The Moral Ecology of Islamic Education: A Theory Informed Framework for Integrating Akhlaq, Diversity, and Ecology
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.33474/multikultural.v9i02.26134Keywords:
Akhlaq, Environmental Ethics, Islamic Education, Moral Ecology, Multicultural EducationAbstract
Islamic education is expected to form character, to sustain harmony across difference, and to cultivate responsibility toward a threatened natural world. Although its tradition binds these within a single relational order, schooling pursues them apart. This study examines how akhlaq (character), multiculturalism, and ecological ethics are conceptualized and integrated in Islamic education, and whether akhlaq can connect them. A framework systematic review using best fit framework synthesis searched Scopus, OpenAlex, and Crossref (the latter two to reach under indexed Indonesian Islamic education journals) for peer reviewed articles published 2010–2026; 69 studies were synthesized against four relations of Islamic moral ecology grounded in tawhid. The review identifies two comparatively developed bridges: akhlaq with ecology, via eco pesantren and the Adiwiyata programme, and akhlaq with multiculturalism, via the religious moderation agenda. The bridge between coexistence with different others and care for creation, by contrast, appears in one study, and only one integrates all three dimensions. Interpreting this pattern, the two bridged relations are precisely those carried out by a national programme, and much of the integration appears co-locational (two agendas sharing an institution) rather than dispositional, a single akhlaq expressed across relations. Synthesizing these findings, we advance a theoretical proposition rather than a direct review finding: akhlaq is best understood not as one domain of Islamic education but as its connective disposition, with rahmatan lil'alamin warranting the joining of care across human difference to care for creation. Its central contribution is mechanistic: how akhlaq connects relations as one disposition, not merely co locating educational programs.
References
Adiyono, A., & Sholeh, M. (2025). Can fiqh al-ijtimā'iyah redefine Islamic education in Indonesia? A PRISMA review of social values in curriculum reform (2017–2024). Australian Journal of Islamic Studies, 10(3), 1-26. https://doi.org/10.55831/ajis.v10i3.805
Ridho, A., Hafidurrahman, M., & Kholis, K. (2026). Akhlak and ethical competence in pesantren education: A scoping review and the ADK model. FIKROTUNA: Jurnal Pendidikan dan Manajemen Islam, 15(1), 279–309. https://doi.org/10.32806/jf.v15i01.1926
Anggraini, G., Syah, M., Nursobah, A., & Arifin, B. S. (2022). Integration of Islamic religion and character education with environmental education at Adiwiyata junior high school. Journal of Social Science, 3(2), 341–352. https://doi.org/10.46799/jss.v3i2.299
Baharun, H., & Ummah, R. (2018). Strengthening students' character in Akhlaq subject through problem-based learning model. Tadris: Jurnal Keguruan dan Ilmu Tarbiyah, 3(1), 21–30. https://doi.org/10.24042/tadris.v3i1.2205
Bahtiar, A., Rizal, S., Roisyah, H., & Angkananon, C. (2025). Integrating eco-Sufi values into environmental education through the Adiwiyata madrasah program. Journal of Islamic Education Research, 6(3), 261–274. https://doi.org/10.35719/jier.v6i3.486
Basri, S., Adnan, Y., Widiastuty, L., Asrul Syamsul, M., & Indar, I. (2024). Islamic environmental ethics: A cultural framework for sustainable resource management and global ecological stewardship. Diversity: Disease Preventive of Research Integrity, 5(2), 86–93. https://doi.org/10.24252/diversity.v5i2.52342
Bensaid, B., & Machouche, S. (2019). Muslim morality as foundation for social harmony. Journal of Al-Tamaddun, 14(2), 51–63. https://doi.org/10.22452/jat.vol14no2.5
Carroll, C., Booth, A., Leaviss, J., & Rick, J. (2013). "Best fit" framework synthesis: Refining the method. BMC Medical Research Methodology, 13, 1-14. https://doi.org/10.1186/1471-2288-13-37
Eyng, A. M., & Villas Boas, A. (2025). Intersections between the intercultural education ethos and the integral ecological ethics for the common home. Religions, 16(6), 1-27. https://doi.org/10.3390/rel16060668
Fadlilah, F., Chaniago, F., Farwati, S., Fitriani, S., & Takriyanti, R. (2026). Islamic value-based conflict management in pesantren: Strengthening dormitory culture and multicultural character formation. Munaddhomah: Jurnal Manajemen Pendidikan Islam, 7(2), 354–370. https://doi.org/10.31538/munaddhomah.v7i2.2589
Fahrudi, E. (2022). Pendidikan akhlakul karimah berbasis karakter melalui pendekatan teori ekologi Bronfenbrenner. PREMIERE: Journal of Islamic Elementary Education, 3(2), 37–53. https://doi.org/10.51675/jp.v3i2.184
Fauyan, M., Efendi, A., Wahyono, S. B., Sugito, S., & Kholis, N. (2026). Shaping balanced minds: Exploring the integration of religious moderation in Indonesian elementary education. Jurnal Ilmiah Peuradeun, 14(1), 223–248. https://doi.org/10.26811/peuradeun.v14i1.1213
Firdaus, S. A., & Suwendi, S. (2025). Fostering social harmony: The impact of Islamic character education in multicultural societies. AL-ISHLAH: Jurnal Pendidikan, 17(1), 942–955. https://doi.org/10.35445/alishlah.v17i1.6579
Futaqi, S. (2020). Pesantren menembus batas: Studi kapital spiritual-multikultural Pesantren Al-Qodir dalam membentuk santri multikulturalis. Pendidikan Multikultural, 4(1), 45. https://doi.org/10.33474/multikultural.v4i1.6715
Gade, A. M. (2012). Tradition and sentiment in Indonesian environmental Islam. Worldviews: Global Religions, Culture, and Ecology, 16(3), 263–285. https://doi.org/10.1163/15685357-01603005
Hafida, N., & Wahid, A. H. (2018). Developing environmental care and cultural awareness among students in madrasahs through Adiwiyata program. FIKROTUNA: Jurnal Pendidikan dan Manajemen Islam, 8(2), 950–971. https://jurnalalkhairat.org/ojs/index.php/fikrotuna/article/view/392
Hamdan, H. (2026). Islamic education with an ecological perspective: Quranic foundations, environmental ethics, and pathways toward sustainable development. Jurnal Pendidikan Islam, 16(1), 91–106. https://doi.org/10.38073/jpi.4545
Herdiansyah, H., Sukmana, H., & Lestarini, R. (2019). Eco-pesantren as a basic forming of environmental moral and theology. KALAM, 12(2), 303–326. https://doi.org/10.24042/klm.v12i2.2834
Hermawansyah, H. (2025). Eco-pesantren-based Islamic education management. Fitrah: Jurnal Studi Pendidikan, 16(1), 102–114. https://doi.org/10.47625/fitrah.v16i1.982
Hidayat, N., & Sundari, E. (2014). Integrating environmental care character values into akidah akhlak learning in MI. Al-Bidayah: Jurnal Pendidikan Dasar Islam, 6(1), 93–114. https://doi.org/10.14421/al-bidayah.v6i1.9037
Jordan, K., & Kristjánsson, K. (2017). Sustainability, virtue ethics, and the virtue of harmony with nature. Environmental Education Research, 23(9), 1205–1229. https://doi.org/10.1080/13504622.2016.1157681
Karman, K., Anwar, R., & Hakim, L. (2023). The Qur'anic learning based on Islamic eco-theology at pesantren. Jurnal Pendidikan Islam, 9(2), 169–186. https://doi.org/10.15575/jpi.v9i2.24933
Kholil, K., Prasetiya, B., & Syahrin, M. A. (2026). Wasatiyyah-based religious character formation model: An implementation study of religious moderation values at MTs Generasi Teladan, Tabanan, Bali. International Journal of Advanced Multidisciplinary, 4(4), 582–595. https://doi.org/10.38035/ijam.v4i4.1770
Khumairo, S., Chasanah, I., & Salsabila, A. A. P. (2025). Habituation of green education based on Islamic values: Instilling environmental ethics from an early age. Al-Abshar: Journal of Islamic Education Management, 4(1), 93–105. https://doi.org/10.58223/al-abshar.v4i1.463
Lee, M. T. (2024). The social and moral ecology of education for flourishing. Journal of Moral Education, 53(4), 645–661. https://doi.org/10.1080/03057240.2024.2333577
Mahmud, S., Rahmi, S., Nufiar, N., Nurbayani, N., & Nurdin, R. (2023). Building students' character based on maqāṣid al-sharī'ah: Perspectives of parents, teachers, and community members in Banda Aceh. Samarah: Jurnal Hukum Keluarga dan Hukum Islam, 7(3), 1803-1822. https://doi.org/10.22373/sjhk.v7i3.17708
Mănoiu, V.-M., Arslan, R., Madani, A., & Düzgüneş, E. (2016). Environmental education in the Holy Quran. Lucrările Seminarului Geografic Dimitrie Cantemir, 42, 157–164. https://doi.org/10.15551/lsgdc.v42i0.14
Mariyono, D., & Wiyono, D. F. (2026). Transformative Islamic education as a resource for religious education in the Anthropocene: An eco-social synthesis. British Journal of Religious Education, 1–24. https://doi.org/10.1080/01416200.2026.2691221
Maskuri, M., Ma'arif, A. S., & Fanan, M. A. (2020). Developing religious moderation among student-residents through Ta'lim Ma'hadi in Islamic boarding schools for university students. J-PAI: Jurnal Pendidikan Agama Islam, 7(1), 1-14. https://doi.org/10.18860/jpai.v7i1.11239
Noe, W., Abdullah, O. M., Tanshzil, S. W., Pangalila, T., Bunta, A. F., & Sarina. (2026). Integrated multicultural-inclusive-peace-Islamic pedagogy: An empirical model of value internalization in an Indonesian Islamic school. Frontiers in Education, 11, Article 1760579. https://doi.org/10.3389/feduc.2026.1760579
Nur, A., Bin Husin, H., Alwizar, & Yasir, M. (2025). Qur'anic ecotheology and the ethics of forest protection in Indonesia. Jurnal Studi Ilmu-ilmu Al-Qur'an dan Hadis, 26(2), 351–382. https://doi.org/10.14421/qh.v26i2.6312
Quadir, T. M. (2013). Traditional Islamic environmentalism: The vision of Seyyed Hossein Nasr. University Press of America. https://doi.org/10.5771/9780761861447
Rajab, H. R. (2020). Akhlak tasawuf basis pendidikan multikultural di Indonesia. Tarbawy: Jurnal Pendidikan Islam, 7(1), 71–78. https://doi.org/10.32923/tarbawy.v7i1.1206
Şahin, A. (2018). Critical issues in Islamic education studies: Rethinking Islamic and Western liberal secular values of education. Religions, 9(11), Article 335. https://doi.org/10.3390/rel9110335
Saniotis, A. (2011). Muslims and ecology: Fostering Islamic environmental ethics. Contemporary Islam, 6(2), 155–171. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11562-011-0173-8
Saxena, A. K., Chatti, D., Overstreet, K., & Dove, M. R. (2018). From moral ecology to diverse ontologies: Relational values in human ecological research, past and present. Current Opinion in Environmental Sustainability, 35, 54–60. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cosust.2018.10.021
Sifa, & Nurhadi, M. (2019). Implementing multicultural education to shape students’ moral character at Pesantren Ngalah Sengonagung. Multicultural Islamic Education, 3(1), 27–40. https://doi.org/10.35891/ims.v3i1.1742
Sitoresmi, D., Aziz, A. R., & Nordiana, V. (2026). Literature review: The influence of multiculturalism on students’ tolerance in the pesantren environment. Pandalungan: Jurnal Penelitian Pendidikan, Bimbingan, Konseling dan Multikultural, 4(1), 38–43. https://doi.org/10.31537/pandalungan.v4i1.2811
Suprapto, S. (2020). The integration of religious moderation into the development of the Islamic religious education curriculum. EDUKASI: Jurnal Penelitian Pendidikan Agama dan Keagamaan, 18(3), 355–368. https://doi.org/10.32729/edukasi.v18i3.750
Suryo Alam, D. W., Hilmi, M., & Thabrani, A. M. (2026). Integration of religious moderation and ecological education from a social ecology perspective. Attaqwa: Jurnal Ilmu Pendidikan Islam, 22(2), 179–195. https://doi.org/10.54069/attaqwa.v22i2.1158
Sutarja, Prayitno, H. J., Waston, Hidayat, S., Ali, M., & Sugiarto, F. (2024). Character strengthening model of religious moderation praxis method to improve and develop student morale. Revista de Gestão Social e Ambiental, 18(2), 1-23. https://doi.org/10.24857/rgsa.v18n2-076
Syafe'i, I. (2017). Pondok pesantren: Educational institutions for character formation. Al-Tadzkiyyah: Jurnal Pendidikan Islam, 8(1), 61-82. https://doi.org/10.24042/atjpi.v8i1.2097
Syukri, S., Amir, S. M., Fitriani, F., & Pane, S. (2024). Integration of Islamic values with environmental ethics in pesantren education: A case study at Darularafah Raya Pesantren. Jurnal Pendidikan Islam, 13(1), 1–12. https://doi.org/10.14421/jpi.2024.131.1-12
Thomas, J., & Harden, A. (2008). Methods for the thematic synthesis of qualitative research in systematic reviews. BMC Medical Research Methodology, 8, 1-10. https://doi.org/10.1186/1471-2288-8-45
Widodo, C. D. (2026). Eco-pesantren in Indonesia: A faith-based sustainability education model integrating Islamic environmental ethics and institutional practices. Studia Ecologiae et Bioethicae, 24(3), 41–55. https://doi.org/10.21697/seb.5894
Wisnarni. (2023). Religious moderation in the family and character education: Appreciating local cultures and other religions. Logos (Lithuania), 115, 159-169. https://doi.org/10.24101/logos.2023.40
Yenuri, A. A. (2021). Inclusivism and the concept of religious ethics in Islamic religious education materials in elementary schools. Pendidikan Multikultural, 5(1), 57-73. https://doi.org/10.33474/multikultural.v5i1.10320
Zakariyah, Z., Fauziyah, U., & Nur Kholis, M. M. (2022). Strengthening the value of religious moderation in Islamic boarding schools. Tafkir: Interdisciplinary Journal of Islamic Education, 3(1), 20–39. https://doi.org/10.31538/tijie.v3i1.104
Zulfhadli, M. (2024). Developing students’ environmental care character in an Adiwiyata School: A case study of Miftahul Ulum Islamic Elementary School in Batu City. Journal of Islamic Education, 10(1), 187–196. https://doi.org/10.18860/jie.v11i1.13238
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2025 Hari Wahyu Wijayanto, Montchatry Ketmuni, Zobi Mazhabi
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
