depletion, and environmental injustice has revealed deep moral failures in humanity’s relationship with nature. In response, Islamic jurisprudence offers a holistic and normative framework rooted in the Qur’an, Sunnah, and the ethical imperatives of shar?‘ah. This study explores how fiqh al-bi’ah (Islamic environmental jurisprudence) can be revitalized as a theological and practical instrument for environmental outreach (da’wah) in the Anthropocene era. Core Islamic principles such as taw??d (divine unity), khil?fah (stewardship), am?nah (trust), m?z?n (balance), and the prohibition of fas?d (corruption) are examined as foundations for ecological ethics. The study argues for the formal inclusion of ?if? al-bi’ah (environmental protection) as an objective of maq??id al shar?‘ah, expanding the traditional aims of Islamic law to meet urgent planetary challenges. Legal tools such as ?ima, ?ar?m, waqf, and contemporary fatwas are reinterpreted as means of empowering communities, shaping policy, and guiding sustainable behavior. This paper also highlights the role of religious institutions, community-based stewardship, and eco-dakwah as vital strategies for promoting Islamic environmental ethics in education, worship, and public discourse. By bridging spiritual commitment and ecological responsibility, fiqh al-bi’ah emerges not only as a legal doctrine but as an outreach-based framework for responding to the global ecological crisis. The study concludes that reclaiming Islamic theological resources is essential for fostering a morally grounded, socially relevant, and globally attuned environmental future.