Reevaluating Qur'anic Hermeneutics: A Comparative Analysis Between Classical Tafsir and Modern Hermeneutical Approaches

Moh. Nor Ichwan, Auwal Salisu

Abstract


This study discusses the methodological differences between classical interpretation and modern hermeneutic approaches in interpreting the Qur'an. Classical interpretation, represented by works such as Tafsir al-Tabari and Tafsir Ibn Kathir, tends to emphasize the authority of tradition and the literal understanding of the Qur'anic text. In contrast, modern hermeneutics, developed by scholars such as Fazlur Rahman and Nasr Hamid Abu Zayd, offers a more contextual and critical approach to texts, considering historical and social factors. This study aims to explore the strengths and weaknesses of the two approaches and assess the potential for combining the two elements. Using comparative methods and thematic analysis, this study finds that classical interpretation excels in maintaining the text's integrity but is less flexible in responding to contemporary challenges. On the other hand, modern hermeneutics is more relevant to today's socio-political context, although it faces criticism regarding the legitimacy and authority of the text. This study recommends further study of how ijtihad can bridge the gap between tradition and modernity, creating a more inclusive approach to interpreting the Qur'an.

Keywords


Classical interpretation, modern hermeneutics, Qur'an, ijtihad, contextual interpretation, Islamic tradition

References


Abu-Rabi, Ibrahim M, ‘Qur’an, Liberation and Pluralism: An Islamic Perspective of Interreligious Solidarity against Oppression’ (JSTOR, 1998)

Abu-Zayd, Nasr, ‘The Dilemma of the Literary Approach to the Qur’an’, Alif: Journal of Comparative Poetics, 23, 2003, p. 8, doi:10.2307/1350075

Al-Azmeh, Aziz, ‘Muslim Culture and the European Tribe’, Islams and Modernities, London Verso, 1993

Arrauf, Ismail Fahmi, and Miswari Miswari, ‘MENANGKAP PESAN TUHAN: URGENSI KONTEKSTUALISASI ALQURAN MELALUI HERMEUNETIKA’, Jurnal At-Tibyan: Jurnal Ilmu Alquran Dan Tafsir, 3.2 (2018), p. 223, doi:10.32505/tibyan.v3i2.698

Attride-Stirling, Jennifer, ‘Thematic Networks: An Analytic Tool for Qualitative Research’, Qualitative Research, 1.3 (2001), pp. 385–405, doi:10.1177/146879410100100307

Bhat, Samee-Ullah, ‘The Life and Work of Muhammad Ibn Jarir Al-Tabari’, Khazanah Pendidikan Islam, 4.1 (2022), pp. 28–36, doi:10.15575/kp.v4i1.18071

Braun, Virginia, and Victoria Clarke, ‘Using Thematic Analysis in Psychology’, Qualitative Research in Psychology, 3.2 (2006), pp. 77–101

Brown, Daniel W, Rethinking Tradition in Modern Islamic Thought (Cambridge University Press, 1999), V

Brown, Jonathan A C, Hadith: Muhammad’s Legacy in the Medieval and Modern World (Simon and Schuster, 2017)

Budi, Setio, ‘The Dark Side of Alquran Hermeneutics: Criticism of the Hermeneutics of the Alquran Mohammed Arkoun’, Journal of Islamic Civilization, 4.1 (2022), pp. 81–90, doi:10.33086/jic.v4i1.2627

Busyra, Sarah, ‘Diskursus Hermeneutika Dan Kritik Terhadap Studi Qur’an Kontemporer’, TRANSFORMATIF, 5.1 (2021), pp. 1–12, doi:10.23971/tf.v5i1.2690

Creswell, John W, Research Design: Qualitative, Quantitative, and Mix Methods Approaches (Sage Publication, 2014)

Demichelis, Marco, ‘Islamic Liberation Theology. An Inter-Religious Reflection between Gustavo Gutierrez, Farīd Esack and Ḥamīd Dabāšī’, Oriente Moderno, 94.1 (2014), pp. 125–47, doi:10.1163/22138617-12340042

Denzin, Norman K, ‘Triangulation 2.0’, Journal of Mixed Methods Research, 6.2 (2012), pp. 80–88

Dr. Abdul Hameed, and Mian Saadat Ali Nadeem, ‘A Brief Review of Historical Promotions of Interpretive Methods of the Holy Quran in Early Times’, Al-Qamar, 2023, pp. 1–34, doi:10.53762/alqamar.06.03.e01

Duderija, Adis, ‘Tensions between the Study of Gender and Religion’, Hawwa, 15.3 (2017), pp. 257–78, doi:10.1163/15692086-12341329

Esack, Farid, Qurʾan, Liberation and Pluralism: An Islamic Perspective of Interreligious Solidarity against Oppression (Oneworld, 1997)

Fidhayanti, Dwi, Muhammad Muhammad, Mahbub Aunur Rofiq, Muhammad Robith Fuadi, Abdul Hakim, and Nabrisatul Chusna Bil Makkiy, ‘Rethinking Islamic Feminist Thought on Reinterpreting the Qur’an: An Analysis of the Thoughts of Aminah Wadud, Fatima Mernissi, Asma Barlas, and Riffat Hassan’, Tribakti: Jurnal Pemikiran Keislaman, 35.1 (2024), pp. 37–56, doi:10.33367/tribakti.v35i1.4956

Friedman, Lawrence, ‘Modern Hermeneutics and Psychoanalysis’, The Psychoanalytic Quarterly, 69.2 (2000), pp. 225–64, doi:10.1002/j.2167-4086.2000.tb00562.x

Fusch, Patricia, Gene E Fusch, and Lawrence R Ness, ‘Denzin’s Paradigm Shift: Revisiting Triangulation in Qualitative Research’, Journal of Sustainable Social Change, 10.1 (2018), p. 2

Ghulam Mustafa Nukhba, ‘Exploring the Analytical Approach in Analyzing Prophetic Hadith: Methodologies and Insights from Hadith Critics’, Integrated Journal for Research in Arts and Humanities, 3.4 (2023), pp. 29–37, doi:10.55544/ijrah.3.4.4

GUANGHUI, JIANG, ‘The Interpretation of Tradition and the Tradition of Interpretation: The Trajectory of the Evolution of Thought in the Confucian Classics and the Direction of Its Interpretations’, Contemporary Chinese Thought, 36.4 (2005), pp. 11–35, doi:10.1080/10971467.2005.11040608

Hallaq, Wael B, ‘Juristic Authority vs. State Power: The Legal Crises of Modern Islam’, Journal of Law and Religion, 19.2 (2004), pp. 243–58

Harrison, Victoria S., ‘Hermeneutics, Religious Language and the Qur’an’, Islam and Christian–Muslim Relations, 21.3 (2010), pp. 207–20, doi:10.1080/09596410.2010.487682

Hesk, Jon, ‘The Context of Tragedy - B. Goff (Ed.): History, Tragedy, Theory: Dialogues on Athenian Drama. Pp. x + 228. Austin: University of Texas Press, 1995. $35. ISBN: 0-292-72779-8.’, The Classical Review, 48.1 (1998), pp. 72–74, doi:10.1017/S0009840X0033044X

Ibrohim, Mohamad Yufidz Anwar, and Nur Muhammad, ‘Hermeneutika Double Movement Fazlur Rahman: Mewujudkan Hukum Islam Yang Lebih Eksistensialis’, EL-BANAT: Jurnal Pemikiran Dan Pendidikan Islam, 12.1 (2022), pp. 104–20, doi:10.54180/elbanat.2022.12.1.104-120

Izza, Vicky, ‘DOUBLE MOVEMENT: HERMENEUTIKA ALQURAN FAZLUR RAHMAN’, Jurnal Keislaman, 4.2 (2021), pp. 127–43, doi:10.54298/jk.v4i2.3314

Jin-fen, Wang, ‘Intervention of Modernity in the Classical Interpretation and Its Thinking’, 2013

Kelly, Michael R, ‘Hermeneutics and Critical Theory in Ethics and Politics’, 1990

Mernissi, Fatima, The Veil and the Male Elite: A Feminist Interpretation of Women’s Rights in Islam (Perseus Books Cambridge, MA, 1991)

Nadwi, Mohammad Akram, ‘The Origins and Evolution of Islamic Law By Wael B. Hallaq’ (Oxford University Press, 2008)

Naupal, Naupal, ‘THE CRITICISM OF LITERALISM IN READING THE QUR’AN THROUGH NASR HAMID ABU ZAYD HERMENEUTICS’, International Review of Humanities Studies, 4.1 (2019), doi:10.7454/irhs.v4i1.139

Noor, Ahmad Yunus Mohd, and Nagwa Hussein Baker Musa, ‘Methodology of Salah Abdul Fattah Al-Khalidi in Abridgement of al-Tabari’s Corpus, Jami’al-Bayan’An Ta’wil Ay al-Quran: Taqrib Wa Tahzib (Approximation and Refinement)’, Islamiyyat, 44.1 (2022), pp. 125–30

Nurani, Shinta, ‘IMPLIKASI TAFSIR KLASIK TERHADAP SUBORDINASI GENDER: PEREMPUAN SEBAGAI MAKHLUK KEDUA’, Muwazah, 7.2 (2016), doi:10.28918/muwazah.v7i2.518

O’G’Li, Hasanov Ulug’Bek Abdusalom, ‘The Main Features of Modern Qur’anic Exegesis’, Asian Journal of Multidimensional Research, 11.11 (2022), pp. 229–38, doi:10.5958/2278-4853.2022.00322.6

———, ‘The Main Features of Modern Qur’anic Exegesis’, Asian Journal of Multidimensional Research, 11.11 (2022), pp. 229–38, doi:10.5958/2278-4853.2022.00322.6

Rahman, Afzalur, Islam, Ideology and the Way of Life (Seerah Foundation, 1980)

Rahman, Fazlur, Islamic Methodology in History (Adam Publishers, 1994)

Rehman, Fazlur, ‘Islam and Modernity: Transformation of an Intellectual Tradition’ (Chicago, University of Chicago Press, 1982)

Saeed, Abdullah, Interpreting the Qur’an: Towards a Contemporary Approach (Taylor & Francis, 2006)

———, Interpreting the Qur’an: Towards a Contemporary Approach (Taylor & Francis, 2006)

Saeed, Abdullah, and Ali Akbar, ‘Contextualist Approaches and the Interpretation of the Qur’ān’, Religions, 12.7 (2021), p. 527, doi:10.3390/rel12070527

Sayed Abdelnasser, Hesham, ‘Beyond Text and Context: Modern Scientific Discoveries through Gadamerian Hermeneutics and the Hermeneutical Circle in Quranic Interpretation’, المجلة العلمیة لکلیة الآداب-جامعة أسیوط, 30.90 (2024), pp. 899–916, doi:10.21608/aakj.2024.274445.1695

Sookhdeo, Patrick, ‘Issues of Interpreting the Koran and Hadith’, Connections: The Quarterly Journal, 05.3 (2006), pp. 57–81, doi:10.11610/Connections.05.3.06

Ulya, Ulya, ‘HERMENEUTIKA DOUBLE MOVEMENT FAZLUR RAHMAN : Menuju Penetapan Hukum Bervisi Etis’, ULUL ALBAB Jurnal Studi Islam, 2013, doi:10.18860/ua.v0i0.2385

Uthamn, Yusuf Olawale Owa-Onire, ‘Qur’anic Revelation: The Comparison between the Methods of Tafsir and Fiqh in Its Interpretation’, Indonesian Journal of Islamic Literature and Muslim Society, 2023

Völker, Katharina, ‘Two Accounts of Qur’anic Revelation’, Islam and Christian–Muslim Relations, 26.3 (2015), pp. 271–86, doi:10.1080/09596410.2015.1040240

Wekke, Ismail Suardi, and Acep; Firdaus, ‘HERMENEUTICAL APPROACH TO THE QUR’AN’, Epistemé: Jurnal Pengembangan Ilmu Keislaman, 13.2 (2018), pp. 455–79, doi:10.21274/epis.2018.13.2.455-479

———, ‘HERMENEUTICAL APPROACH TO THE QUR’AN’, Epistemé: Jurnal Pengembangan Ilmu Keislaman, 13.2 (2018), pp. 455–79, doi:10.21274/epis.2018.13.2.455-479

White, C. Jason, ‘Is It Possible to Discover “the One” Intended Meaning of the Biblical Authors?’, Scottish Journal of Theology, 67.2 (2014), pp. 178–94, doi:10.1017/S0036930614000052

Zaenuri, Ahmad, ‘CLASSICAL AND MODERN EXEGESIS STYLES: THE EVOLUTION OF THE DEVELOPMENT EXEGESIS STYLES FROM CLASSICAL AND MODERN PERIODS’, Jurnal At-Tibyan: Jurnal Ilmu Alqur’an Dan Tafsir, 8.1 (2023), pp. 20–38, doi:10.32505/at-tibyan.v8i1.6007

Zainatul Nadra Zainol, Nur, Latifah Abdul Majid, and Mohd Faizulamri Md Saad, ‘An Overview on Hermeneutics Method Application to the Quran by Muslim Thinkers’, International Journal of Engineering & Technology, 7.4.9 (2018), pp. 167–70, doi:10.14419/ijet.v7i4.9.20643

Zayd, N Ḥ A, K Amirpur, M N K Setiawan, and W R Regeringsbeleid, Reformation of Islamic Thought: A Critical Historical Analysis, WRR Verkenningen Series (Amsterdam University Press, 2006)

Zayd, Naṣr Ḥāmid Abū, Reformation of Islamic Thought: A Critical Historical Analysis (Amsterdam University Press, 2006), X

عزوز, عزه سید, ‘مداخل تاریخیة القرآن الکریم عند نصر حامد أبو زید عرض ونقض’, حولیة کلیة اصول الدین بالقاهرة, 34.34 (2021), pp. 2269–2424, doi:10.21608/bfarc.2021.228148




DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.24042/kalam.v18i2.24213

Refbacks

  • There are currently no refbacks.


Bookmark and Share


Copyright (c) 2024 Moh. Nor Ichwan, Auwal Salisu

License URL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0

KALAM [ISSN: 0853-9510, e-ISSN: 2540-7759] published by Faculty of Ushuluddin and Religious Study, Universitas Islam Negeri Raden Intan Lampung in collaboration with Asosiasi Aqidah dan Filsafat Islam (Islamic Theology and Philosophy Association)

Office: Faculty of Ushuluddin and Religious Study, Universitas Islam Negeri Raden Intan Lampung. Letkol H. Endro Suratmin Street, Sukarame, Bandar Lampung, Lampung, Indonesia, Postal code 34513. Website: http://ejournal.radenintan.ac.id/index.php/kalam, Email: kalam@radenintan.ac.id.

Creative Commons License This journal is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.