Prosiding 89

RECONSTRUCTION OF ISLAM AS AN
ENVIRONMENTALLY RELIGION

Siti Khoirotul Ula

STITNU Al Hikmah Mojokerto
email: ulastaiattanwir@gmail.com

Wening Purbatin Palupi Soenjoto

Institut Agama Islam Negeri Ponorogo
email : weningblackberry@gmail.com

Abstract: Islam is known as a peaceful religion and always strengthens friendship

with Islamic law based on tolerance for all religions recognized in the world. But
many events tarnish the image of Islam in the eyes of the world so that the anarchist
stamp is often a characteristic of Islam. The Islam presented by Muhammad SAW as
a religion full of peace, tolerance and humanity but what happened now is that Islam
seems to have a special character in religion by making the exclusivity of various
communities feel the most true of their Islam. This is the time bomb that divides
Islam. The impression that was built actually made people lose trust. There must be
a revival movement to change the image of Islam better with the sustainable power
of all lines, debates about several Islamic groups suspected of triggering internal and
external divisions of religion and international issues related to terrorism. Islam must
change it with multi-dimensional strength so that the world recognizes Islam as an
environmentally religion.

Abstrak: Islam terkenal sebagai agama yang damai dan selalu menguatkan
silahturahmi dengan ukuwuah Islam yang berlandaskan toleransi untuk semua
agama yang diakui di dunia ini. Namun banyak peristiwa yang mencoreng citra
Islam di mata dunia sehingga cap anarkis acap kali menjadi ciri khas Islam. Islam
yang dihadirkan Muhammad SAW sebagi agama penuh damai,penuh toleransi dan
manusiawi namun yang terjadi sekarang Islam terkesan agama bergam pencirian
khusus dengan membuat ekslusifitas beragam komunitas merasa yang paling benar
keIslamannya. Hal inilah yang menjadi bom waktu yang memecahbelahkan Islam.
Kesan yang dibangun justru makin membuat masyarakat kehilangan kepercayaan.
Harus ada gerakan kebangkitan untuk mengubah citra Islam lebih baik dengan
kekuatan berkesinambungan dari semua lini,perdebatan tentang beberapa kelompok-
kelompok Islam yang ditenggarai pemicu perpecahan internal dan eksternal agama
maupun isu-isu internasional terkait terorisme. Islam wajib mengubahnya dengan
90 Reconstruction of Islam..., Siti Khoirotul Ula dkk, 89-99

kekuatan multi dimensional agar dunia mengakui Islam sebagai agama yang ramah
lingkungan.

Keywords: Islam; reconstruction; Environmentally

INTRODUCTION
Religion is a belief that can originate from a hereditary factor or a belief
that is followed through a long process of understanding. In Indonesia, there
are five religions, namely Islam, Protestant Christians, Catholic, Hindu and
Buddhist Christians. Each religion has a scripture that is believed to be a guide
to life. Until there are many assumptions that God is the same in the sense
that every religion recognizes one God. But this assumption often becomes a
polemic triggering potential inter-religious conflicts. The form of tolerance of
religious communities is a dream that until now all religions are still difficult
to recognize, especially some of the bombings in several churches and Bali
bombings that have damaged the image of Islam in the eyes of the world. It
takes a long time and process to restore the confidence of the world to feel
comfortable and safe in Indonesia, where the majority are Muslim.
A variety of understandings of a religion raises debate about the definition
of religion itself, although later some thinkers have similarities in defining
religion as a law of God which contains instructions to the truth in beliefs, and
in acting and associating. Religion as the revelation of God Almighty cannot
be changed even though the generation or society that has received it has
changed and has changed its structure and way of thinking.1
Every religion has its own existence, the recognition of belief is personal
but because within the religions there are rules, rules or standard norms
that are universal about human relations with God (vertical direction) and
fellow human relations ( horizontal direction) which is absolutely done by
its adherents. All rules or rules are listed in the Scriptures of each religion
and are understood correctly by religious leaders and scholars. Because of
this existence religion cannot be arbitrarily interpreted by people whose
understanding is lacking in interpreting the scriptures. Still a problem between
belief and trust. Trust is often regarded as the embodiment of local wisdom,
especially related to customs where in Indonesia consists of thousands of
tribes and this also affects the emergence of trust in the Creator.
Characteristics of a religion include, in religion, the obligation to believe
in something Holy (commonly called God, God and others) accompanied by

1
Fachrizal Afandi, PAKEM: Salah Satu Upaya Negara dalam Melindungi Agama, 482
 Prosiding 91

the obligation to make contact with the Holy One through rituals, cults and
requests. Religion also has doctrines in the relationship between humans and
those that are purified so that the attitude of life that is grown or carried out
is based on it.2
The presence of Islam brought by the prophet Muhammad SAW. believed
to be able to guarantee the realization of human life that is physically and
spiritually prosperous. In it there are various clues about how humans should
respond to life and life more meaningfully in the broadest sense. Religion
is believed to form intrapersonal communication, interpersonal to mass
communication. Until Islam becomes a powerful medium of communication
that gathers all external and inner strength. Al Qur’an and hadith are absolute
and consistent sources of law.
Religious instructions regarding various kinds of human life, as contained
in the sources of the teachings of the Qur’an and Hadith, appear to be ideal
and majestic. Islam teaches a dynamic and progressive life, respects the mind
about the development of science and technology, always develops social care,
respects time, is open, democratic, quality oriented, egalitarian, partnership,
anti-feudalistic, loves cleanliness, prioritizes brotherhood, noble and other
positive attitudes.3
The religion of Islam brought by the Prophet Muhammad sallallaahu
‘alaihi wa sallam is the most perfect Shari’a. All aspects of human life have
been arranged in it very neatly. That is because Allah Subhanahuwata’ala has
sent him to all humans and as a cover of the prophets, so that the Shari’a will
always be there until the end of time and is always relevant to be carried out
at all times and places. Allah Subhanahuwata’ala mentions the perfection of
this religion in His word,

ُ ‫الْيَوْمَ أَ ْك َملْ ُت لَ ُكمْ ِدينَ ُكمْ وَأَتَْ ْم ُت َعلَيْ ُكمْ نِ ْع َم ِت وَرَ ِض‬
‫يت لَ ُك ُم ْالِ ْس َلمَ ِدينًا‬
«On this day I have perfected for you your religion, and I have fulfilled My
favor upon you and I have also accepted Islam to be a religion for you.» (Surat
al-Ma›ida: 3)
The perfection of religion is infinite divine grace. Therefore, the Jews
used to envy Muslims for hearing and knowing the verse. They said, «If this
verse came down to us (Jews), we would have made it (a day of descent) as a
“Yaum al-‘Id”.4

2
Fahrizal Afendi, Salah Satu Upaya Negara Dalam Melindungi Agama, 2
3
Fadhil Al-jamali, Menerabas Krisis Pendidikan Dunia Isalam, (terj) H.M Arifin
(Jakarta: Golden Terayon, 1992), 11-12.
4
Shahihal-Bukhari no. 4606.
92 Reconstruction of Islam..., Siti Khoirotul Ula dkk, 89-99

When viewed from the statements of the Jews, it can be concluded how
the Jews knew the magnitude of the verse which mentions the perfection of
this Islamic religion, so that they envy us and wish if the verse was revealed
to them. Although in reality the Jews still cannot recognize or accept Islam as
a religion that has the power of perfection of a religion. Apart from that all
Islam still recognizes the Jewish people, which in the Qur›an also reads some
verses about the Jews.
How great is the blessing that Allah Subhanahuwata›ala bestows on the
Muslims. However, it is unfortunate that some Muslims do not know such
things, so there are those who feel inferior to Islam, while others actually
add to this religion, something that is not derived from Islam. Until there
is a question «How islamic are you» into a discourse that seems to be rough
Islam can still be made a classification based on human understanding which
actually mostly arises from non-Muslims. Understanding Divine favors
really requires a process and each human being has a different mindset even
though in religion it is explained that meaning favors begins with gratitude
but gratitude also contains different understandings based on experience and
self-awareness.
The fact is that Islam in the present day displays a situation far from
ideal ideals. Worship performed by Muslims such as prayer, fasting, charity,
pilgrimage, and so forth only stop at the expense of obligations and become a
symbol of piety, while the fruits of worship which have dimensions of social
care are less visible. In the community there has been a misunderstanding in
understanding and living religious symbolic messages.5
As a result of a misunderstanding of understanding these religious
symbols, religion is more lived as an individual’s salvation, not as a collective
social blessing. As an example of the fifth pillar of Islam, hajj is considered a
worship as a status symbol in order to be recognized in social life until the
meaning of Hajj becomes blurred and more sad, many events that show Islam
as a religion consisting of the poor until the distribution of zakat causes many
problems and even victims. Portrait of these events as if God is not present
in the problems of our lives but only an image or marking of the identity of
the religious people in an identity card or biodata. . In this paper the author
will explain a little about the aspects of absolute truth contained in Islam and
many more “homework” that we must do as people who claim to be Muslim.

5
There are many examples of people’s misunderstandings in understanding
religious symbols. On a sacrifice day, a person who gives a goat sacrifice to the mosque
tells the committee to sacrifice so that he does not need to send the meat to his qurban.
The reason was that he didn’t want the goat to be climbed in the Mahsyar field to look
deformed after the goat was eaten alone.
 Prosiding 93

Not to those who should start but internal strengths that not only dwell on
God’s form, creature’s form, human creation to God’s meaning because it is
not those things that trigger polemics in Islam but rather understanding each
other’s understanding of Islam deviantly, destroying the meaning and the
image of a peaceful Islam. Reconstruction or rebuilding the performance of
Islam in the eyes of the world which already sees Islam as a religion full of
violence, far from tolerance until the face of Islam is accompanied by a chronic
pattern of poorly.

ISLAM AS RELIGION
Before discussing further about the understanding of Islam, of course it is
necessary to know in advance what is meant by religion itself. Harun Nasution
said that religion can be defined in several ways as follows: 6 1) Recognition
of the existence of human relations with supernatural powers that must be
obeyed; 2) Bind self to a form of life that contains recognition of a source that
is outside the human self that controls human actions; 3) Belief in something
supernatural that creates a certain way of life; 4) A system of behavior derived
from supernatural powers; 5) Recognition of the obligations which are believed
to be based on a supernatural power; 6) Worship of supernatural powers that
arise from feelings of weakness and fear of mysterious forces that occur in the
natural surroundings; 7) Doctrine revealed to humans through a messenger.
Based on the opinion expressed by Harun Nasution above the author
is more inclined or agree to the last statement that religion is a doctrine that
comes from God revealed to all mankind through an apostle, as a way of life
for humans to achieve a happy life of the world and the hereafter.
Furthermore, the notion of the religion of Islam, as the last religion, Islam
is known to have distinctive characteristics compared to previous religions.
Through various literatures that talk about Islam, there can be a description
of the religion of Islam, the source and scope of its teachings, as well as ways
to understand it.
Islam, it comes from the Arabic language “salima” which means to be
safe, sentimental and peaceful. From the word salima then it is changed to
“aslama” which means surrender to peace.7 Furthermore according to other
arguments, Aslama has the meaning of keeping in a safe state and means also
self-submission, submission, obedience and obedience. Therefore, the person

6
Harun Nasution, Islam Ditinjau Dari Berbagai Aspeknya, jilid 1 (Jakarta: UI Press.
1979), 10.
7
Abudin Nata, Metodologi Studi Islam (Jakarta: PT. Raja grafindo persada, 2010), 61-
62.
94 Reconstruction of Islam..., Siti Khoirotul Ula dkk, 89-99

who surrenders, is obedient and obedient is called a Muslim, which in turn

will guarantee the life of the strait of the world and the hereafter.8
As long as the definition above it can be concluded that the religion
of Islam is a name for a religion that comes from Allah SWT. Which has
extraordinary differences from the names of other religions.

THE TRUTH ASPECTS IN ISLAM

Islamic teachings are based on the Qur’an and Sunnah, and those who
hold fast to them will not be lost by the times and times. As said by the Prophet
Muhammad:

‫ تَـرَ ْك ُت فِـيْ ُكمْ اَْمرَيــْ ِن لَـ ْن‬:‫ال رَ ُسوْ ُل اهللِ ص‬

َ َ‫ال ق‬
َ َ‫َع ْن َكـثِ ْـي بْ ِن َعبْ ِد اهللِ َع ْن اَبِـيْ ِه َع ْن َج ِّدهِ رض ق‬
ِ
َ َ َ
ّ
‫ ابن عبد الرب‬.‫اب اهللِ وَ ُسنـة نـبِـيِّ ِه‬ َ
َ ‫ ِكـت‬:‫ـه َما‬ ِ ِ‫تَ ِضلُّـوْا َما تَــ َم َّسكـتمْ ب‬
ُ ْ
From Kathir bin Abdullah from his father from his grandfather RA, he said: The
Messenger of Allāh: once said: «I have left you with two things that you will
not go astray as long as you hold fast to both, namely: the Book of Allah and the
Sunnah of His Prophet». [HR. Ibn Abdil Barr]
The Qur’an is the main source of Islamic teachings because it comes
from God and is guaranteed its truth. In the al-Qur’an there is a clue about
everything, but some of the instructions are brought in a state that is still general
(global). To apply the al-Qur’an there needs to be reasoning and processing of
human reason, and because of that the al-Qur’an was revealed to intelligent
people. al-Qur’an also functions as a judge or referee who regulates the course
of human life so that it runs straight in accordance with Islamic law.9
Al-Quran al-Karim introduces himself with various characteristics and
traits. One of them is that it is a book whose authenticity is guaranteed by
God, and it is a book that is always preserved. As explained in His Holy Word:

‫لافِ ُظوْ َن‬

َ َ ‫الذ ْكرَا وَإِ َّن لَ ُه‬
ِّ ‫ن ُن نَ َّزلْنَا‬
ْ َ ‫إِ َّن‬
«Verily We have sent down the Qur›an and we are the Preserver of Him» ​​(Surat
al-Hijj: 9).
And in another word that reads:

َ ِ‫وَإِنَّ ُه لَتَنْ ِزي ُل رَ ِّب الْ َعاَل‬

‫ني‬
“And indeed the Qur’an is truly revealed by the Lord of Hosts.” (QS. Ash-
syu’ara ‘: 192)

8
Nasruddin Razak, Dienul Islam in Abudin Nata, Metodologi Studi Islam (Jakarta:
PT. Raja grafindo persada, 2010), 61-62
9
Abudin Nata, Metodologi Studi Islam, 71.
 Prosiding 95

Thus Allah guarantees the authenticity of the Qur’an, guarantees given

on the basis of His omnipotence and omniscience, and thanks to the efforts
made by His creatures, especially by humans. With the guarantee of the above
verse, every Muslim believes that what he reads and hears as the Koran does
not differ in the slightest from what was read by the Messenger of Allah, and
which was heard and read by the companions of the Prophet.
Dr. Muhammad Abdullah Daraz said: “He was called the Qur’an because
he was” read “verbally, and was called the Book because he was” written
“with a pen. Both names show the meaning that corresponds to reality. The
naming of the Koran with these two names gives a sign that it has been
preserved with memorization and writing. Thus, if one of them is deviated,
the other will correct it. We cannot rely solely on memorizing someone before
memorizing it in accordance with the writings that have been agreed upon
by friends, which is passed on to us from generation to generation according
to the circumstances when he made it for the first time. And we also cannot
rely only on the writers’ writings before the writing is in accordance with the
memorization of the friends based on shohih and mutawatir isnad.
With this double guard, by Allah has been implanted into the souls of the
people of Muhammad to follow the steps of His prophet, the Qur’an is kept
awake in a strong fortress. This is nothing but to realize God’s promise that
guarantees the preservation of the Qur’an.10
The Jews knew very well that Rasulallah was so concerned about the
purity of Islamic teachings, so it was mentioned in one hadith which related
that Rasulallah had seen Umar ibn al-Khattab holding a sheet of Torah in his
hand, then RasulAllah SAW. in an unhappy tone:11

‫ لو كان موسى حيا ما‬,‫ والذى نفسى بيده‬.‫اومتهوكون بها يا بن اخلطاب؟ لقد جئتكم بها بيضاء نقية‬
‫وسعه اال ان يتبعنى‬
“Do you still doubt your religion, O Ibn al-Khattab? Even though I have brought
this religion to you clearly and clearly. For the sake of the One whose soul is in
His grasp, if Moses lived surely he would follow me “(HR. Ahmad, Abu Ya’la,
and al-Bazzar)
From the above hadith it can be concluded that the religion of Islam is
a religion that is truly perfect, as well as perfecting for previous religions.
Besides that, because one of the sources of Islamic law is Al-Qur’an, where the
Qur’an has been guaranteed by Allah SWT through its words. One of them in
Surat Al-Imran is:

An-Naba’ul ‘Azim, Cetakan Darul Qalam,Kuait, hal. 12-13

10

Manna’ Khalil Al-Qattan. 2013, Studi Ilmu-ilmu Al-Qur’an. Bogor: Pustaka Litera
11

AntarNusa.hal: 491
96 Reconstruction of Islam..., Siti Khoirotul Ula dkk, 89-99

ِ ‫ند‬
‫الل ا ِإل ْسالَ ُم‬ ِ ‫إِ َّن ال ِّد‬
ّ َ ‫ين ع‬
َ
«Indeed the true religion with Allah is only Islam.» (QS. Ali Imran: 19)
ِ ْ ‫اآلخرِة ِمن‬
ِ ِ ِ ِ ِ ِ
َ ‫الَاس ِر‬
‫ين‬ َ َ ‫َوَمن يـَبـْتَ ِغ َغيـَْر اإل ْسالَم ديناً فـَلَن يـُْقبَ َل مْنهُ َوُه َو ف‬
«And anyone who seeks a religion other than Islam will never be accepted from
him and in the hereafter he will be among those who suffer losses.» (Surat Ali
‹Imran: 85)
So, what else still makes us doubt the truth. Isn’t it very clear what God
has said for us. As Muslims we should believe in truth that Islam is the true
religion, and the truth is absolutely because all of its teachings are always
based on the inheritance of the Prophet, namely the Qur’an and Hadith.

PROSPERITY ASPECTS IN ISLAM

This Islamic religion has summarized all forms of benefit taught by
previous religions. This Islamic religion which he brought is more special
than the previous religions because Islam is a teaching that can be applied at
any time, anywhere and in any society. Allah ta’ala said to the Messenger of
Allaah ‘alaihi wa sallam:

ً‫اب َو ُم َهيْ ِمنا‬ َ ْ َ‫ال ِّق ُم َصدِّقاً لَِّا ب‬

ِ َ‫ي يَ َديْ ِه ِم َن الْ ِكت‬ َ َ‫َوأَن َزلْنَا إِلَيْ َك الْ ِكت‬
َ ْ ِ‫اب ب‬
“And We have sent down to you the Book correctly as a reformer of the
previous books and the teststone upon them.” (Surat al-Ma’ida: 48)
The purpose of the statement of Islam is suitable to be applied in every
time, place and society is to hold fast to it will never conflict with the goodness
of the people at any time and in any place. Even with Islam, the state of the
people will be good. However, it is not what is meant by the statement of
Islam that is suitable for every time, place and society. Islam is subject to the
will of every time, place and society, as desired by some.
Islam is the true religion. A religion that has received a guarantee of help
and victory from Allah the Exalted for anyone who clings to it with truth.
Allah ta’ala said:

‫ِّين ُكلِّ ِه وَلَوْ َك ِرهَ الُْ ْش ِر ُكو َن‬

ِ ‫ال ِّق لِيُ ْظ ِه َر ُه َعلَى الد‬
َ ْ ‫ين‬ ُْ ِ‫ُهوَ الَّ ِذي أَرْ َس َل َر ُسولَ ُه ب‬
ِ ‫الدَى وَ ِد‬
“He is the One Who sent His Messenger with the Guidance and the true Religion
to be won over all the existing religions, even though the polytheists did not like
it.” (Surat Ash Shaff: 9)
Islam is a teaching that includes creed / belief and shari’a / law. Islam
is a perfect teaching, both in terms of the aqeedah and the shari’a it teaches
 Prosiding 97

about : 1) Islam commands to obey Allah Ta’ala and forbid politeism; 2) Islam
commands to do honesty and forbid lies; 3) Islam commands to do justice
and prohibit persecution; 4) Islam commands the fulfillment of mandates and
prohibits treason; 5) Islam commands to keep promises and prohibit breach of
promises; 6) Islam commands devotion to both parents and prohibits ungodly
acts against them; 7) Islam instructs to establish friendship (interrupted
kinship relationships) with relatives and Islam forbids the act of breaking
friendship; 8) Islam commands good relations with neighbors and prohibits
bad behavior from them.
In general it can be said that Islam commands all noble morals and
prohibits low morality. Islam commands all kinds of good deeds and forbids
all bad deeds. Allah ta’ala said :

‫َن الْفَ ْح َشاء َوالُْن َك ِر َوالْبَ ْغ ِي يَ ِع ُظ ُكمْ لَ َعلَّ ُكمْ تَ َذ َّك ُرو َن‬ ِ ‫إِ َّن اللَّ يَأُْم ُر بِالْ َع ْد ِل َواإلِ ْح َس‬
ِ ‫ان َوإِيتَاء ِذي الْقُرْبَى َويَنْهَى ع‬
«Verily Allah commands to do just, ihsan and to provide for relatives. And God
forbids all forms of cruel and evil deeds, and acts of transgression. Allah reminds
you that you will take lessons. «(Surat an Nahl: 90)
The statements and explanations above it is clear that Islam is a
comprehensive religion, which can be accepted in any society, because its
teachings cover and are able to fulfill all the needs of human life wherever
and whenever. Religion that is environmentally friendly is full of tolerance
that is built from noble character according to the teachings written in the
Qur’an and hadith.

CONCLUSION
Islam comes from the Arabic “salima” which means to be safe, sentimental
and peaceful. From the word salima then it is changed to “aslama” which
means surrender to peace. Islam is a religion that Allah sent down and
destined for all humanity through the mediation of a Prophet, Muhammad
SAW. Allah SWT gives him all noble morals to be an example for all humans.
Besides that Allah gave to him the Qur’an as a miracle and as a guide for all
people in the universe. Everything has been explained in the words of God
written in the Qur’an. The function of the Qur’an itself is to justify the religion
of Islam, which from the explanation in the discussion above we know that
Islam is a religion that is truly true. Islam is a religion that is peaceful and able
to unite all religions without disturbing the beliefs of other religions. Islam
has noble teachings, all the rules of human life are regulated therein from the
teachings of Allah, the association of life and so on.
98 Reconstruction of Islam..., Siti Khoirotul Ula dkk, 89-99

Therefore Islam is flexible and accepted in any society. Re-changing the

image of Islam that is safe, peaceful and peaceful begins with the power of
recontraction, all multi dimensions that are not influenced by exclusivity or
egocentric patterns that are believed by Islamic communities which do not
trigger a potential conflict. To restore the original nature of Islam in the real
and recognized world.
This article is certainly far from perfection for that the author requests
constructive criticism and suggestions from the readers. Hopefully useful for
those who read and study, and hopefully the authors convey here really bring
benefits in the world and the hereafter.
 Prosiding 99

REFERENCES

Afandi, Fachrizal. PAKEM: Salah Satu Upaya Negara dalam Melindungi Agama,
Al-jamali, Fadhil. Menerabas Krisis Pendidikan Dunia Isalam. (terj) H.M Arifin,
Jakarta: Golden Terayon, 1992.
Al-Qattan, Manna’ Khalil. Studi Ilmu-ilmu al-Qur’an. Bogor: Pustaka Litera
AntarNusa, 2013.
An-Naba’ul ‘Azim. Cetakan Darul Qalam, Kuait,
Nasution, Harun. Islam Ditinjau Dari Berbagai Aspeknya, jilid 1. Jakarta: UI
Press. 1979.
Nata, Abudin. Metodologi Studi Islam. Jakarta: PT. Raja Grafindo Persada, 2010.
Shahihal-Bukhari no. 4606
-