2024_05_15_KAICIID Global Dialogue Forum

An Islamic approach to “spiritual ecology”

“The principle of environmental stewardship, which lies at the heart of Islamic teachings, should not be abused to justify misguided policies that injure human beings”

~ H.E. KH. Yahya Cholil Staquf
General Chairman, Nahdlatul Ulama Central Board

His All Holiness Bartholomew I of Constantinople, Ecumenical Patriarch of the Eastern Orthodox Church, addressing the Opening Plenary of the KAICIID Forum in Lisbon

LISBON, Portugal — On 16 May 2024 Nahdlatul Ulama Chairman and Founder of the G20 Religion Forum (R20) KH. Yahya Cholil Staquf outlined key principles associated with the R20 Spiritual Ecology Movement before an audience of religious leaders, politicians, and environmental activists gathered for a three-day Global Dialogue Forum hosted by the King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz International Centre for Interreligious and Intercultural Dialogue (KAICIID).

KAICIID was established in 2012 by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the Republic of Austria, and the Kingdom of Spain, acting upon the joint initiative of Pope Benedict XVI and King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia. The Holy See is a founding observer.

Mr. Staquf shared an Islamic perspective on Spiritual Ecology, which inculcates respect for the environment among religious believers at a grassroots level by emphasizing humanity’s divine mandate to serve as stewards of God’s creation (khalifah fi-al-ardh).

The Nahdlatul Ulama Chairman contrasted this spiritual approach with the imposition of “top-down policies that create scarcity [and] may fuel an unbridled, zero-sum competition for power and resources,” thereby threatening humanity, the natural environment, and civilization itself.

Mr. Staquf’s prepared remarks — adapted for publication — may be read in full below.

H.E. KH. Yahya Cholil Staquf

Remarks on Spiritual Ecology Prepared in Response to Questions Posed by the KAICIID Global Dialogue Forum

Lisbon, Portugal
16 May 2024

Questions for H.E. KH. Yahya Cholil Staquf

1. As a Muslim scholar advocating for rahmah (universal love and compassion), how can Islamic teachings be interpreted to promote environmental protection and sustainability?

Thank you for your question.

When discussing a topic, the starting point for ulama (religious scholars) should be to ground the conversation in an Islamic perspective. This means that rather than seek to interpret Islam to reach a predetermined “right answer,” our focus should instead be on what Islam actually teaches about the matter in question.

Such a reorientation is fundamental, because it means that our discussion will originate from within the traditions of ahl al-sunnah wa-al-jama‘ah (Sunni Islam). This is essential in order to generate an approach to the issue of environmental protection that is both theologically valid and capable of mobilizing support from the world’s nearly 2 billion Muslims. An alien, secular, and largely materialistic ideology, originating in the West, is incapable of securing that support, even if we were to assume that the policy prescriptions associated with such an ideology are correct.

Fortunately, from an Islamic perspective as I understand it, environmental stewardship is a divine obligation central to human beings’ very presence on earth.

In Surat Al-Jathiyah, God says:

وَسَخَّرَ لَكُم مَّا فِى ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٰتِ وَمَا فِى ٱلْأَرْضِ جَمِيعًۭا مِّنْهُ ۚ إِنَّ فِى ذَٰلِكَ لَـَٔايَـٰتٍۢ لِّقَوْمٍۢ يَتَفَكَّرُونَ ١٣

“And He has made subservient to you, [as a gift] from Himself, all that is in the heavens and on earth: in this, behold, there are messages indeed for people who think!” (QS. 45:13).

In other words, everything on earth has been created by God for the benefit of humanity — and this fact contains within it a sacred purpose.

This sacred purpose is elaborated in verses 29 and 30 of Surat Al-Baqarah:

هُوَ ٱلَّذِى خَلَقَ لَكُم مَّا فِى ٱلْأَرْضِ جَمِيعًا ثُمَّ ٱسْتَوَىٰٓ إِلَى ٱلسَّمَآءِ فَسَوَّىٰهُنَّ سَبْعَ سَمَـٰوَٰتٍۢ ۚ وَهُوَ بِكُلِّ شَىْءٍ عَلِيمٌۭ ٢٩ وَإِذْ قَالَ رَبُّكَ لِلْمَلَـٰٓئِكَةِ إِنِّى جَاعِلٌۭ فِى ٱلْأَرْضِ خَلِيفَةًۭ ۖ قَالُوٓا۟ أَتَجْعَلُ فِيهَا مَن يُفْسِدُ فِيهَا وَيَسْفِكُ ٱلدِّمَآءَ وَنَحْنُ نُسَبِّحُ بِحَمْدِكَ وَنُقَدِّسُ لَكَ ۖ قَالَ إِنِّىٓ أَعْلَمُ مَا لَا تَعْلَمُونَ ٣٠

In these verses God tells the angels that all He has created is for the benefit of humanity, and He will appoint mankind as stewards of His creation. The Angels protest, saying “Will You place upon the earth one who causes corruption therein and sheds blood, while we exalt You with praise and declare Your perfection?” God replies that yes, He will, for “Verily, I know that which you do not know” (QS. 2:29-30).

As these verses make clear, God has given humanity a divine mandate to serve as His vicegerent on earth (khalifah fi-al-ardh). Although the environment has been created as a gift to mankind, this gift comes with a sacred obligation to use the environment wisely, in a way that betters both the human condition and that of all life on earth (rahmatan li al-‘alamin).

In Surat Al-A’raf, God says:

ٱدْعُوا۟ رَبَّكُمْ تَضَرُّعًا وَخُفْيَةً ۚ إِنَّهُۥ لَا يُحِبُّ ٱلْمُعْتَدِينَ ٥٥ وَلَا تُفْسِدُوا۟ فِى ٱلْأَرْضِ بَعْدَ إِصْلَـٰحِهَا وَٱدْعُوهُ خَوْفًا وَطَمَعًا ۚ إِنَّ رَحْمَتَ ٱللَّهِ قَرِيبٌۭ مِّنَ ٱلْمُحْسِنِينَ ٥٦

“Call unto your Sustainer humbly, and in the secrecy of your hearts. Verily, He loves not those who transgress the bounds of what is right: (7:56) hence, do not spread corruption on earth after it has been so well ordered. And call unto Him with fear and longing: verily, God’s grace is ever near unto the doers of good!” (QS. 7:55 – 56).

From this verse, we can see that God commands humanity to act in our own best interests by tending to His creation, and thereby ensuring the welfare and betterment of all living things. This is the principle of Islam rahmatan li al-‘alamin, expressed in verse 107 of Surat Al-Anbiya’.

وَمَآ أَرْسَلْنَـٰكَ إِلَّا رَحْمَةًۭ لِّلْعَـٰلَمِينَ ١٠٧

In this verse, God states that He did not send the Prophet Muhammad (saw.) for any purpose other than to manifest His infinite love and compassion for all creation (QS. 21:107).

Thus, from an Islamic perspective, environmental protection is integral to our religious duty to foster the well-being of humanity and creation as a whole. Ultimately, the promotion of human welfare lies at the very heart of our divine mandate, to serve as God’s vicegerents on earth. Efforts to protect the environment should always be evaluated in light of their probable impact upon actual human beings.

In other words: environmental policies that are detrimental to the well-being of humanity violate the divine order. For this very reason, such policies will fail to achieve their stated objectives. In the long term, they will neither protect humanity nor the environment itself.

2. In your role as the General Chairman of Nahdlatul Ulama, how do you recommend encouraging and engaging Muslim communities to actively participate in environmental conservation efforts, and how do you recommend encouraging and engaging Muslim and non-Muslim communities together to actively participate in environmental conservation efforts?

As I explained earlier, for Muslims it is imperative that environmental conservation efforts originate in Islamic teaching and an Islamic worldview. If this is done, then Muslim communities will actively and spontaneously participate in these efforts, as by doing so they will be fulfilling their sacred obligation to act as God’s vicegerents on earth (khalifah fi-al-ardh).

This religiously grounded approach lies at the heart of the Spiritual Ecology Movement launched by Nahdlatul Ulama’s Institute of Indonesian Muslim Cultural Artists (Lesbumi) in Bali, just prior to the G20 Religion Forum, or R20, held in conjunction with Indonesia’s 2022 G20 Presidency, and with the full support of the Indonesian Government.

The R20 Spiritual Ecology Movement was inaugurated with a multi-religious tree-planting ceremony held at Puja Mandala, a religious complex consisting of five houses of worship built side-by-side, including a Hindu temple, a mosque, Protestant and Catholic churches, and a Buddhist vihara.

Those present at the launch included H.E. Shaykh Mohammad bin Abdulkarim Al-Issa, Secretary General of the Muslim World League, and Mahamahopadhyay Bhadreshdas Swami, an ordained monk and scholar who is part of a Hindu movement with millions of devotees worldwide.

Spiritual Ecology is the focus of one of the R20’s seven working groups, which network like-minded religious leaders, scholars, and organizations world-wide. Its aim is to re-enliven ancient “wisdom traditions” that are essential to respecting and preserving the environment in a holistic manner that fosters balance within nature and society.

3. How can the principles of rahmah and universal love and compassion be integrated into policymaking and governance to address ecological crises? And in your expert opinion, would you consider that initiatives promoting such principles, for long term effect, would be more sustainable and successful at the grassroots level or policy making level?

The most effective way to integrate rahmah (universal love and compassion) into ecological policymaking and governance would be to follow the guidance set forth in the Qur’an and Sunnah, including Islamic teachings about justice.

In Surat Al-Ma’idah, God says:

يَـٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ كُونُوا۟ قَوَّٰمِينَ لِلَّهِ شُهَدَآءَ بِٱلْقِسْطِ ۖ وَلَا يَجْرِمَنَّكُمْ شَنَـَٔانُ قَوْمٍ عَلَىٰٓ أَلَّا تَعْدِلُوا۟ ۚ ٱعْدِلُوا۟ هُوَ أَقْرَبُ لِلتَّقْوَىٰ ۖ وَٱتَّقُوا۟ ٱللَّهَ ۚ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ خَبِيرٌۢ بِمَا تَعْمَلُونَ ٨

“O YOU who have attained to faith! Be ever steadfast in your devotion to God, bearing witness to the truth in all equity; and never let hatred of anyone lead you into the sin of deviating from justice. Be just: this is closest to being God-conscious. And remain conscious of God: verily, God is aware of all that you do” (QS. 5:8).

From the perspective of Islam, those who are God-conscious (taqwa) will naturally behave in a just manner, for this is a sacred responsibility incumbent upon every human being. Conversely, when societies are rife with injustice, people are unlikely to care for their fellow human beings, or the natural world, in a responsible and sustainable manner. In Surat Al-Baqarah, God says:

أَيَوَدُّ أَحَدُكُمْ أَن تَكُونَ لَهُۥ جَنَّةٌۭ مِّن نَّخِيلٍۢ وَأَعْنَابٍۢ تَجْرِى مِن تَحْتِهَا ٱلْأَنْهَـٰرُ لَهُۥ فِيهَا مِن كُلِّ ٱلثَّمَرَٰتِ وَأَصَابَهُ ٱلْكِبَرُ وَلَهُۥ ذُرِّيَّةٌۭ ضُعَفَآءُ فَأَصَابَهَآ إِعْصَارٌۭ فِيهِ نَارٌۭ فَٱحْتَرَقَتْ ۗ كَذَٰلِكَ يُبَيِّنُ ٱللَّهُ لَكُمُ ٱلْـَٔايَـٰتِ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَتَفَكَّرُونَ ٢٦٦

“Would any of you like to have a garden of date-palms and vines, through which running waters flow, and have all manner of fruit therein — and then be overtaken by old age, with only weak children to [look after] him — and then [see] it smitten by a fiery whirlwind and utterly scorched? In this way God makes clear His messages unto you, so that you might take thought” (QS. 2:266).

If, collectively, we cannot find a way to act as responsible stewards of God’s creation and manage its resources in a just, consensual, and equitable manner, any proposed solutions to the ecological crises facing humanity are likely to prove ineffective and short lived. In fact, societies attempting to implement misguided policies, masquerading as solutions, may find themselves “smitten by a fiery whirlwind and utterly scorched.”

At the heart of Spiritual Ecology are various foundational principles, including (1) avoid inflicting harm upon our fellow human beings; and (2) prior to implementing proposed solutions via government fiat, ensure that such policies are genuinely beneficial and sustainable long-term, for society and the environment alike.

It will be counter-productive if, in seeking to address one ecological crisis, we unleash conflicts that produce not only human suffering, but even greater environmental destruction.

Many of the world’s inhabitants depend on fossil fuels in their daily lives and to ensure a minimal level of economic well-being. Any strategy that seeks to resolve environmental problems by harming their interests will merely precipitate the bloodshed and chaos that Surat al-Baqarah warns of. We must devise environmental strategies that are fair, benefit everyone, and give people adequate time to adjust to any changes.

In practice, upholding our sacred responsibility to act as wise and just stewards, nurturing society and the environment alike, requires that we follow the principle of subsidiarity, with a primary focus upon transforming peoples’ awareness and encouraging action at a grassroots level, where actual problems occur.

Implementing controversial policies via government fiat inevitably provokes conflict, while amplifying the negative consequences of any mistaken policy assumptions. Radical, top-down prescriptions that do not account for the interests of those who lack wealth and power will simply destabilize societies and fuel armed conflict.

Indeed, top-down policies that create scarcity may fuel an unbridled, zero-sum competition for power and resources that — in an age of advanced military technology — threatens all life on earth and human civilization itself.

Responsible environmental stewardship, at a global level, requires building a broad-based consensus that extends from the grassroots of society to the corridors of state and institutional power. This is the objective of the G20 Religion Forum (R20) and its Spiritual Ecology Movement.

In the Qur’an, God draws an explicit connection between environmental stewardship and preventing bloodshed. Human welfare requires protecting the environment, and protecting the environment requires promoting human welfare. Any attempt to do one without the other is likely to end in catastrophic failure. This is why God makes it clear that human welfare is the focus of humanity’s divine mandate to serve as vicegerents, or stewards, of His creation (khalifah fi-al-ardh).

4. How can the ethical requirements of sacred ecology inspire a collective commitment to safeguard the environment and foster a more harmonious relationship with the Earth?

5. How can religious actors involved in dialogue, negotiations, and civil activism show a constructive path forward to protect our environment?

For people across the world to collectively commit to safeguarding the environment, a broad-based, global consensus is required that extends from the grassroots of society to the corridors of state and institutional power. As I have already underscored, building this consensus necessitates buy-in from religious believers, who constitute the single largest demographic within the human family — estimated to exceed 80% of the global population.

A more inclusive and religiously informed approach will help ensure that our solutions to environmental problems will be equitable, and genuinely serve the interests of humanity as a whole. This includes the roughly 2 billion people, or 24% of the world’s population, who live in precarious circumstances characterized by poverty, instability, and often violence.

Forging a durable, religiously grounded consensus concerning environmental stewardship is a major objective of the G20 Religion Forum (R20) Working Group 5 and its Spiritual Ecology Movement. We invite people of goodwill of every faith and nation to join us in this vital endeavor.

The interests of humanity and the natural world are closely intertwined. By striving to protect these interests, we are following the example of the Messenger of God (saw.), of whom the Noble Qur’an says:

وَمَا أَرْسَلْنَاكَ إِلَّا رَحْمَةً لِّلْعَالَمِينَ

“And [thus, O Prophet,] We have sent thee as [an evidence of Our] grace towards all the worlds.”
(21:107)