The widespread and rapid destruction of the environment poses a serious threat to the future of the Earth and the life of living things. Religious teachings can aid to develop a proper attitude amongst the followers. The doctrine of the “khalīfatullāh” in Islamic theology is an extreme human-centered notion that considers man as the successor of God on earth and above all creatures. He, like God, can rule the world and its beings without the need for responsibility. In the present article, relying on the sources of Islamic theology and the method of content analysis and hermeneutics, it has been shown that the teaching of the khalīfatullāh has no place in the main sources of Islam including the Qur'an and Sunnah. This doctrine has been shaped and evolved by the political aims and desires of the Umayyad and ʻAbbasid caliphates. Gradually, the term khalīfatullāh appeared in Muslim interpretive, theological, historical, philosophical, jurisprudential, literary and mystical texts. The position of man in the Qur'an and Sunnah is “ʻabdullāh”. Man in the position of ʻabdullāh does not consider himself superior to other beings and adopts a modest and humane attitude towards nature. The greater one's sense of servitude to God, the more respectful and humble he is to God's creations. ʻAbdullāh, unlike khalīfatullāh, saves natural and environmental sources.
