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

The Prohibition of Isrāf as a Foundation for Sustainable Economics: Integrating Maqāṣid al-Sharīʿah, Akhlāq, and Degrowth Theory

  • Sari Damayanti Shalahuddin Al-Ayyub Islamic Institute, Bekasi, Indonesia
  • Ahmad Hasan Ridwan UIN Sunan Gunung Djati Bandung, Indonesia
  • Sri Dewi Anggadini University of Computer Indonesia, Bandung, Indonesia

Keywords

Degrowth, Islamic economics, Isrāf, Maqāṣid al-Sharīʿah, sustainable development, Homo Islamicus, ecological stewardship, Islamic social finance, ecological overshoot, steady-state economy.

Abstract

This paper develops a comprehensive moral-ethical framework for sustainable development by integrating the Islamic prohibition of isrāf (excessiveness/wastefulness) and tabdhīr (squandering) with the contemporary degrowth paradigm. Through a systematic literature review of 40 scholarly works (2020–2026), including peer-reviewed journal articles, major monographs, and Middle Eastern institutional research, the study demonstrates that Islamic economic ethics—rooted in Maqāṣid al-Sharīʿah, the concept of khalīfah (stewardship), and the moral agency of Homo Islamicus—provides a robust theological and normative foundation for transitioning toward steady-state economies. The paper identifies three integrative pathways: (i) the ethical restriction of consumption through the internalization of isrāf prohibitions as a spiritual "moral brake" against consumerism, addressing the rebound effect that undermines technical efficiency improvements; (ii) the elevation of environmental preservation (ḥifdh al-bīʿah) to a primary Maqāṣid necessity (ḍarūriyyah), reconfiguring the hierarchy of Islamic legal objectives to reflect the urgency of ecological crises; and (iii) the operationalization of Islamic social finance instruments (zakāt, waqf, infāq) as vehicles for degrowth-compatible local economic resilience, ensuring societal well-being without requiring physical economic growth. The framework is discussed in relation to contemporary critiques of Islamic finance's growth-oriented trajectory, exposing the "paradox of growth versus impact" that characterizes the industry's current trajectory. The study offers practical recommendations for reorienting Islamic economics toward ecological sustainability and distributive justice, including regulatory reform, institutional reorientation, educational transformation, and grassroots mobilization. While the analysis is qualitative and context-sensitive, it indicates a plausible pathway for integrating Islamic moral reasoning and ecological accountability into contemporary economic governance.

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