A Semantic-Ethical Quranic Framework for Water Stewardship: From Revelation to Responsibility

Water scarcity and pollution are among the most pressing ethical and ecological challenges of our time. This study re-examines the Qur’an not only as a theological text but as a civilisational grammar, where al-mā’ (water) functions as a semantic, ethical, and epistemological signifier. Employing a triangulated methodology that bridges semantic field analysis, classical and contemporary tafsīr, Islamic legal thought, and scientific inquiry, this research constructs a polarity-conscious interpretive framework for al-māʾ within diverse Qur’anic genres. By bridging linguistic nuance with ethical application, it contributes to Qur’anic hermeneutics and sustainability discourse by offering a genre-sensitive model for ecological ethics, curriculum design, and policy engagement. Based on semantic analysis, 60 verses explicitly referencing water on earth, analysed through classical and contemporary tafsīr, and modern environmental discourse. Findings reveal water as a symbol of divine mercy, purification, justice, and trial, mapped across Meccan and Medinan suwar to trace its ethical evolution from metaphysical reflection to communal responsibility. It introduces a diachronic semantic-
polarity mapping of al-māʾ across Qur’anic genres, offering a novel framework that bridges classical tafsīr with contemporary ecological ethics in providing actionable insights for faith-based environmental policy and educational curriculum development. This Qur’anic discourse is then recontextualised within sustainability paradigms, particularly SDG 6 (Clean Water and Sanitation), to highlight its relevance to global water governance. The study contributes to Islamic environmental ethics by proposing a faith-informed framework for water stewardship. It advocates interdisciplinary collaboration between theology, science, and policy, positioning the Qur’an as a living source of ecological wisdom capable of guiding ethically resonant responses to today’s water crises.