Sustainable Development Goal 6 and the Prophetic Guidance on Water: A Hadīth-Based Framework

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Water scarcity, pollution, and inefficient use remain critical barriers to achieving Sustainable Development Goal 6 (SDG 6: Clean Water and Sanitation)/ The attainment of Sustainable Development Goal (Clean water and Sanitation), SDG#6, is critically undermined due to pressing issues, like water scarcity, pollution, and inefficient management of water resources. While Islamic civilisation has developed and emphasised frameworks governing water access, hygiene, and conservation, these resources are integrated seldomly into modern contemporary sustainability discourse. The current study fills this gap by systematically examining the Prophetic tradition (ḥadīth) and aligning it with SDG#6 targeting clean water and sanitation needs and its governance for water management. A qualitative textual approach was deployed by extracting 27 authenticated narrations from five canonical Sunni collections, which were coded into themes of equity and access, conservation and efficiency, pollution prevention, sanitation and hygiene, and ecosystem care. These thematic variations were then mapped to all six substantive SDG#6, along with its implementation targets (6.a–6.b). Indicatively, the findings revealed a close relevance between Prophetic teachings and the SDG#6 framework: guidance against monopolising surplus water aligns with equitable access; prohibitions on wastefulness support efficiency; injunctions against polluting stagnant water parallel source-protection standards; and compassion toward animals broadens the scope of ecosystem care. The contribution of this work lies in providing a faith-sensitive ethical framework for water governance. By embedding SDG#6 within Prophetic ethics, the study enhances legitimacy, mobilises religious institutions, and offers practical entry points for culturally resonant policy instruments. By situating Islamic traditions within the discourse on sustainability, the current research will be beneficial in demonstrating valuable resources for advancing global sustainability goals (SDG#6), particularly in Muslim-majority contexts.