From Fasād to Mīzān: A Qur’anic Eco-Theological Framework for Non-Structural Flood Mitigation in Kendari City

Abstract

Urban flooding is a multidimensional problem shaped by rainfall, drainage capacity, land-use change, environmental governance, and human behavior. This study aims to construct a Qur’anic eco-theological framework for non-structural flood mitigation in Kendari City by examining the relationship between the concepts of fasād and mīzān. This qualitative library research employs thematic Qur’anic interpretation (tafsīr mawḍū‘ī) and descriptive-interpretive content analysis. Primary sources include the Qur’an and selected exegetical works by Ibn Kathīr, al-Ṭabarī, al-Qurṭubī, and Hamka, while secondary sources comprise scholarly publications, regulations, institutional documents, and secondary data on flood mitigation in Kendari City. The analysis focuses on Qur’an 30:41 and 7:56 to examine fasād, and Qur’an 55:7–9 to explore mīzān, before contextualizing their meanings within the literature on urban flood mitigation. The findings conceptualize fasād as an ethical-diagnostic category for evaluating human actions that damage environmental functions, while mīzān serves as a reconstructive principle emphasizing balance, proportionality, justice, and sustainability. Their integration produces a conceptual sequence linking the recognition of environmental damage, ecological awareness, ethical responsibility, and mitigation-oriented action. In the context of Kendari City, this framework provides an ethical basis for ecological education, waste management, water conservation, catchment protection, and watershed rehabilitation, alongside technically appropriate flood-control measures. The study contributes a conceptual framework for integrating Qur’anic environmental ethics into non-structural flood mitigation. However, its practical effectiveness and influence on community awareness and behavior require further empirical investigation.