Volume I: Eco-Theology, Spirituality, and Environmental Ethics

The Eco-Ethics of Pantang Larang: Traditional Malay Taboos as Social Manifestations of Islamic Environmental Jurisprudence

  • Ainul Asyraf Lokman Universiti Malaya, Malaysia
  • Mohd Fikri Mohamad Bakri Universiti Malaya, Malaysia

Keywords

Pantang Larang, Fiqh al-Bi'ah, Islamic Eco-Theology, Legal Pluralism, Decolonial Conservation, Nusantara Cultural Ecology.

Abstract

This article examines the interface between traditional Malay environmental taboos (pantang larang) and the normative principles of Islamic environmental jurisprudence (fiqh al-bi’ah). Amidst the multi-faceted ecological crises of the Anthropocene, dominant Western-centric, technocratic, and market-driven conservation models frequently falter due to their mechanistic ontologies that reduce nature to a commodified resource. In response, this study explores the post-secular and decolonial reclamation of indigenous and faith-based conservation epistemologies in Southeast Asia. Through a qualitative, conceptual, and hermeneutic analysis of classical Malay cultural texts, ethnographic records, and Islamic theological frameworks, this article argues that pantang larang is not an archaic system of animistic superstition, but rather a highly sophisticated, localized, and vernacularized manifestation of Islamic eco-theology. Following the historical Islamization of the Malay- Indonesian Archipelago, pre-existing cultural customs were systematically purified of polytheistic elements (shirk) and anchored within a monotheistic worldview (Tawḥīd). This integration was facilitated by the classical legal maxim $text{al-`ādah al-muḥakkamah}$ (custom is an arbiter), effectively canonizing ecological protection. By mapping specific taboos—such as sanctuary forest prohibitions (hutan larangan), domestic consumption restraints (nasi menangis), seasonal marine harvesting bans (pantang larang laut), and interspecies linguistic respect (Pak Belang)—to corresponding Islamic jurisprudential principles (Mīzān, Amānah, Lā dharar wa lā dhirār, and Tasbīḥ), this paper demonstrates how local customary law (adat) harmonizes with divine law (syarak). The article concludes that this vernacularized synthesis provides a resilient, grassroots-level framework for modern environmental policy, conservation governance, and psychological resilience against climate anxiety in the Nusantara.

References

  1. Al-Attas, S. M. N. (1978). Islam and Secularism. Kuala Lumpur: Muslim Youth Movement of Malaysia (ABIM).
  2. Al-Attas, S. M. N. (1995). Prolegomena to the Metaphysics of Islam: An Exposition of the Fundamental Elements of the Worldview of Islam. Kuala Lumpur: International Institute of Islamic Thought and Civilization (ISTAC).
  3. Al-Shatibi, A. I. (1996). Al-Muwafaqat fi Usul al-Shariah. Cairo: Dar Ibn Affan.
  4. Clements, G. R., et al. (2015). Malaysian state issues 'fatwa' against wildlife poaching. National Geographic Special Investigations Unit, 16-18.
  5. Effendy, T. (2004). Tunjuk Ajar Melayu: Butir-Butir Budaya Melayu Riau. Yogyakarta: Bali Kajian dan Pengembangan Budaya Melayu.
  6. Effendy, T. (2013). Tunjuk Ajar Melayu dalam Pantun, Gurindam, Seloka, Syair, dan Ungkapan. Riau: Tenas Effendy Foundation.
  7. Gari, L. (2006). A History of the Hima Conservation System. Environment and History, 12(2), 213-228.
  8. Hooker, M. B. (1975). Legal Pluralism: An Introduction to Colonial and Neo-Colonial Laws. Oxford: Clarendon Press.
  9. Hooker, M. B. (1978). Adat Law in Modern Indonesia. Kuala Lumpur: Oxford University Press.
  10. Khalid, F. M. (2019). Signs on the Earth: Islam, Modernity and the Climate Crisis. Leicester: Kube Publishing.
  11. Kling, Z. (1997). Adat Melayu. In A. L. A. Bakar & H. Hussin (Eds.), Adat Melayu dalam Jati Diri Bangsa. Melaka: Institut Seni Malaysia Melaka.
  12. Majelis Ulama Indonesia. (2014). Fatwa MUI No. 04/2014 tentang Pelestarian Satwa Langka untuk Menjaga Keseimbangan Ekosistem. Jakarta: MUI.
  13. Nasr, S. H. (1968). Man and Nature: The Spiritual Crisis of Modern Man. London: George Allen & Unwin.
  14. Nasr, S. H. (1996). Religion and the Order of Nature. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
  15. Skeat, W. W. (1900). Malay Magic: Being an Introduction to the Folklore and Popular Religion of the Malayan Peninsula. London: Macmillan and Co.
Scroll to Top