ISLAMIC ECOTHEOLOGY IN EDUCATION: FROM ENVIRONMENTAL ETHICS TO ECOLOGICAL AGENCY - A SYSTEMATIC LITERATURE REVIEW

Abstract

The global ecological crisis demands that education not only build environmental knowledge but also shape students' ethical and spiritual orientations and their capacity to solve ecological problems actively. In Islamic education, ecotheology provides a conceptual foundation through the ideas of tawḥīd, khalīfah, amānah, mīzān, raḥmah, and the prohibition of isrāf and fasād fī al-ardḍ. However, the growing literature shows that these values are still often treated as normative principles and have not always translated into students' capacity to act as ecological agents. This study aims to synthesize research on Islamic ecotheology in education, identify how Islamic ecological values are integrated into educational practices, and analyze the shift from forming environmental ethics to ecological agency. The research used a systematic literature review method following the PRISMA 2020 guidelines. The study searched international scientific databases using keywords related to Islamic ecotheology, Islamic environmental ethics, Islamic education, environmental education, ecological agency, and sustainability. The authors analyzed the literature through thematic synthesis to identify theological foundations, pedagogical approaches, institutional contexts, forms of ecological practice, and mechanisms for forming ecological agency. The synthesis shows that research can be grouped into four main orientations: (1) ecotheology as the foundation of environmental ethics; (2) internalization of ecological values through curriculum and pedagogy; (3) institutionalization through schools, madrasas, and Islamic boarding schools; and (4) transformation of values into ecological practices and agency. This article proposes a conceptual framework of Islamic Ecotheological Ecological Agency, which explains the transformation from theological awareness to ethical commitment, ecological competence, collective participation, and ecological action. These findings broaden the discourse of Islamic education by positioning students not only as recipients of environmental values, but as actors capable of responding to the ecological crisis.