Divine Honoring, Human Stewardship, and the Reconstruction of Earth: A Qur’anic-Maqāṣid Approach to Islamic Law and Civilizational Responsibility

التكريم الإلهي والاستخلاف الإنساني وعمارة الأرض: مقاربة قرآنية مقاصدية في القانون الإسلامي والمسؤولية الحضارية

Abstract

This study aims to unveil the integrated Qur'anic system concerning the true nature of human existence by clarifying the interconnected relationship between divine honoring as the starting point, stewardship (istikhlaf) as the path, and reconstruction (ta'mir) as the goal, and seeks to correct the conception that separates the unseen dimension of honoring from the functional dimension of obligation in human life, thereby offering a more comprehensive vision of the purposes of creation that links the unseen world with the visible world. The study employs an inductive method to trace the Qur'anic verses that establish these concepts—namely, by tracking the term and its meanings across different contexts—supported by an analytical method to link their meanings to the contemporary civilizational context and to deduce the interconnections governing man's transition from merely a honored being to a steward responsible for building the earth, studying this objectively and comprehensively. The findings show that divine honoring through the breathing of the spirit and the teaching of names represents the stage of preparation and qualification that grants man his eligibility; that stewardship represents the legislative framework regulating human behavior with the values of justice and trust; while reconstruction represents the applied fruit of this path, which is realized only by harnessing resources with awareness and responsibility, far from corruption and purely material exploitation. The study concludes that man's civilizational function is threatened with imbalance if the stewardship spirit is absent from it, and it affirms the necessity of restoring consideration for the concept of sustainable development from a Qur'anic perspective that balances material investment with the preservation of human values, in order to ensure the continuity of a dignified life and to realize the greatest purpose of creation—namely, reconstruction founded upon tauhid.