Saving the Earth Without Sacrificing God: The Paradox of Modern Ecotheology in Islamic Education

Abstract

The discourse of modern eco-theology is gaining strength globally as a response to the multidimensional environmental crisis. In certain contexts, eco-theology offers ecological awareness and has the potential to shift the focus of theology from divinity to an anthropocentric ecological stance. This study aims to analyse the paradox of modern eco-theology in Islamic education, particularly when efforts to save the earth risk sacrificing the principle of tawhid as the main foundation of Islamic teachings. Using a qualitative-descriptive approach through a critical literature review of contemporary eco-theology, educational philosophy, and primary Islamic sources (the Qur'an and hadith), this study examines how eco-theological narratives are adopted, reconstructed, and taught in Islamic education.

The results of the study indicate that some modern eco-theological concepts tend to place nature as a semi-sacred entity that has the potential to rival God's position in students' theological consciousness. This paradox arises when environmental education no longer departs from the paradigm of khilafah and divine mandate, but rather from secular ecological ethics that are detached from worship orientation. This study emphasises that Islam has a comprehensive ecological framework based on tawhid, adab, and the moral responsibility of humans as servants and caliphs on earth. Therefore, Islamic education needs to formulate an integrative environmental education model, in which ecological concern does not come at the expense of divine values, but rather becomes a manifestation of obedience to Allah. This research is expected to provide a conceptual contribution to the development of Islamic education oriented towards environmental sustainability without losing its theological foundation.