The Principle of Cosmic Interdependence: Re-reading Al-ʿĀlamīn as an Ecophilosophical Category in Indonesian Tafsir and Classical Exegesis

Abstract

Anthropocentric paradigms in human rights and sustainability discourse continue to marginalize the more-than-human world, a bias that also shapes classical Islamic ethical discourse where maqāṣid al-sharīʿah traditionally centers on human protection. While recent contemporary developments have introduced ḥifẓ al-bīʾah (preservation of environment), systemic ecological frameworks remain underdeveloped. The Qur’an opens with a non-anthropocentric claim: al-ḥamdu lillāhi rabb al-ʿālamīn, “Praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds” (Q.1:2). This study investigates the semantic and ethical potential of al-ʿālamīn through a qualitative 3-level hermeneutical method (semantic, exegetical, and ethical synthesis). We analyze a structured corpus comprising a classical Arabic comparative baseline (al-Ṭabarī, al-Qurṭubī, al-Rāzī, al-Bayḍāwī, Ibn Kathīr) and key modern Indonesian tafsir works (Hamka, Quraish Shihab, and al-Fansūrī) across two central Qur’anic loci (Q.1:2 and Q.21:107). Our analysis reveals that while classical exegesis establishes a non-anthropocentric cosmological breadth, its ethical horizon remains theocentric. Indonesian exegetes elaborate this semantically using local taxonomies but retain an anthropocentric stewardship model. To bridge this gap, we construct an ecophilosophical synthesis that formulates the principle of cosmic interdependence and proposes ḥuqūq al-ʿālamīn (universal rights of all creation). Finally, we distinguish these analytical findings from their proposed normative implications for multispecies justice and sustainable development.