Ecotheology in Islamic Finance : Integrating Core Waqf Values into Green Sukuk for Environmental Sustainability

Authors

  • A. Rasikhu Z. Haramain Universitas Pamulang

Keywords:

Green Sukuk, Waqf, Ecotheology, Sustainable Finance, Blended Finance

Abstract

Green Sukuk instruments currently face a critical challenge due to the predominance of commercial orientations that marginalize ecological spirituality, thereby constraining their long-term effectiveness in environmental financing. This study aims to formulate an integrative framework that embeds core waqf values and Islamic ecotheological principles into the structural design of Green Sukuk to enhance environmental sustainability. Employing a qualitative descriptive method through library-based research, this study conducts a content analysis of classical Islamic jurisprudence, financial regulations, and waqf management models. The findings reveal that the waqf principle of perpetuity demonstrates strong ontological compatibility with the concept of environmental sustainability. This research proposes a reconstructed model of Cash Waqf-Linked Green Sukuk (CWLGS), in which waqf funds operate as patient capital within a blended finance scheme. The results indicate that waqf integration can reduce capital costs and mitigate investment risks in non-bankable green projects, thereby transforming Green Sukuk from a conventional debt-based instrument into an inclusive socio-spiritual financial solution for addressing the global climate crisis.

References

Abdelzaher, D. M., Kotb, A., & Helfaya, A. (2019). Ecological business: A study of the Islamic perspective of the environment and management. Journal of Business Ethics, 160(3), 855–873. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-017-3706-6

Abdullah, M. S., & Keshminder, J. S. (2019). The role of green sukuk in the maqasid al-shariah framework. Journal of Islamic Accounting and Business Research, 10(3), 460–475. https://doi.org/10.1108/JIABR-01-2018-0024

Alam, N., Duygun, M., & Ariss, R. T. (2016). Green sukuk: An innovation in Islamic capital markets. Energy Economics, 58, 144–148. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eneco.2016.06.014

Aldeen, K. N., Rabbani, M. R., & Nasir, M. A. (2021). The nexus between Islamic social finance and green finance: A potential for sustainable development. International Journal of Islamic and Middle Eastern Finance and Management, 14(3), 390–408. https://doi.org/10.1108/IMEFM-01-2020-0036

Ascarya, A., Hati, S. R. H., & Rahmawati, R. (2022). Designing simple productive waqf models for Indonesia. ISRA International Journal of Islamic Finance, 14(1), 22–43. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJIF-07-2020-0138

Asutay, M., & Yilmaz, I. (2018). Re-embedding Maqasid al-Shari’ah in the political economy of Islamic finance. Dalam A. Duderija (Ed.), Maqasid al-Shari’ah and Contemporary Reformist Thought (hlm. 147–173). Palgrave Macmillan. https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-137-58688-6_7

Azhgaliyeva, D., Kapoor, A., & Liu, Y. (2020). Green bonds and green sukuk: Driver of green growth? International Journal of Economics and Business Research, 19(1), 45–66. https://doi.org/10.1504/IJEBR.2020.104278

Bhatti, A., Saad, R. A. J., & Salhab, H. A. (2020). Role of Islamic finance in supporting the sustainable development goals (SDGs). Journal of Islamic Marketing, 11(6), 1435–1446. https://doi.org/10.1108/JIMA-03-2019-0057

Bukhari, S. A. M., Hashim, F., & Amran, A. B. (2020). Determinants of green waqf investments: An integrated model. Journal of Islamic Marketing, 11(6), 1385–1405. https://doi.org/10.1108/JIMA-04-2019-0068

Dewan Syariah Nasional Majelis Ulama Indonesia. (2020). Fatwa DSN-MUI No. 137/DSN-MUI/IX/2020 tentang Sukuk Berlandaskan Wakaf. DSN-MUI.

Hasan, H., Zainon, S., & Sharin, S. M. (2023). Environmental protection (Hifz al-Biah) through the lens of Maqasid Shariah: A conceptual framework for Islamic green finance. Journal of Islamic Accounting and Business Research. https://doi.org/10.1108/JIABR-06-2022-0158

Hudaefi, F. A. (2020). How does Islamic fintech promote the SDGs? Qualitative evidence from Indonesia. Qualitative Research in Financial Markets, 12(4), 353–366. https://doi.org/10.1108/QRFM-05-2019-0058

Hudaefi, F. A., Caraka, R. E., & Wahid, H. (2022). Zakat, waqf, and sukuk: A integrated model for Islamic social and sustainable finance in Indonesia. Journal of Islamic Monetary Economics and Finance, 8(4), 541-562. https://doi.org/10.21098/jimf.v8i4.1527

Hudaefi, F. A., & Heikal, M. (2023). Financing the green environment through waqf? A review and agenda for future research. International Journal of Islamic and Middle Eastern Finance and Management, 16(3), 560-579. https://doi.org/10.1108/IMEFM-01-2022-0027

Kamla, R., & Alsoufi, R. (2016). Critical insights into contemporary Islamic accounting. Critical Perspectives on Accounting, 34, 21–37. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cpa.2015.01.002

Keshminder, J. S., Abdullah, M. S., & Mardi, M. (2019). Green sukuk: A review of the state of the art. Jurnal Pengurusan (UKM Journal of Management), 57, 1–13. https://doi.org/10.17576/pengurusan-2019-57-11

Mohamad, S., Mohamad, M. T., & Ali, M. A. M. (2022). Blended finance for sustainable development: The role of Islamic social finance. Dalam Islamic Sustainable Finance, Law and Innovation (hlm. 115–130). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-98396-7_7

Musari, K. (2022). Circular economy for green sukuk: Promoting the cash waqf linked sukuk (CWLS) for sustainable project. Dalam Islamic Sustainable Finance, Law and Innovation (hlm. 175–188). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-98396-7_11

Nasution, A. H., & Hasanah, U. (2021). Cash Waqf Linked Sukuk (CWLS): Inovasi Pembiayaan Sosial Islam. Departemen Ekonomi dan Keuangan Syariah - Bank Indonesia.

Pitchay, A. A., Thaker, M. A. M. T., Mydin, A. A., Azhar, Z., & Latiff, A. R. A. (2018). Cooperative-waqf model: A proposal to develop idle waqf lands in Malaysia. ISRA International Journal of Islamic Finance, 10(2), 225–236. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJIF-07-2017-0017

Sachs, J. D., Schmidt-Traub, G., Mazzucato, M., Messner, D., Nakicenovic, N., & Rockström, J. (2019). Six transformations to achieve the sustainable development goals. Nature Sustainability, 2(9), 805–814. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41893-019-0352-9

Saiti, B., & Abdullah, A. (2022). Green Sukuk for the climate: The Islamic finance approach. Journal of Sustainable Finance & Investment, 12(4), 1145–1160. https://doi.org/10.1080/20430795.2022.2045548

Saiti, B., Dembele, A., & Bulut, M. (2019). The application of waqf for social and development finance. ISRA International Journal of Islamic Finance, 13(2), 263–279. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJIF-07-2019-0103

Scholtens, B. (2017). Why finance should care about ecology. Trends in Ecology & Evolution, 32(7), 500–505. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tree.2017.03.013

Thaker, M. A. M. T., Thaker, H. M. T., & Pitchay, A. A. (2021). Modeling the adopters’ intention to use centralize waqf crowdfund (CWC) platform: The theory of planned behavior approach. Journal of Islamic Marketing, 12(3), 516–538. https://doi.org/10.1108/JIMA-11-2019-0227

Torelli, R. (2021). Sustainability, ethics and profit: What is the incentive? Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, 28(5), 1374–1385. https://doi.org/10.1002/csr.2146

United Nations Environment Programme. (2023). State of Finance for Nature: The Big Nature Turnaround. UNEP. https://www.unep.org/resources/state-finance-nature-2023

Downloads

Published

2026-06-30