Climate Change as Embodiment of Luxury Theological - Shaykh Shadi Ali

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This study aims at analyzing the dialectical relationship between the concepts of consumption and destruction from a theological perspective grounded in the Islamic intellectual tradition.

 It examines how, under the dominance of the capitalist model, the human being has shifted from the position of stewardship based on cultivation and reform to one of consumption based on depletion and corruption. It argues that climate change is not merely a physical phenomenon but also reflects a spiritual and moral imbalance resulting from the dominance of luxury as an existential mode that transforms humans into consumers. It demonstrates that the environmental crisis represents the activation of universal and historical laws as an inevitable response to human transgression and the disruption of balance, in accordance with the Qur’anic view that links corruption to human behavior. The study also addresses the concept of the destruction of cities as a normative law that connects economic luxury with civilizational and cosmic collapse. It concludes by highlighting the limitations of technical solutions in light of the Jevons Paradox, which shows that increased efficiency may lead to greater consumption. In contrast, the study proposes an ethical alternative based on reviving the concepts of the “good life” and economy understood as moderation. This alternative draws inspiration from the model of Imam Ali bin Abi Talib, emphasizing the cultivation of the earth and the reinforcement of the principle of stewardship and environmental responsibility in order to protect human existence from destruction.

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الثلاثاء 10 شباط 2026
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Eitiqad magazine, for theological studies and philosophy of religion, is a peer-reviewed quarterly magazine, issued by the “Baratha Center for Studies and Research” in Beirut and Bagdad. It is concerned with studies related to theology, beliefs, and philosophy of religion. It aims to implement criticism in issues related to these fields, and to establish them from a rational and Islamic standpoint.
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