The Fiqh al-Bi’ah Paradigm: From Anthropocentrism to Ecosentrism

Deforestation occurring across various regions in Indonesia triggers hydrometeorological disasters. Recent floods and landslides that struck Aceh, North Sumatra, and West Sumatra in late November 2025 affected critical land areas totaling 464,598 hectares scattered across various Watershed Areas (Daerah Aliran Sungai / DAS). Within the last 30 years, forest cover has drastically decreased by 62%. This alarming situation generates an urgent need for responsive and field-appropriate policies. Conversely, current responses from Islamic law scholars remain heavily normative-anthropocentric; consequently, the dynamics of human-driven activities in exploiting nature are merely viewed as ordinary endeavors without any perceived negative impacts on ecosystem sustainability. This study aims to reformulate hifdz al-bi’ah (environmental jurisprudence) based on justice for indigenous peoples and other local communities affected by unsustainable natural exploitation. Using a library research method with a conceptual approach, the results demonstrate that a thorough reconstruction of the khalifah fil ardh (vicegerent on earth) concept is profoundly required through a deep understanding of hifdz al-bi’ah (environmental preservation). This study concludes that mitigating disasters caused by deforestation necessitates shifting the paradigm of Islamic law from anthropocentric to ecocentric through a reinterpretation of the khalifah fil ardh concept rooted in hifdz al-bi’ah. Therefore, the reformulated concept of fiqh al-bi’ah must place justice for indigenous peoples and affected communities as the primary foundation to establish responsive and sustainable environmental exploitation policies.