Integrating Islamic Legal Maxims into Environmental Sustainability Governance of the Hajj: A Conceptual Policy Analysis

Abstract

Background: Environmental sustainability in mass religious gatherings has emerged as a critical global concern due to escalating carbon emissions, waste generation, water stress, and ecosystem degradation. The Hajj pilgrimage represents one of the largest annual faith-based mass gatherings, exerting unprecedented pressure on the fragile sacred ecosystem of Makkah and its surrounding holy sites. Methods: This study employs a qualitative document analysis and policy analysis approach using classical Islamic legal texts, sustainability governance literature, and official Green Hajj policy documents issued by the Saudi authorities. Results: The findings demonstrate that major Islamic legal maxims, particularly al-ḍarar yuzāl (harm must be eliminated), al-mashaqqah tajlib al-taysīr (hardship begets facilitation), taṣarruf al-imām manūṭ bi al-maṣlaḥah (public authority is bound by public interest), and al-ʿādah muḥakkamah (custom is authoritative), are explicitly embedded within contemporary Hajj sustainability governance mechanisms. Implications: The integration of faith-based legal maxims into environmental governance enhances regulatory compliance, ethical internalisation, and long-term ecological resilience in sacred mass gatherings. Conclusions: Islamic legal maxims provide a robust normative–operational framework for environmental sustainability governance that is transferable beyond the Hajj context to other large-scale religious and cultural events.