The Concept of Khalifah fi al-Ard and Indonesia’s Ecological Crisis: A Comparative Study of the Thought of Muhammad Abduh and Nurcholish Madjid
(Konsep Khalifah fi al-Ard dan Krisis Ekologis Indonesia: Studi Perbandingan Pemikiran Muhammad Abduh dan Nurcholish Madjid)
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.20625/theosyn.v1i4.127Keywords:
Environmental Ethics, Indonesian Ecological Crisis, Khalifah fi al-Ard, Muhammad Abduh, Nurcholish MadjidAbstract
This study aims to analyze the concept of khalīfah fī al-arḍ in the thought of Muhammad Abduh and Nurcholish Madjid and to explain its relevance to contemporary ecological crises in Indonesia. The research employs a qualitative method using a library research approach and comparative-conceptual analysis. The primary data sources consist of Muhammad Abduh’s Risālat al-Tawḥīd and Nurcholish Madjid’s works, including Islam, Doctrine and Civilization. The findings indicate that Abduh emphasizes rationality guided by tawḥīd as the foundation of human responsibility toward nature, while Nurcholish Madjid highlights social ethics and collective responsibility in public life. Both view humans as trustees rather than absolute owners of the earth. The concept of vicegerency thus provides an ethical framework for addressing mining expansion, deforestation, and ecological disasters in Indonesia by affirming the principles of balance, justice, and sustainability.
Abstrak
Penelitian ini bertujuan menganalisis konsep khalīfah fī al-arḍ dalam pemikiran Muhammad Abduh dan Nurcholish Madjid serta menjelaskan relevansinya terhadap krisis ekologi kontemporer di Indonesia. Penelitian ini menggunakan metode kualitatif dengan pendekatan studi kepustakaan dan analisis komparatif-konseptual. Sumber data utama berasal dari karya Muhammad Abduh, khususnya Risālat al-Tawḥīd, serta tulisan-tulisan Nurcholish Madjid seperti Islam Doktrin dan Peradaban. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa Abduh menekankan rasionalitas yang dibimbing oleh tauhid sebagai dasar tanggung jawab manusia terhadap alam, sedangkan Nurcholish Madjid menegaskan dimensi etika sosial dan tanggung jawab kolektif dalam pengelolaan kehidupan publik. Keduanya memandang manusia sebagai pemegang amanah, bukan pemilik mutlak bumi. Konsep kekhalifahan tersebut relevan sebagai kerangka etis dalam merespons persoalan pertambangan, deforestasi, dan bencana ekologis di Indonesia melalui penegasan prinsip keseimbangan, keadilan, dan keberlanjutan.
References
ʻAbduh, Muḥammad. Risālat al-tawḥīd. Translated by Ḥusayn Yūsuf Ghazāl. Al-Ṭabʻah. Bayrūt: Dār Iḥyāʼ al̄ʻUlūm, 1977.
Abdullah, M. Amin. “Nurcholish Madjid and Religious Pluralism in Indonesian Islam.” In Pluralism in Islamic Contexts - Ethics, Politics and Modern Challenges. Philosophy and Politics - Critical Explorations, 189–99, 2021. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-66089-5_11.
Amali, Mushlihin. “From Politics to Education: Nurcholish Madjid and the Reform of Education In Indonesia.” Hayula: Indonesian Journal of Multidisciplinary Islamic Studies 3, no. 1 (January 28, 2019): 17–24. https://doi.org/10.21009/003.1.02.
Cheng, Grace, and Astrid Cornelisse. “Being Economical with the Truth: Dutch Public Claims and Hidden Agendas about Papuan Self-Determination and the Economic Exploitation of Netherlands New Guinea.” The Journal of Imperial and Commonwealth History, November 29, 2025, 1–43. https://doi.org/10.1080/03086534.2025.2581043.
Çoruh, Hakan. “Relationship Between Religion and Science in the Muslim Modernism.” Theology and Science 18, no. 1 (January 2, 2020): 152–61. https://doi.org/10.1080/14746700.2019.1710355.
Dian, Dian, Imas Masripah, Dela Purwandani, Deagi Nur Mohamad Maliki, and Fadhilah Anggraini Pane. “Nurcholish Madjid’s Perspective About Thought of Religious Pluralism.” Munaddhomah: Jurnal Manajemen Pendidikan Islam 3, no. 2 (December 18, 2022): 139–48. https://doi.org/10.31538/munaddhomah.v3i2.242.
Djuned, Muslim. “Relasi Manusia Dan Lingkungan Hidup Dalam Islam.” SINTHOP: Media Kajian Pendidikan, Agama, Sosial Dan Budaya 2, no. 2 (December 31, 2023): 124–34. https://doi.org/10.22373/sinthop.v2i2.4080.
Haddad, Mohamed. “A Muslim Reformist: Muhammad Abduh.” In Muslim Reformism - A Critical History. Philosophy and Politics - Critical Explorations, 15–47, 2020. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-36774-9_2.
Haris, Muhamad, Nurwahidin Nurwahidin, Mulawarman Hannase, and Mohammad Izdiyan Muttaqin. “Muhammad Abduh’s Thought and Its Practical Implications on Government Work Programs For 2024-2029.” Journal of Social Research 4, no. 2 (January 25, 2025): 175–95. https://doi.org/10.55324/josr.v4i2.2424.
Husein, Rahmawati, and Kanako Iuchi. “Towards Sustainable Disaster Prevention: Strengthening Environment-Based Disaster Governance in Indonesia.” IOP Conference Series: Earth and Environmental Science 1566, no. 1 (December 1, 2025): 012010. https://doi.org/10.1088/1755-1315/1566/1/012010.
Ichwan, Moh. Nor, Mowafg Masuwd, Mokh. Sya’roni, and Naser Ali Abdulghani. “Muhammad Abduh and Sufism: Building Spiritual Consciousness in the Context of Social Change.” Teosofi: Jurnal Tasawuf Dan Pemikiran Islam 14, no. 1 (June 15, 2024): 163–87. https://doi.org/10.15642/teosofi.2024.14.1.163-187.
Izah, Sylvester Chibueze, Adams Ovie Iyiola, Baturh Yarkwan, and Glory Richard. “Impact of Air Quality as a Component of Climate Change on Biodiversity-Based Ecosystem Services.” In Visualization Techniques for Climate Change with Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence, 123–48. Elsevier, 2023. https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-323-99714-0.00005-4.
Junaidi, Akhmad Arif. “The Death of Prophet Isa in Tafsīr Al-Manār by Muḥammad ‘Abduh and Rashid Rida.” Jurnal Theologia 34, no. 1 (June 25, 2023): 1–18. https://doi.org/10.21580/teo.2023.34.1.17191.
Kurniawan, Robi, and Shunsuke Managi. “Economic Growth and Sustainable Development in Indonesia: An Assessment.” Bulletin of Indonesian Economic Studies 54, no. 3 (September 2, 2018): 339–61. https://doi.org/10.1080/00074918.2018.1450962.
Madjid, Nurcholish. Islam: Doktrin & Peradaban. Gramedia pustaka utama, 2019.
———. Khazanah Intelektual Islam. Yayasan Pustaka Obor Indonesia, 2019.
Maspul, Kurniawan Arif. “Sacrificing Paradise: Indonesia’s Green Energy Ambitions and the Future of Raja Ampat.” Journal of Environmental Economics and Sustainability 2, no. 3 (June 11, 2025): 22. https://doi.org/10.47134/jees.v2i3.711.
Nasri, Nasri, Munajat Nursaputra, Abdur Rahman Arif, Risye Dwiyani, Lady Chania, Ida Bagus Oka Agastya, and Dian Adhetya Arif Arif. “Ecological Disaster in Northern Sumatra: How Extreme Rainfall and Land-Cover Disturbance Triggered Widespread Flash Flooding.” Jurnal Penelitian Kehutanan Wallacea 14, no. 2 (December 30, 2025): 111–21. https://doi.org/10.24259/jpkwallacea.v14i2.48907.
Quddus, Abdul. “Ecotheology Islam: Teologi Konstruktif Atasi Krisis Lingkungan.” Ulumuna 16, no. 2 (November 7, 2017): 311–46. https://doi.org/10.20414/ujis.v16i2.181.
Rafida, Alifa Ihfazna, Sahri Sahri, and Faizal Amin. “Contemporary Islamic Moderation: Insights from Al-Qaradawi, Nurcholis Madjid, and Abdurrahman Wahid.” ISTIFHAM: Journal Of Islamic Studies, November 5, 2025, 112–29. https://doi.org/10.71039/istifham.v3i2.103.
Rahman, Rheza Auliya, and Markus Anugrah S. “Balancing Growth And Equity: An Evaluation of Foreign Direct Investment Policies in Papua in 2023.” Jurnal Administrasi Publik 16, no. 02 (December 30, 2025). https://doi.org/10.62870/jap.v16i02.35973.
Rakhmat, Aulia. “Islamic Ecotheology: Understanding the Concept of Khalifah and the Ethical Responsibility of the Environment.” Academic Journal of Islamic Principles and Philosophy 3, no. 1 (June 30, 2022): 1–24. https://doi.org/10.22515/ajipp.v3i1.5104.
Setiawan, Rizal Justian, and Tony Tai Ting Liu. “Geopolitics of Natural Resource Investment: A Case Study of Chinese Nickel Ventures in Eastern Indonesia.” Journal Innovation, Social, and Environment 1, no. 1 (2025): 8–20.
Sugiyono. Metode Penelitian Kuantitatif, Kualitatif, Dan RD. Cet. ke 23. Bandung: Penerbit Alfabeta, 2016.
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2025 Muhamad Barqi Asila, Muhamad Bariq Atsila (Author)
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
You are free to:
- Share — copy and redistribute the material in any medium or format for any purpose, even commercial purposes.
- Adaptation — mixing, changing, and developing materials for any purpose, even commercial ones.
Under the following terms:
- Attribution — You must give appropriate credit , provide a link to the license, and indicate if changes were made . You may do so in any reasonable manner, but not in any way that suggests the licensor endorses you or your use.
- ShareAlike — If you remix, transform, or build upon the material, you must distribute your contributions under the same license as the original.
- No additional restrictions — You may not apply legal terms or technological measures that legally restrict others from doing anything the license permits.
