aa

Reclaiming Justice: Abu Zayd’s Contextual Hermeneutics and the Political Ethics of the Qur’an

Authors

  • 👤

    Abdur Rozaq

    🏛️ UIN Maulana Malik Ibrahim Malang
  • 👤

    Hadziq Mubarok

    🏛️ UIN Maulana Malik Ibrahim Malang
  • 👤

    Moh Asnal Marom

    🏛️ Al-Ahgaff University Mukalla
  • 👤

    Fauzy Ramadhan

    🏛️ Al-Azhar University, Cairo

Keywords:

Nasr Hamid Abu Zayd, hermeneutics, Qur’anic ethics, Islamic political thought, justice

Abstract

This paper applies Nasr Hamid Abu Zayd’s contextual hermeneutics to four Qur’anic verses often invoked in Islamic political discourse: QS. al-Nisā’ [4]:59, QS. al-Baqarah [2]:30, QS. al-Shūrā [42]:38, and QS. al-Mā’idah [5]:44. Traditional interpretations have frequently endorsed literal and authoritarian readings, framing obedience, governance, and divine law as rigid imperatives. By engaging Abu Zayd’s concept of tārīkhiyyat al-dalālah (the historicity of meaning), this study reinterprets these verses through their socio-historical contexts and ethical substance. The analysis finds that each verse contains dynamic ethical imperatives: conditional obedience, ecological stewardship, participatory governance, and values-based jurisprudence. Abu Zayd’s methodology reframes Islamic political thought as a field grounded not in legal absolutism, but in moral dialogue. This approach supports a pluralistic, just, and context-sensitive reading of the Qur’an, offering new possibilities for integrating Islamic teachings with contemporary values of justice, human rights, and ethical leadership

Downloads

References

Abu Zayd, N. H. (1994). Naqd al-khiṭāb al-dīnī [Critique of religious discourse] (2nd ed.). Cairo: Sina li al-Nashr.

Abu Zayd, N. H. (1990). Mafhūm al-naṣṣ: Dirāsah fī ʿulūm al-Qurʾān [The concept of the text: A study in the sciences of the Qur’an]. Cairo: al-Hayah al-Misriyah al-ʿĀmmah lil-Kitāb.

Abou El Fadl, K. (2001). Speaking in God’s name: Islamic law, authority and women. Oxford: Oneworld Publications.

Abou El Fadl, K. (2014). Reasoning with God: Reclaiming Shari'ah in the modern age. Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield.

Abidin, Z. (2020). Islamic economics development in Indonesia: Reflection on contemporary thoughts of Muslim intellectuals. Shirkah Journal of Economics and Business, 5(3), 411. https://doi.org/10.22515/shirkah.v5i3.345

Adela, G. (2021). “Small fires causing large fires”: The rise of Boko Haram in northeastern Nigeria and its transnational posture in the Lake Chad Basin. The Journal of Intelligence Conflict and Warfare, 4(2), 46–67. https://doi.org/10.21810/jicw.v4i2.2952

Ahmad, H. (2023). Mapping neo-modern and postmodern Qur’ānic reformist discourse in the intellectual legacy of Fazlur Rahman and Mohammed Arkoun. Religions, 14(5), 595. https://doi.org/10.3390/rel14050595

Akbar, A. (2016). The political discourses of three contemporary Muslim scholars: Secular, nonsecular, or pseudosecular? Digest of Middle East Studies, 25(2), 393–408. https://doi.org/10.1111/dome.12084

Akbar, A. (2020). Muslim reformist scholars’ arguments for democracy independent of religious justification. Critical Research on Religion, 8(3), 217–234. https://doi.org/10.1177/2050303220952849

Akbar, A., & Saeed, A. (2022). A critique of the concept of ḥākimiyya: Nasr Hamid Abu Zayd’s approach. Religions, 13(11), 1100. https://doi.org/10.3390/rel13111100

Ali, M., & Agushi, M. (2024). Eco-Islam: Integrating Islamic ethics into environmental policy for sustainable living. International Journal of Religion, 5(9), 949–957. https://doi.org/10.61707/gq0we205

Ali, N. (2018). Concept of shūra in Fazlur Rahman’s political ideas at practical level. Journal of Islamic Thought and Civilization, 8(2), 110–126. https://doi.org/10.32350/jitc.82.07

Alisakun, S. (2020). Islam and democracy: A study on Rachid Ghannouchi’s views. Tafhim: IKIM Journal of Islam and the Contemporary World, 13(2), 27–54. https://doi.org/10.56389/tafhim.vol13no2.2

Almohamadawe, E. (2023). Democracy in contemporary Islamic thought and its relationship to the shura theory. The International and Political Journal, (56), 315–348. https://doi.org/10.31272/ipj.i56.256

Anas, A. (2024). Yusuf al-Qardhawi's hermeneutics: An alternative moderate reading of Qur'an. AIJQH, 2(2), 34–44. https://doi.org/10.62032/aijqh.v2i2.49

Basri, S., Adnan, Y., Widiastuty, L., Syamsul, M., & Indar, I. (2024). Islamic environmental ethics: A cultural framework for sustainable resource management and global ecological stewardship. Diversity Disease Preventive of Research Integrity, 86–93. https://doi.org/10.24252/diversity.v5i2.52342

Constance, A. (2023). Critiquing Islamic feminism from a social psychological perspective. Journal of Modern Islamic Studies and Civilization, 1(2), 50–66. https://doi.org/10.59653/jmisc.v1i02.130

Dozan, W., & Basir, Q. (2020). Aplikasi pendekatan hermeneutika Al-Qur’an Nasr Hamid Abu Zayd terhadap QS. al-Nisa’ (4): 3 dan al-Nahl (16): 3–4. Revelatia Jurnal Ilmu Al-Qur’an Dan Tafsir, 1(2), 101–116. https://doi.org/10.19105/revelatia.v1i2.3802

Elbanna, M., & Syukur, S. (2025). The philosophy of sharia muamalah: Between slavery to God and economic development. DEUJIS, 3(1), 81–94. https://doi.org/10.61455/deujis.v3i01.230

Falyouna, N. (2020). Analytical study on Nasr Hamid Abu Zayd's understanding of religious texts in Islam. Journal of Al-Tamaddun, 15(2), 45–55. https://doi.org/10.22452/jat.vol15no2.4

Fuadi, A. (2024). Reconfiguring religious authority and ethical governance in Islamic political thought: A comparative literature review. IJIS, 2(3), 136–148. https://doi.org/10.61194/ijis.v2i3.605

Ghannouchi, R., & March, A. (2023). The dialectic of unity, difference, and political pluralism in Islam. In Political Islam in the Age of Democratization (pp. 57–77). Oxford University Press. https://doi.org/10.1093/oso/9780197666876.003.0003

Goudarzi, M. (2025). Advancing women's social and political rights through a reinterpretation of Islamic law: Ayatollah Jannaati's view of female political authority in Shiite Islam. Digest of Middle East Studies, 34(1). https://doi.org/10.1111/dome.12351

Gusmian, I., & Abdullah, M. (2023). Criticism of social, political, and religious problems in Indonesia: A study on Al-Iklīl fī Ma‘ānī al-Tanzīl by Misbah bin Zainil Mustafa (1917–1994). Journal of Al-Tamaddun, 18(1), 215–230. https://doi.org/10.22452/jat.vol18no1.18

Hakim, G., & Munawir, M. (2023). Hukum potong tangan dalam QS. Al-Mā’idah ayat 38. Al Furqan: Jurnal Ilmu Al-Qur’an dan Tafsir, 6(2), 190–207. https://doi.org/10.58518/alfurqon.v6i2.1916

HANIF, I. (2023). Bridging centuries: The relevance of Al-Mawardi’s 100 thoughts in addressing today’s global challenges. JOCW, 7(1), 43–63. https://doi.org/10.70771/jocw.v7i1.75

HK, M. (2021). Fundamental ethics in Islamic political thought. Sophist Jurnal Sosial Politik Kajian Islam Dan Tafsir, 3(1), 30–48. https://doi.org/10.20414/sophist.v3i1.41

HK, M. (2022). Syura sebagai basis etis politik Islam. Politea Jurnal Politik Islam, 5(1). https://doi.org/10.20414/politea.v5i1.5379

Ichwan, M. (2024). Reevaluating Qur'anic hermeneutics: A comparative analysis between classical tafsir and modern hermeneutical approaches. Kalam, 18(2), 107. https://doi.org/10.24042/kalam.v18i2.24213

Irawan, R. (2020). Metode kontekstual penafsiran Al-Qur’an perspektif Fazlur Rahman. Al-Dzikra Jurnal Studi Ilmu Al-Qur'an Dan Al-Hadits, 13(2), 171–194. https://doi.org/10.24042/al-dzikra.v13i2.4164

Jaiyeoba, H., Ushama, T., & Amuda, Y. (2024). The Qur’an as a source of ethical and moral guidance in contemporary society. Al-Irsyad Journal of Islamic and Contemporary Issues, 9(2), 1331–1345. https://doi.org/10.53840/alirsyad.v9i2.485

Johnderose, A. (2024). The philosophy of mountains in the Qur’an and its lessons on stability, resilience, and environmental ethics. Tafse Journal of Qur’anic Studies, 9(2), 241. https://doi.org/10.22373/tafse.v9i2.29034

Jong, A., & Ebrahimzadeh, S. (2024). Ahmad Moftizadeh and the idea of the Islamic government: A discursive tradition analysis in the field of political Islam. Religions, 15(2), 220. https://doi.org/10.3390/rel15020220

Kaminski, J. (2021). European Islam—An Islam without direct reference to divine law? Religious Studies Review, 47(3), 345–349. https://doi.org/10.1111/rsr.15325

Камаев, А. (2019). Nasr Hamid Abu Zayd: His life and ideas. Islam in the Modern World, 15(2), 71–86. https://doi.org/10.22311/2074-1529-2019-15-2-71-86

Langermann, T. (2013). Peter Adamson and Peter E. Pormann, The philosophical works of Al-Kindī. The International Journal of the Platonic Tradition, 7(2), 246–248. https://doi.org/10.1163/18725473-12341269

López‐Farjeat, L. (2024). Naṣr Ḥāmid Abū Zayd’s use of classical theological and philosophical Islamic sources in his Qurʾānic hermeneutics. Filozofia, 79(8), 892–906. https://doi.org/10.31577/filozofia.2024.79.8.4

Madni, Q., Qasim, H., & Shakri, Z. (2022). جدید فقہی مسائل میں قراءاتِ قرآنیہ سے استدلال کا منہج. مجلہ اسلامی فکر و تہذیب, 2(1), 55–75. https://doi.org/10.32350/mift.21.05

Massoud, M., & Moore, K. (2020). Shari‘a consciousness: Law and lived religion among California Muslims. Law & Social Inquiry, 45(3), 787–817. https://doi.org/10.1017/lsi.2019.73

Maram, A. N. Problematika Penafsiran Penerapan Hukum Allah dalam Ayat Al-Qur'an.

Maram, A. N., Aziz, H., & Nasir, M. R. (2024). Hasan al-Turabi's Pragmatic Approach to Establishing an Islamic State in Sudan. Pharos Journal of Theology, 105(3). https://doi.org/10.46222/pharosjot.105.317

Maspul, K. (2023). Faith, politics, and democracy: Unraveling historical and contemporary dynamics in religious influences on electoral processes. Religion and Policy Journal, 1(2), 61–65. https://doi.org/10.15575/rpj.v1i2.628

Moch, M. (2022). Critique of nasḫ in contemporary Qur’ānic hermeneutics using the example of Naṣr Ḥāmid Abū Zayd’s works. Religions, 13(2), 187. https://doi.org/10.3390/rel13020187

Moustafa, T. (2013). Islamic law, women's rights, and popular legal consciousness in Malaysia. Law & Social Inquiry, 38(1), 168–188. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1747-4469.2012.01298.x

Muchlis, I. (2017). Mempertimbangkan nilai adil dalam warisan. Qof, 1(2), 129–142. https://doi.org/10.30762/qof.v1i2.924

Mufid, A., Massoweang, A., Mujizatullah, M., Muslim, A., & Yani, Z. (2023). Rereading Nasr Hamid Abu Zayd’s method of interpreting religious texts. HTS Teologiese Studies / Theological Studies, 79(1). https://doi.org/10.4102/hts.v79i1.8102

Mujahidin, M. (2023). Hermeneutika Nasr Hamid Abu Zayd dalam metode perkembangan tafsir modern. Mafatih, 3(1), 110–120. https://doi.org/10.24260/mafatih.v3i1.1364

Mujamil, A., & Wafa, A. (2023). Relevance of verses on politics in the Qur’an with the constitution in Indonesia: Thematic Pancasila, UUD 1945, and controversial articles in criminal code (KUHP). Istinbath, 22(2), 221–234. https://doi.org/10.20414/ijhi.v22i2.549

Muttaqin, A. (2021). From contextual to actual approach: Towards a paradigm shift in interpreting the Qur’an. Mutawatir, 11(2), 203–230. https://doi.org/10.15642/mutawatir.2021.11.2.203-230

Naupal, N. (2019). The criticism of literalism in reading the Qur'an through Nasr Hamid Abu Zayd hermeneutics. International Review of Humanities Studies, 4(1). https://doi.org/10.7454/irhs.v4i1.139

Opwis, F. (2003). Roswitha Badry, Die zeitgenössische Diskussion um den islamischen Beratungsgedanken (Šūrā): Unter dem besonderen Aspekt ideengeschichtlicher Kontinuitäten und Diskontinuitäten. Freiburger Islamstudien, Bd. 19 (Stuttgart: Franz Steiner Verlag, 1998). pp. 654. International Journal of Middle East Studies, 35(4), 633–635. https://doi.org/10.1017/s0020743803210266

Omar, A. (2020). Digital Shūrā in ‘Islamic Governance’: Expanding the political space in the fifth domain. Journal of Islamic Governance. https://doi.org/10.53105/tp-4

Oweidat, N. (2024). Shariʿa and the status of the Qurʾan. In A. March & K. Vogt (Eds.), Oxford Studies in Islamic Law (pp. 99–130). Oxford University Press. https://doi.org/10.1093/9780197744123.003.0005

Parray, T. (2023). Democratic notions in Islam. In Islam and Democracy (pp. 47–111). Oxford University Press. https://doi.org/10.1093/oso/9789391050337.003.0003

Rahman, H. (2021). The approach of Shūrā in Rachid Ghannouchi’s conception of state. Atatürk Üniversitesi İktisadi ve İdari Bilimler Dergisi. https://doi.org/10.16951/atauniiibd.810652

Rahman, S. (2014). The categories of infidelity in the Qur’an. Journal of Islam in Asia, 10(2), 129. https://doi.org/10.31436/jia.v10i2.400

Ramzar, A. (2025). Pemikiran politik pada masa Khulafaur Rasyidin. JIMI: Jurnal Ilmu Masyarakat Islam, 2(2), 44–49. https://doi.org/10.69714/98w93t84

Razak, M., Ismail, S., & Basir, S. (2024). Harmonizing faith and governance: A comprehensive study of Islamic governance frameworks. Jurnal Politik Islam, 17(2), 87–101. https://doi.org/10.53840/jpi.v17i2.304

Saptono, P., Khozen, I., & Jie, F. (2023). Obedience to uli’l-amr and tax compliance: Islamic scholarly perceptions. Journal of Islamic Thought and Civilization, 13(1). https://doi.org/10.32350/jitc.131.08

Soage, A. (2014). Shūrā and democracy: Two sides of the same coin? Religion Compass, 8(3), 90–103. https://doi.org/10.1111/rec3.12101

Soedrajad, M., & Tohir, N. (2022). Indigenous Islam and puritan Islam in Indonesia through Nasr Hamid Abu Zayd’s hermeneutic studies. Jurnal Islam Nusantara, 6(1), 44. https://doi.org/10.33852/jurnalnu.v5i2.307

Surahman, C. (2018). Poligami menurut Nasr Hamid Abu Zayd: Studi atas pengaruh pemikiran tafsir terhadap penetapan hukum. Ijtihad: Jurnal Wacana Hukum Islam dan Kemanusiaan, 17(2), 155–174. https://doi.org/10.18326/ijtihad.v17i2.155-174

Tamer, G. (2011). Nasr Hamid Abu Zayd. International Journal of Middle East Studies, 43(1), 193–195. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0020743810001558

Taufik, E. (2021). State idealism and the emerging democratization challenges of Indonesia post-political election in Abu Nasr al-Farabi’s paradigm of Qur’anic exegesis. Jurnal Studi Ilmu-Ilmu Al-Qur’an dan Hadis, 22(1), 49–66. https://doi.org/10.14421/qh.2021.2201-03

Ullah, P. (2024). Religion and politics: Islamic views. Bangladesh Journal of Integrated Thoughts, 19(1), 27–42. https://doi.org/10.52805/bjit.v19i1.304

Völker, K. (2015). Two accounts of Qur'anic revelation. Islam and Christian–Muslim Relations, 26(3), 271–286. https://doi.org/10.1080/09596410.2015.1040240

Zarif, M. (2022). Scripture and politics in Malaysia: The Qur’ānic exegesis of Abdul Hadi bin Awang. Al-Bayān – Journal of Qurʾān and Ḥadīth Studies, 20(1), 1–22. https://doi.org/10.1163/22321969-12340106

Zuhdi, A., Bilhaq, M., & Putri, L. (2024). Islamic philosophy’s approach to environmental ethics: An analysis of the teachings of the Qur’an and Hadith. Journal of Noesantara Islamic Studies, 1(4), 198–213. https://doi.org/10.70177/jnis.v1i4.1392

Zulkarnain, F., Muhammad, A., Sule, B., & Sahid, A. (2022). When the East meets the West: Analysing Rached Ghannouchi’s synthesis of democracy in Islam. Journal of Al-Tamaddun, 17(2), 127–141. https://doi.org/10.22452/jat.vol17no2.10

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

Published

2025-05-30

Issue

Section

Articles

How to Cite

Reclaiming Justice: Abu Zayd’s Contextual Hermeneutics and the Political Ethics of the Qur’an. (2025). An-Nur International Journal of The Quran & Hadith, 3(1), 14-29. https://doi.org/10.62032/aijqh.v3i1.82