Instilling Islamic Values of Environmental Sustainability Through Experiential Learning: A Case Study of Revealed Knowledge and Natural Phenomena’s Students

The goal of Islamic Religious Education (IRE) is to transfer knowledge while developing individuals’ values and character. Several Quranic verses explicitly state this, and the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) also stated that he was sent to perfect good behaviour. Hence, improving students’ morale and attitudes based on Islamic values paradigm is a perpetual priority for IRE. Undeniably, the course of adab or akhlak has long been included in the IRE curricula, particularly at the primary and secondary levels, to serve the aforementioned goal. However, it is argued that the course syllabus pays little attention to promoting Islamic values on environmental sustainability. Although Shariah has outlined values and guidelines that can be observed in this matter, environmental issues are typically discussed from a scientific standpoint and appear to be outside the scope of the IRE. Nonetheless, the worsening state of environmental degradation and the frequency of environmental disasters today require a concerted effort. Hence, this paper aims to discuss Islamic values on environmental sustainability and experiential learning as an approach to instilling the values in IRE students. Furthermore, the paper seeks to investigate the impact of experiential learning approach on undergraduate students of Revealed Knowledge and Natural Phenomena course at Academy of Islamic Studies, Universiti Malaya. This study employed a qualitative method. The data was obtained from students’ reflections on their participation in Eco-Bazaar @ Masjid, a programme organised for the community of two mosques in Kuala Lumpur to promote 3R practices (reduce, reuse and recycle). Thematic analysis was employed as a data analysis method to find Islamic values that have been instilled in experiential learning of environmental sustainability projects in the case studied. Previous studies have found that experiences play a central role in students’ understanding of new knowledge as students are directly engaged in the learning process. This study discovered that experiential learning facilitates students’ appreciation of environmental sustainability, as evidenced by their reflections. The findings from this study contribute to the development of knowledge regarding Islamic values and environmental sustainability within the context of higher education institution. The approach in the Revealed Knowledge and Natural Phenomena course described in this paper may shed some lights on its implementation. In conclusion, experiential learning should be applied extensively in IRE curricula.