Stewards of the Earth: Islamic environmentalism in classical and contemporary Islamic thought

This thesis studies the interpretations of a set of Qur'anic verses amongst two distinct groups: among traditional Sunni scholarship - represented by the exegetical works of seven scholars living from the 4th/10th to the 9th/15th century - and among modern academic studies of "eco-Islam." The latter group asserts that the Islamic tradition, and more specifically, the Qur'an, contains teachings that advocate for the preservation of the planet's environment, the safeguarding of animal and plant life and the rationed usage of its natural resources, all of which are in harmony with the modern concept of "environmentalism." Identifying the Qur'anic verses that these contemporary thinkers use as evidence for the idea of eco-Islam, this thesis compares their interpretations of the Qur'anic verses with the historical interpretations of a range of classical Sunni exegetes to study whether the idea of eco-Islam has roots within the classical tradition or is a recent introduction to Islamic thought. After comparing the two corpuses, I conclude that despite the existence of a number of discontinuities between them, we can indeed see the roots of Islamic environmentalism in the classical Islamic tradition. Ultimately, this thesis sheds light not just on the history, origins and development of "Islamic environmentalism" - a timely issue in and of itself - but also gives insight into the broader relationship between modern Islam and its traditional roots, and how the interpretative practices of Islam's primary textual authority (the Qur'an) have and have not changed in response to modern discourses and contemporary issues.