Islamic Epistemology and SDGs: Environmental Text Audit Reveals Unspoken Alliance

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FORMOSA NEWS - Purwokerto – How do religious texts view the global environmental crisis? A comprehensive study released in 2026 reveals that Islamic environmental texts have undergone a significant epistemic shift, moving from purely textual approaches toward a demonstrative empirical science foundation.

This research was conducted by a team of academics from Universitas Islam Negeri Prof. K.H. Saifuddin Zuhri Purwokerto, consisting of Supriyanto, Kholid Mawardi, and Zein Muchamad Masykur. Published in the Formosa Journal of Multidisciplinary Research (FJMR) Vol. 5 No. 9, 2026, the study examines the knowledge architecture behind environmental fatwas and transnational declarations issued between 2014 and 2025. This audit serves as a crucial bridge connecting religious normative authority with global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) targets.

Background and Environmental Issue Relevance

In recent decades, religious communities have moved to the forefront of global environmental governance. In Indonesia—home to the world's largest Muslim population—the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) has pioneered the issuance of high-impact environmental fatwas, ranging from endangered species conservation and waste management to forest-burning bans and aquatic ecosystem protection.

Despite this, the internal structure and "ways of knowing" of these religious texts had not been systematically audited prior to this study. Understanding how religious scholars build legal legitimacy—whether purely through transmission texts, rational-scientific proof, or spiritual intuition—becomes vital for policymakers and environmental activists seeking to align conservation programs with religious rulings.

Research Methodology

To uncover this knowledge architecture, the research team from Universitas Islam Negeri Prof. K.H. Saifuddin Zuhri Purwokerto applied a directed content analysis method, adapting the tripartite epistemology framework of Moroccan philosopher Muhammad Abed al-Jabiri. This framework divides reasoning systems into three categories:

• Bayānī: Text- and transmission-based epistemology (Qur'anic verses, hadiths, fiqh maxims, and classical authorities).
• Burhānī: Demonstrative epistemology based on logic, empirical facts, causal reasoning, and scientific-technical sources.
• ’Irfānī: Intuitive epistemology based on spiritual purification, cosmological contemplation, and eschatological accountability.

The researchers codified 571 argumentative units from six primary normative documents published between 2014 and 2025, which include four national-level MUI fatwas and two transnational declaration texts (the 2015 Islamic Declaration on Global Climate Change and the 2024 Al-Mizan Covenant).

Key Research Findings

The epistemic audit conducted by Supriyanto, Kholid Mawardi, and Zein Muchamad Masykur highlights three major findings:

• The Demonstrative Shift in National Fatwas: The share of bayānī (textual) reasoning in MUI environmental fatwas experienced a monotonic decline from 69.5% in 2014 to 39.8% in 2025. Conversely, the share of burhānī (scientific-demonstrative) reasoning surged sharply from 30.5% to 59.1%. The 2025 waterways fatwa marked a historical milestone where scientific arguments regarding plastic pollution and water quality data dominated legal considerations.
• The Role of the Spiritual Approach ('Irfānī): Intuitive or spiritual reasoning was nearly absent in national fatwas (only 0–1.1%), but held a significant share in transnational texts like the Islamic Declaration on Global Climate Change (17.5%) and the Al-Mizan Covenant (12.1%) to awaken the public's moral motivation.
• The Unspoken Alliance with SDGs: The study found that all normative texts were substantively aligned with various SDG targets—such as health (SDG 3), clean water (SDG 6), responsible consumption (SDG 12), climate action (SDG 13), and terrestrial and marine life (SDGs 14 & 15)—though most did so latently without explicitly naming the SDGs, with the exception of the Al-Mizan Covenant, which openly named and endorsed the global agenda.

Implications and Real-World Impact for Society

These findings carry strategic implications for businesses, educational institutions, policymakers, and the wider public. With the proof that Indonesian religious fatwas increasingly integrate scientific data and official environmental statistics, these rulings can now be seamlessly paired with national development programs and SDG frameworks.

"Waste management is part of social worship (mu’āmalah). Therefore, every Muslim is obliged to keep rivers, lakes, and seas clean," reads an excerpt from MUI Fatwa No. 4/MUNAS XI/MUI/2025, blending Islamic legal status with ecological consciousness.

Through this integration, environmental policymakers can leverage religious infrastructure (such as eco-pesantren, environmental preachers, and Friday sermons) as strategic partners in educating the public based on valid scientific evidence.

Author Profiles

• Supriyanto – Lecturer and researcher at Universitas Islam Negeri Prof. K.H. Saifuddin Zuhri Purwokerto, specializing in Islamic thought and environmental studies.
• Kholid Mawardi – Academic and researcher at Universitas Islam Negeri Prof. K.H. Saifuddin Zuhri Purwokerto, expert in Islamic law and social philosophy.
• Zein Muchamad Masykur – Researcher at Universitas Islam Negeri Prof. K.H. Saifuddin Zuhri Purwokerto focusing on interdisciplinary Islamic studies and contemporary issues.

Research Sources

• Journal Article Title: When Bayān Speaks, Burhān Whispers, and ’Irfān Sleeps: An Al-Jabirian Epistemological Audit of Islamic Environmental Texts and Their Unspoken Alliance with the SDGs (2014–2025)
• Journal Name: Formosa Journal of Multidisciplinary Research (FJMR)
• Publication Year: 2026
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.55927/fjmr.v5i9.199