Recontextualizing āyāt al-aḥkām: maqāṣid-based legal hermeneutics in contemporary qur’anic exegesis

Warda Mardiana Tambunan; Tiara Hidayah B; Miftahur Rahmah

Authors

Warda Mardiana Tambunan Universitas Islam Negeri Sultan Syarif Kasim Riau
Tiara Hidayah B Universitas Islam Negeri Sultan Syarif Kasim Riau
Miftahur Rahmah Al Azhar University

Keywords:

āyāt al-aḥkām, maqāṣid al-sharīʿah, qur’anic hermeneutics, legal exegesis, contextual interpretation

Abstract

This article examines the problem of recontextualizing āyāt al-aḥkām in contemporary Qur’anic exegesis, particularly the tension between preserving textual authority and responding to changing legal-ethical realities. Classical legal exegesis has developed sophisticated methods for deriving rulings from Qur’anic verses, yet contemporary issues such as family welfare, criminal justice, and intercommunal coexistence require an interpretive framework that can connect legal texts with their broader moral objectives. This study employs a qualitative library-based research design using textual, hermeneutical, and comparative-analytical approaches. The primary data consist of selected Qur’anic legal verses, namely Q. 4:11 on inheritance, Q. 2:178–179 on qiṣāṣ, Q. 5:38–39 on theft and repentance, and Q. 60:8 on civic coexistence, supported by classical and modern maqāṣid literature. The analysis is conducted through four stages: textual anchoring, socio-historical contextualization, identification of legal-moral objectives, and contemporary normative rearticulation. The findings show that Qur’anic inheritance discourse is oriented toward family welfare and intergenerational justice; penal verses are structured around life protection, deterrence, repentance, and reform; and intercommunal legal ethics affirm justice, benevolence, and peaceful coexistence. The article argues that maqāṣid-based legal hermeneutics provides a disciplined middle path between rigid textualism and unrestricted contextualism. Its core contribution lies in formulating maqāṣid as an operational interpretive model for recontextualizing Qur’anic legal verses while preserving their textual and normative authority.

References

Abu-Alhaj, T A A, M A Norasid, and S M H Al-Siyabi. “Governance; Its Concept, Foundations and Practical Implications: A Contemporary Qur’anic Maqasidic Study.” AlBayan 23, no. 1 (2025): 101–29. https://doi.org/10.1163/22321969-20250168.

Ahmad, M Y, E A Jamsari, B M Nasir, A Hehsen, and W Z W Hassan. “Flexibility of Takharuj Principle in Solving the Inheritance Issues.” International Journal of Civil Engineering and Technology 8, no. 11 (2017): 867–78. https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-85036539102&partnerID=40&md5=9a13b957e0ea272d6449ad570630a7b6.

Ahyani, H, H M Putra, M Muharir, E T Rahman, and M Mustofa. “Gender Justice In The Sharing Of Inheritance And Implementation In Indonesia.” Asy-Syari’ah 24, no. 2 (2022): 285–304. https://doi.org/10.15575/as.v24i2.2.14640.

Al-Alwani, Taha Jabir. Issues in Contemporary Islamic Thought. London: International Institute of Islamic Thought, 2005.

Al-Shatibi, Abu Ishaq Ibrahim ibn Musa. Al-Muwafaqat Fi Usul Al-Shariah. Edited by Abu Ubaydah Mashhur ibn Hasan Al Salman. Khobar: Dar Ibn Affan, 1997.

Alias, A, and N A A Aziz. “Implementing Multimedia and Simulation in Developing Computerized Blood Circulation and Bodily Movement during Obligatory Prayers (SolatSim).” In ICCTD 2010 - 2010 2nd International Conference on Computer Technology and Development, Proceedings, 735–38, 2010. https://doi.org/10.1109/ICCTD.2010.5646420.

Alias, M N, M N Abdullah, M S Kamis, A J Afandi, and N Alias. “Scientific Approach As The Basis For The Formation Of Maqāṣid Al-Sharī‘Ah Concept And Principles: A Comparative Study.” Malaysian Journal of Syariah and Law 12, no. 2 (2024): 350–63. https://doi.org/10.33102/mjsl.vol12no2.568.

Alias, M N, M N Abdullah, M F Osman, N F Ismail, and M S Kamis. “The Position of Maqasid Al-Shariah within Islamic Legal Sources: A Comprehensive Analysis.” Samarah 9, no. 2 (2025): 937–64. https://doi.org/10.22373/q4byre51.

Amin, Z. “Religious Coping and Moral Injury among Muslim Clinicians: A Mixed-Methods Study of Post-Pandemic Burnout in Healthcare Settings.” Journal of Religion and Health, 2025. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10943-025-02528-8.

Ashafa, S A, and L Raimi. “Exploring the Impact of Islam’s Social Well-Being and Economic Justice on Peaceful Coexistence in Nigeria: Implications for Conventional Welfare Policy.” Journal of Entrepreneurship and Public Policy 14, no. 2 (2025): 230–50. https://doi.org/10.1108/JEPP-11-2023-0116.

Athambawa, M. “Ijtihād Maqāṣidī and Legal Adaptation: A Comparative Analysis of Contemporary Islamic Jurisprudence in Responding to Emerging Issues.” Mazahibuna: Jurnal Perbandingan Mazhab 7, no. 1 (2025): 89–103. https://doi.org/10.24252/mazahibuna.vi.54378.

Auda, Jasser. Maqasid Al-Shariah as Philosophy of Islamic Law. London: IIIT, 2008.

Aulia, R, I H D Alfani, M R Haririe, D Iswanto, and N Hannah. “Social Egg Freezing in Islamic Law: Conditional Permissibility through a Maqāṣid Al-Sharī‘ah and Gender Justice Perspective.” Mawaddah: Jurnal Hukum Keluarga Islam 3, no. 2 (2025): 546–78. https://doi.org/10.52496/mjhki.v3i2.81.

Bach, T. “Intergenerational Justice.” In The Encyclopedia of Political Thought, 1–2, 2014. https://doi.org/10.1002/9781118474396.wbept0518.

Baranov, P P, and A I Ovchinnikov. “Main Ideas of the Legal Hermeneutics.” Social Sciences (Pakistan) 11, no. 13 (2016): 3357–60. https://doi.org/10.3923/sscience.2016.3357.3360.

Bayram, A. “Analysis of the Casuistic Structure of the Legal Exegesis of the Qur’an from Its Form and Content: The Example of Tafsir Al-Qurtubi.” Cumhuriyet Dental Journal 24, no. 1 (2020): 187–209. https://doi.org/10.18505/cuid.684569.

Börsch-Supan, A. “Reform of the Pension System in Line with the Principle of Sustainability.” Wirtschaftsdienst 105, no. 11 (2025): 798–802. https://doi.org/10.2478/wd-2025-0205.

Bowen, Glenn A. “Document Analysis as a Qualitative Research Method.” Qualitative Research Journal 9, no. 2 (2009): 27–40.

Calder, Norman. “Tafsir from Tabari to Ibn Kathir.” In Approaches to the Qur’an, 101–4. London: Routledge, 1993.

Creswell, John W, and Cheryl N Poth. Qualitative Inquiry and Research Design: Choosing Among Five Approaches. 4th ed. Sage, 2018.

Denzin, Norman K, and Yvonna S Lincoln. The Sage Handbook of Qualitative Research. Sage Publications, 2018.

Duderija, A. “Neo-Traditional Salafi Qur’an-Sunna Hermeneutics1 and Its Interpretational Implications.” Religion Compass 5, no. 7 (2011): 314–25. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1749-8171.2011.00285.x.

Fatarib, H, Z Z Ali, N A Arifin, A Najib, and M N Fathoni. “Progressive Legal Reasoning in Contemporary Islamic Legal Reform: Negotiating the Maqāṣid and Hermeneutic Approaches.” Juris: Jurnal Ilmiah Syariah 24, no. 2 (2025): 277–94. https://doi.org/10.31958/juris.v24i2.16123.

Fitriyati, Y, D Ibrahim, F Muntaqo, and K N S Hasan. “Reconsidering Inheritance Equality: Gender Justice in Religious Court Decisions through the Lens of Maqashid Al-Shariah.” Nurani 25, no. 1 (2025): 122–40. https://doi.org/10.19109/nurani.v25i1.27133.

Fouad Allam, K. “Islam.” In The Wiley Blackwell Encyclopedia of Race, Ethnicity and Nationalism, 1–8, 2016. https://doi.org/10.1002/9781118663202.wberen207.

Gleave, Robert. Islam and Literalism: Literal Meaning and Interpretation in Islamic Legal Theory. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press, 2012.

Haider, A, N Mathlouthi, M Saer Rahal, and J Afzal. “Can Islamic Law and Secular Law Coexist Without Conflict.” Al-Istinbath: Jurnal Hukum Islam 10, no. 2 (2025): 485–512. https://doi.org/10.29240/jhi.v10i2.11331.

Halimang, S T. “Justice and Qiṣāṣ in Islamic Law: The Views of Muslim Scholars and Intellectuals at Makassar City, South Sulawesi.” Samarah 9, no. 1 (2025): 617–42. https://doi.org/10.22373/sjhk.v9i1.26164.

Hallaq, Wael B. A History of Islamic Legal Theories: An Introduction to Sunni Usul Al-Fiqh. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1997.

Haque, A, T I Maruf, M N Uddin, and M Z Anis. “Empowerment Of Sustainable Community Health Through The Application Of The Theory Of Maqasid Al-Shariah.” Asia Pacific Journal of Health Management 20, no. 2 (2025). https://doi.org/10.24083/apjhm.v20i2.4263.

Huda, M, and T W Hidayati. “The Concept of Muḥammad Shaḥrūr on Gender Parity in Inheritance Legislation.” El-Usrah 6, no. 2 (2023): 262–80. https://doi.org/10.22373/ujhk.v6i2.18121.

Husni, A B M, A H B Mohd Nor, A.W.M.M. El-Seoudi, I A Ibrahim, H Laluddin, M A Samsudin, A F Omar, and M N Alias. “Relationship of Maqasid Ai-Shariah with Qisas and Diyah: Analytical View.” Social Sciences (Pakistan) 7, no. 5 (2012): 725–30. https://doi.org/10.3923/sscience.2012.725.730.

Hussein, F A, A T Abolaji, and A S Gbolahan. “Maqāṣid Al-Sharīʿah and the Ethics of Surrogacy: A Critical Appraisal of Lineage and Legal Certainty in Contemporary Islamic Law.” Mazahibuna: Jurnal Perbandingan Mazhab 7, no. 2 (2025): 157–75. https://doi.org/10.24252/mazahibuna.vi.56753.

Ibn Ashur, Muhammad al-Tahir. Treatise on Maqasid Al-Shariah. Edited by Mohamed El-Tahir El-Mesawi. London: IIIT, 2006.

Ishaq, I, and M Ridwan. “A Study of Umar Bin Khatab’s Ijtihad in an Effort to Formulate Islamic Law Reform.” Cogent Social Sciences 9, no. 2 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1080/23311886.2023.2265522.

Islam, T. “Expansion Of Maqasid Thought Beyond Maqasid Al-Shariah: Maqasid Al-Quran As A New Paradigm.” Hamdard Islamicus 45, no. 4 (2022): 79–95. https://doi.org/10.57144/hi.v45i4.514.

Kamali, Mohammad Hashim. Shari‘ah Law: An Introduction. Oxford: Oneworld, 2008.

Kapai, P. “The Doctrine of Substantive Equality and the Democratisation of Diversity.” In At the Interface: Probing the Boundaries, 79:37–62, 2012. https://doi.org/10.1163/9789401208109_004.

Kotkas, T. “Social Rights and Social Sustainability: Can Social Law Promote Intergenerational Justice?” In Research Handbook on Sustainability and Competition Law, 320–35, 2024. https://doi.org/10.4337/9781802204667.00028.

Kozak-Isik, G. “Contemporary Legal Pluralism, the Modern Metropole, and Immigrant Integration: Negotiating the Law and Legal Institutions in Immigrant Contexts.” Social and Legal Studies 34, no. 2 (2025): 224–53. https://doi.org/10.1177/09646639241257589.

Modongal, S. “Justice (Adi) through Forgiveness ('afw): Islamic Ethics for Qisäs as an Alternative to the Western Conflict Resolution Mechanism.” Islamic Quarterly 64, no. 2 (2020): 147–58. https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-85098692932&partnerID=40&md5=3d77c8caa86c05ca766e08298a872dc9.

Mohd Yusob, M L, M A Salleh, A S Haron, M Makhtar, K N Asari, and L S M Jamil. “Maqasid Al-Shariah as a Parameter for Islamic Countries in Screening International Treaties before Ratification: An Analysis.” Pertanika Journal of Social Sciences and Humanities 23, no. SpecialIssue11 (2015): 219–26. https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-85012867906&partnerID=40&md5=9f01b1df8fa36e54b4ac87a4f22ac303.

Mubarrak, Z, I A Bakar, and M Hamdani. “The Urgency of the Islamic Law and Contemporary Societal Challenges: The Flexibility of Al-Maslahah in Determining the Hierarchy of Maqāṣid Al-Sharīʿah.” El-Usrah 8, no. 1 (2025): 344–65. https://doi.org/10.22373/pxydd884.

Mushtaq, M, and M R Mahmood. “Governing Diversity: Reflections on the Doctrine and Traditions of Religious Accommodation in Islam.” Journal of Islamic Thought and Civilization 10, no. 2 (2020): 190–205. https://doi.org/10.32350/jitc.102.11.

Mustar, S, N H N Muhamad, M H A Yazid, and H C Pa. “Analysis of Insurance Nomination Practices in Singapore According to the Objectives of Shari’ah in Islamic Law.” Islamic Quarterly 61, no. 1 (2017): 135–53. https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-85028355128&partnerID=40&md5=ef65baaae0e1310c093a1f6f8debcdde.

Patton, Michael Q. Qualitative Research & Evaluation Methods. Sage Publications, 2015.

Pongoliu, H. “Pembagian Harta Waris Dalam Tradisi Masyarakat Muslim Di Gorontalo.” Al-Manahij: Jurnal Kajian Hukum Islam 13, no. 2 (2019): 187–202. https://doi.org/10.24090/mnh.v13i2.3166.

Poscher, R. “The Hermeneutics of Legal Precedent.” In Philosophical Foundations of Precedent, 143–57, 2023. https://doi.org/10.1093/oso/9780192857248.003.0012.

Poya, A. Sharia and Justice: An Ethical, Legal, Political, and Cross-Cultural Approach. Sharia and Justice: An Ethical, Legal, Political, and Cross-Cultural Approach, 2018. https://doi.org/10.1515/9783110574593.

Rahman, Fazlur. Islam and Modernity: Transformation of an Intellectual Tradition. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1982.

———. Islam and Modernity: Transformation of an Intellectual Tradition. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1982.

Rasyid, A, R F Lubis, and I Saleh. “Contestation of Customary Law and Islamic Law in Inheritance Distribution: A Sociology of Islamic Law Perspective.” Al-Ahkam 34, no. 2 (2024): 419–48. https://doi.org/10.21580/ahkam.2024.34.2.20843.

Sadek, K. “Maṣlaḥa and Rachid Al-Ghannushi’s Reformist Project.” In Maqasid Al-Shari’a and Contemporary Reformist Muslim Thought: An Examination, 151–75, 2014. https://doi.org/10.1057/9781137319418_7.

Saeed, Abdullah. Interpreting the Qur’an: Towards a Contemporary Approach. London: Routledge, 2006.

———. Islamic Thought: An Introduction. London: Routledge, 2006.

Sodiqin, A. “Legal, Moral, and Spiritual Dialectics in the Islamic Restorative Justice System.” Ahkam: Jurnal Ilmu Syariah 21, no. 2 (2021): 357–78. https://doi.org/10.15408/ajis.v21i2.22675.

Sriwidodo, J. “Ensuring Restorative Justice Through Penal Mediation in Indonesia: An Examination from the Perspective of Islah (Reformation) in Islamic Criminal Law.” Manchester Journal of Transnational Islamic Law and Practice 20, no. 3 (2024): 45–57. https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-85211226750&partnerID=40&md5=1f99453e58920398eaca39f39656c709.

Suparno, D, M Rokhim, S F Chairul, and I Atih. “Islam Nusantara in Song: Transitivity Benchmarking on Qasidah Nahdliyah.” Studia Islamika 32, no. 2 (2025): 279–311. https://doi.org/10.36712/sdi.v32i2.46438.

Takim, L. “Maqāṣid Al-Sharī‘a in Contemporary Shī’ī Jurisprudence.” In Maqasid Al-Shari’a and Contemporary Reformist Muslim Thought: An Examination, 101–25, 2014. https://doi.org/10.1057/9781137319418_5.

Thio, L.-A. “Law, Reconciliation, and Human Dignity: Religious Diversity and Managing Religious Harmony in Singapore.” In Fundamental Rights, Religion and Human Dignity: A Constitutional Journey, 57–81, 2024. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003519188-5.

Thompson, J. “Identity and Obligation in a Transgenerational Polity.” In Intergenerational Justice, 2009. https://doi.org/10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199282951.003.0002.

Uddin, K Z. “Mullā Jīwan’s Methodology In His Qurʾān Commentary Al-Tafsīrāt Al-Aḥmadiyyah.” Australian Journal of Islamic Studies 7, no. 1 (2022): 96–114. https://doi.org/10.55831/ajis.v7i1.459.

Vatuk, S. “Muslim Daughters and Inheritance in India: Sharīcat, Custom and Practice.” Contemporary South Asia 30, no. 1 (2022): 16–29. https://doi.org/10.1080/09584935.2021.2021854.

Yilmaz, I. “An Analytical Overview on the Girl’s Inheritance Share Based on Gender in Islamic Law.” Cumhuriyet Ilahiyat Dergisi 22, no. 1 (2018): 347–76. https://doi.org/10.18505/cuid.404670.

Zawawi, M, and N Hussin. “Forgiving the Enemy: A Comparative Analysis of the Concept of Forgiveness in Shari’ah and Malaysian Law.” Pertanika Journal of Social Sciences and Humanities 23, no. October (2015): 43–54. https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-84943614559&partnerID=40&md5=6088875d15a8123adc519a6b77d576e8.

Zuleikha, A, and S Mohamad. “Faraid as Islamic Inheritance Laws: Socio-Economic Impact on Investments.” In Islamic Wealth Management: Theory and Practice, 281–310, 2017. https://doi.org/10.4337/9781786439390.00026.

Zulkefly, A Q, R M Noor, and M Z Daud. “Proof of Zina Bi Al-Jabr from Islamic Perpective and Contemporary Legislation: A Literature Review.” Journal of Shariah Law Research 6, no. 2 (2021): 201–14. https://doi.org/10.22452/jslr.vol6no2.4.