Internalizing Tawhid, Khalifah, and Amanah as the Foundations of Eco-Theology in Elementary Education

Bangkit Adi Saputra* -  Universitas Islam Negeri Sunan Kalijaga Yogyakarta, Indonesia

Abstract


The global environmental crisis necessitates a fundamental reorientation of humanity's relationship with nature. Islamic education harbors profound ecological wisdom within three core values, tawhid (divine unity), khalifah (vicegerency), and amanah (sacred trust. Which together form a robust theo-ecological framework. Yet their systematic integration into elementary education remains underexplored. Using a qualitative descriptive library research approach, this study reviewed primary Islamic sources, classical and contemporary scholarship, and scientific literature on eco-theology and environmental education. Findings reveal that tawhid grounds ecological responsibility in divine unity; khalifah positions humans as stewards rather than exploiters of the earth; and amanah frames environmental care as a sacred obligation. Collectively, these values cultivate ecologically conscious, spiritually grounded, and ethically responsible students. The study proposes an integrative framework mapping cognitive, affective, and psychomotor domains against each value, offering a practical blueprint for embedding sustainable ecological stewardship into elementary curricula and school culture from an early age.

Keywords


Eco-Theology; Tawhid; Khalifah; Amanah; Elementary Education

Full Text:

PDF

References


al-Dīn, M. Y. I. (2000). The Environmental Dimensions of Islam. Lutterworth Press. https://books.google.co.id/books?id=AL5qbA9lytMC

Bandura, A. (1977). Social Learning Theory. Prentice Hall. https://books.google.co.id/books?id=IXvuAAAAMAAJ

Bogdan, R., & Biklen, S. K. (2007). Qualitative Research for Education: An Introduction to Theories and Methods. Pearson A & B. https://books.google.co.id/books?id=HSMiAQAAIAAJ

Calvin, K., Dasgupta, D., Krinner, G., Mukherji, A., Thorne, P. W., Trisos, C., Romero, J., Aldunce, P., Barrett, K., Blanco, G., Cheung, W. W. L., Connors, S., Denton, F., Diongue-Niang, A., Dodman, D., Garschagen, M., Geden, O., Hayward, B., Jones, C., … Ha, M. (with Lee, H.). (2023). Climate Change 2023: Synthesis Report (P. Arias, M. Bustamante, I. Elgizouli, G. Flato, M. Howden, C. Méndez-Vallejo, J. J. Pereira, R. Pichs-Madruga, S. K. Rose, Y. Saheb, R. Sánchez Rodríguez, D. Ürge-Vorsatz, C. Xiao, N. Yassaa, J. Romero, J. Kim, E. F. Haites, Y. Jung, R. Stavins, … C. Péan, Eds.; First). Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). https://doi.org/10.59327/IPCC/AR6-9789291691647

Chawla, L. (1999). Life Paths Into Effective Environmental Action. The Journal of Environmental Education, 31(1), 15–26. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1080/00958969909598628

Creswell, J. W. (2009). Research Design Qualitative, Quantitative, and Mixed Methods Approaches: 3rd ed. SAGE Publications Inc.

Deane-Drummond, C. (2008). Eco-Theology (1 ed). Saint Mary’s Press. www.indexing.co.uk

Foltz, R. C. (2003). Worldviews, religion, and the environment: A global anthology. WADSWORTH CENGAGE Learning. https://archive.org/details/worldviewsreligi0000unse/page/n5/mode/1up

Gardner, G. T. (2006). Inspiring Progress: Religions’ Contributions to Sustainable Development. Norton. https://books.google.co.id/books?id=lgzFQgAACAAJ

Gottlieb, R. S. (2006). A Greener Faith Religious Environmentalism and Our Planet’s Future. Oxford University Press. https://global.oup.com/academic/product/a-greener-faith-9780195176483?cc=id〈=en&

Immordino-Yang, M. H. (with Damasio, A., & Gardner, H.). (2015). Emotions, Learning, and the Brain: Exploring the Educational Implications of Affective Neuroscience. W. W. Norton. https://books.google.co.id/books?id=_M5PCgAAQBAJ

Jenkins, W. (2008). Ecologies of Grace: Environmental Ethics and Christian Theology. Oxford University Press. https://books.google.at/books?id=4uio8fCYZw0C

Khalid, F. M., & O’Brien, J. (1992). Islam and Ecology. Cassell. https://books.google.co.id/books?id=Kr4lAQAAMAAJ

Kohlberg, L. (1981). The Philosophy of Moral Development: Moral Stages and the Idea of Justice. Harper & Row. https://books.google.co.id/books?id=Deh-AAAAMAAJ

Kopnina, H. (2020). Education for the future? Critical evaluation of education for sustainable development goals. The Journal of Environmental Education, 51(4), 280–291. https://doi.org/10.1080/00958964.2019.1710444

Krippendorff, K. (2004). Content Analysis: An Introduction to Its Methodology. Sage. https://books.google.co.id/books?id=q657o3M3C8cC

Lickona, T. (1992). Educating for Character: How Our Schools Can Teach Respect and Responsibility. Bantam. https://books.google.co.id/books?id=Cx0nJf7KZAcC

Mappanyompa, Sahwan, Saprun, & Palahuddin. (2023). Eco-Theology Dalam Persepektif Al-Qur’an. Ibtida’iy : Jurnal Prodi PGMI, 8(1), 33. https://doi.org/10.31764/ibtidaiy.v8i1.14904

Matin, I. A. (2010). Green Deen: What Islam Teaches about Protecting the Planet. Berrett-Koehler Publishers. https://books.google.co.id/books/about/Green_Deen.html?id=7QJz_x0jiGcC&redir_esc=y

Miles, M. B., Huberman, A. M., & Saldana, J. (2013). Qualitative Data Analysis: A Methods Sourcebook. SAGE Publications. https://books.google.co.id/books?id=p0wXBAAAQBAJ

Miller, J. P. (with Cajete, G.). (2019). The Holistic Curriculum. University of Toronto Press. https://books.google.co.id/books?id=HSyCwAEACAAJ

Muflihin, Z. (2026). Integrasi Konsep Khalīfah Fī Al-Arḍ Dalam Pendidikan Agama Islam Sebagai Basis Ekopedagogi. ABDUSSALAM: Jurnal Pendidikan dan Kebudayaan Islam, 2(1).

Muhaimin. (2011). Pemikiran dan aktualisasi pengembangan pendidikan Islam. Rajawali Pers. https://books.google.co.id/books?id=2edAtwAACAAJ

Naess, A. (2008). The shallow and the deep, long‐range ecology movement. A summary. Inquiry, 16(1). https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1080/00201747308601682

Naṣr, Ḥusain. (1996). Religion & The Order of Nature (1st ed.). Oxford University Press. https://traditionalhikma.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/Religion-and-the-Order-of-Nature.pdf

Nurochman, Ali, M., & Hadi, N. (2026). Implementasi Pendidikan Ekoteologi Melalui Habituasi di Madrasah Ibtidaiyyah. Action Research Journal Indonesia (ARJI), 8(1), 205–216.

Orr, D. W. (1991). Ecological Literacy: Education and the Transition to a Postmodern World. State University of New York Press. https://books.google.co.id/books?id=lQRnIlKYm7wC

Piaget, J. (1964). Cognitive Development in Children: Development and Learning. Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 2, 176–186. https://doi.org/http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/tea.3660020306

Rahayu, P. & Supriyanti. (2026). The Role of Islamic Education in Building Environmental Awareness (Eco-Theology). JISEI: Journal of Islamic Studies and Educational Innovation, 2(1), 526–536.

Sobel, D. (with Orion Society). (2004). Place-based Education: Connecting Classrooms & Communities (2 Ed). Orion Society. https://books.google.co.id/books?id=jm1xAAAACAAJ

Steg, L., & Vlek, C. (2009). Encouraging pro-environmental behaviour: An integrative review and research agenda. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 29(3), 309–317. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvp.2008.10.004

Sterling, S. (Ed.). (2024). Transformative learning and sustainability: Sketching the conceptual ground (2011). In Learning and Sustainability in Dangerous Times: The Stephen Sterling Reader (pp. 149–162). Agenda Publishing. Cambridge Core. https://doi.org/10.1017/9781788216920.011

Vella, N. K. S., & Ahmad Rizal, D. (2024). Ekoteologi dalam Pemikiran Seyyed Hossein Nasr dan Relasi Agama-Masyarakat. Al-I’timad: Jurnal Dakwah dan Pengembangan Masyarakat Islam, 2(2), 155–170. https://doi.org/10.35878/alitimad.v2i2.1320

Weiss, E. B. (1989). In fairness to future generations: International law, common patrimony, and intergenerational equity. Transnational Publishers.

White, L. (1967). The Historical Roots of Our Ecologic Crisis. Science, 155(3767), 1203–1207. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.155.3767.1203

WWF. (2022). Living planet report: Building a nature-positive society. CBS Library.

Zed, M. (2008). Metode Penelitian Kepustakaan. Yayasan Pustaka Obor Indonesia. https://books.google.co.id/books?id=zG9sDAAAQBAJ




DOI: https://doi.org/10.24952/shibyana.v1i2.19782

Refbacks

  • There are currently no refbacks.


Copyright (c) 2026 Bangkit Adi Saputra

Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

Editorial Office:

Pascasarjana UIN Syekh Ali Hasan Ahmad Addary Padangsidimpuan; Jl. T. Rizal Nurdin Km. 4,5 Sihitang 22733 Padangsidimpuan, North Sumatera, Indonesian.Phone: (+62) 634 22080 Faximili: (+62) 634 24022 email: shibyana@uinsyahada.ac.id

Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License