Ecocritical Reading in the Qur’an: An Analysis of the Concept of Corruption and Its Ecological Ethical Implications
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.30762/qof.v10i1.3679Keywords:
ecocriticism, fasād fī al-arḍ, ecological ethics, Islamic ecology, interdisciplinary Qur’anic studiesAbstract
This study examines the meaning structure and ecological ethical implications of fasād in QS. al-Rūm [30]:41 and QS. al-Baqarah [2]:205 through a qualitative textual approach that combines thematic interpretation and ecocritical reading. The analysis focuses on the lexical and exegetical meanings of fasād, the subject of responsibility, the object of destruction, the spatial scope of damage, and the relation between human conduct and its consequences. The study finds that QS. al-Rūm [30]:41 presents fasād as a visible consequence of collective human action in the domains of land and sea, while QS. al-Baqarah [2]:205 presents fasād through the destructive conduct of a particular actor who damages crops and the continuity of life. These differences indicate distinct textual emphases between collective ecological consequence and actor-centered destructive action, without implying that the Qur'an constructs rigid ecological models. Based on these findings, this study formulates three analytical orientations for Qur'anic ecocritical reading: ecological relationality, the manifestation of ecological consequence within creation, and theological responsibility. This framework does not attribute autonomous agency to nature or impose modern ecological theory upon the Qur'anic text. It uses ecocritical sensitivity under the semantic and theological control of tafsīr. The study contributes to Qur'anic ecological discourse by clarifying how ecological ethics can be derived from textual indications of fasād while acknowledging the epistemological limits of applying ecocriticism to revelatory texts.
Downloads
References
Abdulmatin, Ammar, and Ahmad Nurrohim. “Dialectics of Fasad and Musibah in the Qur’an as Ethical Framework for Anthropogenic Damage. Al-Afkar, Journal For Islamic Studies 9, no. 2 (2026): 2321–40.
Abolfotoh, Inas Samy. “Are Humanities Heading for Extinction? Analysis of Anthropocene Ecocriticism, Geo-Ecocriticism, and Islamecocriticism.” FITRAH: Jurnal Kajian Ilmu-Ilmu Keislaman 9, no. 1 (2023): 101–20.
Abolfotoh, Inas Samy. "Islamecocriticism: Green Islam Introduced to Ecocriticism." ISLE: Interdisciplinary Studies in Literature and Environment 28, no. 4 (December 2021): 1371–90. https://doi.org/10.1093/isle/isaa139.
Afifudin, Ridho, and Ibnu Hajar Ansori. Tafsir Ekologi: Wahyu, Alam, Kesadaran Kosmik. Edited by Saiful Mujab. Kediri: Perkumpulan Akademi Pesantren Nusantara, 2026.
Akram, Abdullah, Sufian Suri, Wakhdah Faaqih, and Andri Nirwana AN. “Damage on Earth in the Qur’an: A Study of Thematic Interpretations in Anwar Al Tanzil’s Interpretation by Al Baidhawi.” Al-Afkar, Journal For Islamic Studies 7, no. 2 (2024): 644–58.
Alam, Shahbaz. “Reimagining the Humanities: Interdisciplinary Approaches to Emerging Trends.” Journal of Emerging Trends in Social Sciences and Humanities 1, no. 2 (2023): 39–47.
Ali, Muhamed, and Muaz Agushi. “Eco-Islam: Integrating Islamic Ethics into Environmental Policy for Sustainable Living.” International Journal of Religion 5, no. 9 (2024): 949–57.
Al Rasyid, Muhammad Raihan, and Muhammad Muchtar. "Reactualizing Qur’anic Environmental Ethics for Sustainable Urban River Management." QiST: Journal of Quran and Tafseer Studies 5, no. 1 (2026): 99–120.
Azhari, Hilma Nurlaila, and Wildan Taufiq. “The Message of Ecological Balance in the Story of Prophet Saleh and Prophet Sulaiman in the Al-Qur’an.” Mashadiruna Jurnal Ilmu Al-Qurân Dan Tafsir 4, no. 1 (2025): 49–58.
Bushnell, Kelly P. "Oceans.” Victorian Literature and Culture 46, no. 3/4 (2018): 788–91.
Buell, Lawrence. “Ecocriticism: Some Emerging Trends.” Qui Parle: Critical Humanities and Social Sciences 19, no. 2 (2011): 87–115.
Chursinova, Oksana, Viktor Petrushenko, and Oksana Petrushenko. “The Ontological Approach In Ecological Theology.” European Journal Of Science And Theology, 2025, 31–44.
Curato, Nicole, Chalaye Pierrick, Wendy Conway-Lamb, Kari De Pryck, Stephen Elstub, Azucena Morán, Daniel Oppold, Javier Romero Muñoz, Melisa Ross, and Emerson Sanchez. Global Assembly on the Climate and Ecological Crisis: Evaluation Report. 2023.
Diman, Hasbullah. "Model Tafsir Ayat-Ayat Ekologis Menurut Ulama Tafsir Kontemporer di Era Digital." Jurnal Sosial Teknologi 5, no. 11 (2025): 4150–61.
Esdarwati, Susila. “The Concept of the Prohibition Against Corruption (lā tufsidu fī al-ard) in the Quran and Its Implementation in Modern Environmental Regulations.” KnE Social Sciences 10, no. 26 (2025): 606–13.
Gani, Fahima, Nila Khoiru Amaliya, and Achmad Dardirie. “Ecological Interpretation: Analysis of Qur’anic Verses on the Environment from a Contemporary Interpretation Perspective.” Golden Ratio of Mapping Idea and Literature Format 5, no. 2 (2025): 113–17.
Goodbody, Axel, and Catherine E Rigby. Ecocritical Theory: New European Approaches. University of Virginia Press, 2011.
Gudmanian, Artur, Liubov Drotianko, Oksana Shostak, Hanna Kleshnia, and Serhii Ordenov. “Transformation of Ecological Consciousness in the Process of Solving Global Ecological Problems.” 175 (2020): 14017.
Gulzar, Aadil, Tajamul Islam, Maroof Hamid, and Shiekh Marifatul Haq. “Environmental Ethics towards the Sustainable Development in Islamic Perspective: A Brief Review.” Ethnobotany Research and Applications 22 (2021): 1–10.
Hacohen-Bick, Tafat. “Ecocriticism, Theology, and the Environment in Haviva Pedaya’s The Eye of the Cat.” Worldviews 26, nos. 1–2 (2021): 5–28.
Afifudin, Ridho, and Ibnu Hajar Ansori. Tafsir Ekologi: Wahyu, Alam, Kesadaran Kosmik. Edited by Saiful Mujab. Kediri: Perkumpulan Akademi Pesantren Nusantara, 2026.
Hanik, Umi, Ibnu Hajar Ansori, and A Zahid A Zahid. “PEMAHAMAN HADIS KONSERVASI LINGKUNGAN DAN INTERNALISASINYA PADA CIVITAS AKADEMIKA PROGRAM STUDI ILMU HADIS IAIN KEDIRI.” Asketik 5, no. 1 (July 31, 2021): 59–69. https://doi.org/10.30762/ask.v5i1.2554
Hidayani, Vini, Alung Alung, and Riandry Fadilah Nasution. “Land and Legacy: Investigating Horizontal Conflicts in the Short Story" Dataran Melengen" through Postcolonial Ecocriticism Framework.” Poetika: Jurnal Ilmu Sastra 12, no. 2 (2024): 109–21.
Imanaka, Jessica Ludescher. “From Biopolitics to Ecopolitics: A Philosophical Framework for Geopolitics.” In Eco-Politics and Global Climate Change, 1–24. Springer, 2024.
Kamali, Mohammad Hashim. “Islam and the Environment: An Examination of the Source Evidence.” 2016, 171–92.
Kholida, Imas Nur, and Yusuf Rahman. "Ecological Interpretation and the Destruction of the Earth: A Study of tafsīr Wa Khawāṭir al-Imām Mutawalli al-Sha'rāwī." In Towards Resilient Societies: The Synergy of Religion, Education, Health, Science, and Technology, 197–204. CRC Press, 2026.
Koláček, Jakub. Islam and Ecological Crisis: Modern Islamic Environmental Discourses. 2024.
Lombardo, Thomas. “Multidisciplinary and Interdisciplinary Approaches to Futures Education.” Journal of Future Studies 14, no. 4 (2010): 121–34.
Marijnen, Esther, Lotje De Vries, and Rosaleen Duffy. “Conservation in Violent Environments: Introduction to a Special Issue on the Political Ecology of Conservation amidst Violent Conflict.” Political Geography 87 (2021).
MARKOVIĆ, Darko M, Željko BJELAJAC, and Boro MERDOVIĆ. “Ecological Awareness and Ecological Security in the Function of Ensuring Environmental Sustainability.” Revista Universitară de Sociologie, no. 1 (2024).
Mishra, Sandip Kumar. “Ecocriticism: A Study of Environmental Issues in Literature.” BRICS Journal of Educational Research 6, no. 4 (2016): 168–70.
Moge, Romi, and Achmad Abubakar. “Ecological Education in the Perspective of the Qur’an: Islamic Solutions to Environmental Crisis and Climate Change.” Irfani 21, no. 3 (2025): 1111–26.
Renger, Almut-Barbara, Juliane Stork, and Philipp Öhlmann. “Religion and Ecology: Perspectives on Environment and Sustainability across Religious Traditions.” Religion and Development 2, no. 3 (2024): 339–50.
Sari, Retno Dewi Pulung, I Nyoman Nurjaya, Dhiana Puspitawati, and Sequito Monteiro. “State Financial Losses as a Result of Environmental Damage.” Journal of Human Rights, Culture and Legal System 4, no. 1 (2024): 121–48.
Schell, Christopher J, Karen Dyson, Tracy L Fuentes, Simone Des Roches, Nyeema C Harris, Danica Sterud Miller, Cleo A Woelfle-Erskine, and Max R Lambert. “The Ecological and Evolutionary Consequences of Systemic Racism in Urban Environments.” Science 369, no. 6510 (2020): eaay4497.
Shaw, Vanita. “An Ecocritical and Intersectional Exploration of Human and Non-Human Vulnerability.” Journal of the English Literator Society 11, no. 6 (2025): 67–75.
Tait, Adrian. "Ecocriticism (s) and Victorian Fiction: A Review Essay." Dickens Studies Annual: Essays on Victorian Fiction 52, no. 1 (2021): 103–37.
Tajane, Suchitra Sharad. “Ecocriticism in Literature: Examining Nature and the Environment in Literary Works.” Educational Administration: Theory And Practice, 30 (6), 2162-2168. Doi: 10 (2024).
Walker, Peter A. “Political Ecology: Where Is the Ecology?” Progress in Human Geography 29, no. 1 (2005): 73–82.
Yadav, Chesta, and Jyotsna Sinha. “Exploring the Evolution of Ecocriticism: A Bibliometric Study and Literature Review.” Multidisciplinary Reviews 7, no. 12 (2024): 2024304–2024304.
Yuliawati, Tita, Muhammad Alif Fathullah Azhar, Ilzam Hubby Dzikrillah Alfani, Mukhsin Mukhsin, and Asya Dwina Luthfia. "Revealing the Concept of Mother Earth in the Qur'an: A Thematic tafsīr Study and Its Theological and Practical Implications." PERADA 8, no. 1 (2025).
Zein, Achyar, Nawir Yuslem, and Khoiruddin Hasibuan. “Qur’anic Sociopreneurship Conception Through Interpretation of QS Al-Rūm/30: 33-42.” AL QUDS: Jurnal Studi Alquran Dan Hadis 6, no. 2 (2022): 821–42.
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Muhammad Amirul Huda, Abdul Mufid, Naila Intania
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
The use of the articles will be governed by the Creative Commons Attribution license as currently displayed on Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
