The Construct of the Khalifah versus Homo Economicus:

The Philosophy of Sharia Economic Law as a Foundation for Sustainable Production Realities

Abstract

Abstract

The production paradigm in modern economics is predominantly built upon the concept of homo economicus, oriented toward instrumental rationality and profit maximization, which has contributed to ecological crises and social inequality as documented by the IPCC (2023) and Oxfam (2023). This study analyzes and compares the ontological construction of production between the homo economicus paradigm and the concept of khalifah fil-ard within Islamic economic law philosophy, employing a qualitative normative-philosophical method with a comparative approach to classical and contemporary literature across three analytical dimensions: ontological, epistemological, and axiological. The comparative findings reveal that homo economicus constructs production within a secular-instrumental framework positioning the human being as an autonomous utility-maximizing agent, nature as a substitutable input, and success as measured solely by profit and unlimited growth. By contrast, khalifah fil-ard, grounded in QS. Al-Baqarah: 30 and reinforced by the maqashid shariah framework particularly hifz al-bi'ah constructs the human being as a holder of divine trust responsible for ecological balance and intergenerational justice, yielding structurally distinct production norms: from the prohibition of israf and fasad fil-ard to the principles of 'adl, tawazun, and non-khashar throughout the halal supply chain. This synthesis produces concrete policy implications: halal-ecological certification, strengthening of digital hisbah, and reform of halal production regulation under the Halal Product Assurance Law (UU JPH) as steps toward operationalizing the khalifah paradigm in contemporary Islamic economics.

Keywords: khalifah fil-ard, homo economicus, Islamic economic law philosophy, sustainable production