ANALISIS FILSAFAT POSTHUMANISME DALAM KONSEP KHALIFAH MENURUT AL-QUR’AN

Abstract

This article explores the critical interaction between posthumanist philosophy and the concept of khalīfah (vicegerent) in the Qur’an. Posthumanism, as a response to classical humanism, challenges the centrality and superiority of the human being by opening space for non-human agency, including machines, animals, and ecological systems. In contrast, the Islamic worldview upholds the human as khalīfah fī al-arḍ (God’s vicegerent on Earth), bearing moral and spiritual responsibility to safeguard creation. This study aims to analyze how the tension between the posthumanist decentering of the human and the Islamic affirmation of human distinction can be reconciled through an ethical framework grounded in tawḥīd and maqāṣid al-sharīʿah. By applying a historical-philosophical approach and thematic interpretation (tafsīr mawḍūʿī) of Qur’anic verses, particularly QS. Al-Baqarah 30–33, the article finds that both paradigms share common ground, especially in emphasizing the interconnectedness of humans, nature, and technology. While posthumanism stresses ecological responsibility, the Islamic concept of khalīfah may be expanded as a moral foundation to guide technological development for the welfare of all creation. This article argues for the urgent need to develop an Islamic ethics of technology and renew Islamic legal thought (fiqh) to face the posthuman era in a balanced and contextually relevant manner.