The Qur’anic Normative Approach to Human Intervention in the Environment

The Qur’anic Normative Approach to Human Intervention in the Environment

Document Type : Original Article

Abstract

Environmental crises are among the most pressing contemporary challenges, stemming largely from extensive human intervention in the natural world. Population growth, industrial development, and the desire to dominate nature have led to the overexploitation of natural resources, posing serious threats to the sustainability of life on Earth. The Holy Qur’an, as a comprehensive guide for humanity, offers principles and frameworks for responsible conduct toward creation. Examining the Qur’an’s perspective on human interaction with the environment provides critical insights for fostering a sustainable and harmonious relationship with nature. This study employs hierarchical (agglomerative) clustering to investigate the central question: Does the Qur’an permit human intervention in natural processes, or does it restrict such actions through specific conditions and limits? A thorough survey identified 192 verses directly or indirectly related to human interaction with the environment, which were categorized into 32 key concepts. These concepts were grouped into nine primary clusters based on semantic relationships, with closely related clusters further merged to form a top-level category labeled “Intervention.” Accordingly, the verses were classified into three categories: (1) those indicating the permissibility of human intervention in the environment, (2) those indicating prohibition, and (3) those affirming the permissibility of human use of natural resources and phenomena. The findings show that 132 verses support responsible human use of nature, 69 verses denote prohibition of intervention, 18 indicate conditional human intervention, and 16 refer to absolute divine intervention in nature.

Keywords

Holy Quran

environment

intervention

corruption on earth (fasād fi al-arḍ)

hierarchical clustering

Subjects