Hermeneutika Tafsīr Mauḍū’ī

Abstract

   

Attempts to interpret the Qur’an are conducted in order to arrive at the result clos est to God’s will, as well as within the context of the development of human efforts to interpret the Qur’an. In attempting to achiveve that ends, the interpreter (the exegete) sometimes gets trapped in his or her subjectivity, by imposing meanings on the Qur’an according to his or her own will. On the other hand, the interpreter can also be too ob-jective, leading to interpretations devoid of any significant development. This problem may possibly be solved by applying the method of tafsīr mauḍ ū’ī. Tafsīr mauḍ ū’ī can be distinguished from other methods of interpretation by being thematically based: once a theme has been determined, all the verses on the same theme, albeit in different contexts, can be collected. Such a method gives greater flexibility to the interpreter without having to leave the sacred text. This article will look at the assumptions of tafsīr mauḍū’ī and compare those assumptions with those that exist within hermeneutics in general, in order to understand better the position of tafsīr mauḍ ū’ī compared with other interpretations.