Systematic Destruction and Contemporary Ecological Crises: A Quranic Maqasid-based Perspective on Environmental Protection

Abstract

This study aims to analyze existential environmental crises from a Quranic and maqāṣid perspective by relating them to concepts such as ḫilāfa (stewardship) and the prohibition of fasād (corruption). Employing a descriptive‑analytical methodology alongside a maqāṣid‑based inductive approach to derive the Quranic vision, the research reveals that systematic environmental destruction constitutes a flagrant breach of the Quranic injunctions promoting cosmic equilibrium and moderation in consumption. It demonstrates how various forms of human activity—both material and moral—have exacerbated these crises. Furthermore, contemporary scholars of Islamic objectives concur that environmental preservation represents a sharʿī (legal) objective underpinned by texts in the Qur’ān and Sunnah (e.g., the prohibitions against destroying cultivable land and undermining progeny), yet they diverge regarding the mechanisms for actualizing this objective within the broader maqāṣid framework. The originality of the study lies in proposing a practical model that bridges Quranic legislation with modern environmental challenges, illustrating how an Islamic paradigm—rooted in the Qur’ān—offers ethical and legislative solutions to avert ecological collapse.