Ecological Protection Reasoning in Exegesis of Qur'an Verse Al-A'raf [7]: 56 in the Medieval Ages

Abstract

In line with the increasing ecological crisis, ecological themes occupy a top position in contemporary tafsir discourse. However, ecological interpretation turned out to have its own dynamics in the era of medieval mufassirs, although the spread and impact of the ecological crisis was not like the last decade. For example, the protection of nature in Q.S. Al-A'raf [7]: 56 is not understood singularly -even though medieval interpretations are considered problematic (fragmentary, ideological, less responsive). The author starts from two important questions: a) how is the ecological interpretation of Q.S. Al-A'raf [7]: 56 in the medieval era? b) how the hierarchical environmental ethics of the ecological interpretation of Q.S. Al-A'raf [7]: 56 in the middle era? This research is qualitative with the form of literature study. The focus of this research is on the sentence la tufsidu fi al-ardi in Q.S. Al-A'raf [7]: The author begins to classify the interpretation of the verse between the 9th century to the 14th century as primary data. Furthermore, the author analyzes interpretatively using Richard Sylvan and David Bennet's trilogy of environmental ethics. The findings in this study show that the meaning of the prohibition of destroying the earth is divided into three: anthropocentrism, ecocentrism and theocentrism. The dominance of the theocentric nature interpretation narrative shows that theological argumentation is still the main discourse, even though it discusses materialistic ecological issues. Damage to the earth is not considered as physical-material exploitation of nature, but spiritual damage as a result of human neglect of divine decrees.