Integration of Theology, Education, and Activism: Exploring Eco-Theological Discourse and Muhammadiyah's Environmental Engagement

Abstract

Environmental degradation and climate change represent defining ethical and theological challenges of the contemporary era, compelling faith communities across the globe to articulate grounded, religiously-informed responses to the unfolding ecological crisis. Within Islamic thought, classical doctrinal concepts—tauhid (divine oneness), khilafah (earth stewardship), and amanah (sacred trust)—have been subjected to sustained reinterpretation, giving rise to an emerging paradigm of Islamic ecology that frames environmental care as an intrinsic dimension of Muslim religiosity. This study critically examines how Muhammadiyah, one of the world’s largest Islamic civil society organizations, constructs and enacts its eco-theological discourse across three interrelated dimensions: theological foundations, educational praxis, and activist engagement. Employing an integrative literature review methodology combined with a thematic summary matrix, the study synthesizes peer-reviewed scholarship published between 2021 and 2024. The analysis reveals that Muhammadiyah extends the classical theology of al-Ma’un to encompass ecological justice, embeds environmental values within its extensive educational institutions—including schools, pesantren, and universities—and channels activism through legal advocacy, institutional fatwas, and community-based environmental campaigns. Collectively, these efforts position Muhammadiyah as a formidable moral force in Indonesia’s environmental governance landscape. The findings demonstrate a coherent, holistic, and potentially replicable model that integrates Islamic theology, transformative pedagogy, and civic action. The study also acknowledges notable limitations, including resource constraints within certain institutional settings and the absence of longitudinal empirical evaluation of the model’s long-term outcomes.