A RECONSTRUCTION OF THE QUR’ANIC ETHICS OF ‘IBĀD AL-RAH{MĀN IN THE CONTEXT OF CONTEMPORARY INDONESIAN MUSLIMS: A COMPARATIVE STUDY OF THE TAFSIR OF IBN ‘ĀSHŪR AND M. QURAISH SHIHAB

DOI: https://doi.org/10.33650/mushaf.v6i2.14315
Authors

(1) * Maftukh Khanan Al Faiz   (Universitas Muhammadiyah Surakarta)  
        Indonesia
(2)  Moh. Abdul Kholiq Hasan   (Universitas Islam Negeri Raden Mas Said)  
        Indonesia
(3)  Mohammad Zakki Azani   (Universitas Muhammadiyah Surakarta)  
        Indonesia
(4)  Muhammad Badat Alauddin   (International Islamic University Islamabad)  
        Indonesia
(5)  Fahmi Ulum Al Mubarok   (SMAS IT Nurhidayah Sukoharjo)  
        Indonesia
(*) Corresponding Author

Abstract


Contemporary Indonesian Muslims face moral challenges stemming from social change, digital transformation, and the fragmentation of values. In this context, the concept of ‘Ibād al-Raḥmān in Surah Al-Furqān (25): 63–77 is important to examine as a model of Qur’anic ethics relevant to modern life. However, most studies conducted to date have tended to be normative-descriptive in nature and have not yet developed this concept into an operational moral framework. This study aims to reconstruct the ethics of ‘Ibād al-Raḥmān through a comparative study of Ibn ‘Āshūr’s al-Taḥrīr wa al-Tanwīr and Quraish Shihab’s Tafsīr al-Mishbāḥ. This study employs a qualitative, literature-based approach using the method of comparative exegesis (tafsīr muqāran) and thematic content analysis of the exegesis of Qur’anic Surah al-Furqān (25): 63–77. The results show that Ibn ‘Āshūr emphasizes the maqāṣidī dimension, which provides a normative and teleological foundation for Qur’anic ethics, while Quraish Shihab highlights the adabī-ijtimaʿī approach, which links the moral message of the verses to social reality. A synthesis of these two approaches results in the reconstruction of ‘Ibād al-Raḥmān as a contemporary moral competency, encompassing humanistic communication, productive spirituality, ethical economic agency, moral reflexivity, and service-oriented leadership. This study contributes to the development of Qur’anic ethics and Indonesian Islamic thought by offering a moral framework that bridges revelatory values and the ethical practices of contemporary Muslims.

Keywords

Ibād al-Raḥmān; Comparative Tafsīr; Qur’anic Ethics; Indonesian Islam; Muslim Moral Competencies







References


Abdullah, M., Gokaru, S. U., Abdul Ha-Mid, F. @. A. F. B., & Mohd Nor, M. R. (2025). Quranic Exegesis Studies in Malaysia: Realities, Challenges and Future Direction. Jurnal Studi Ilmu-Ilmu Al-Qur’an Dan Hadis, 26(1), 1–30. https://doi.org/10.14421/qh.v26i1.5779

Afikpo, S., Owoyemi, M. Y., & Ahmad, S. (2019). The islamic threat to igbohood: Myth versus reality in cultural context. Islamic Quarterly, 63(1), 23–48. https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-85074695298&partnerID=40&md5=d61075ff11f5801b636c8a9027a8420b

Ali, R., & Isnaini, S. N. (2024). Digitising Interpretation: Transforming Tafsir Al-Mishbah in the Context of the Living Quran. Jurnal Studi Ilmu-Ilmu Al-Qur’an Dan Hadis, 25(1), 1–23. https://doi.org/10.14421/qh.v25i1.5186

Alkhattb, W., Saged, A. A. G., & Zulkifli Mohd Yusoff, M. Y. (2024). The Impact of Al-Manār School on the Exegeses of Al-Marāghī and Ibn ’Āshūr in Addressing the Thematic Unity of the Holy Qur’an: An Analytical Comparative Study. Quranica, 16(1), 106–137. https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-85217214545&partnerID=40&md5=fafedbadae0b48df67a5a1824a85e42d

Arslane, G. (2020). Modernity and Prophetic Speech: The Ethical as the Impossible in the Post-Religious Vision of Kahlil Gibran. Concentric: Literary and Cultural Studies, 46(2), 11–35. https://doi.org/10.6240/concentric.lit.202009_46(2).0002

Asmuni, A. (2021). Moral Teachings and Spirituality in Manuscript Studies: A Critical Study of Social Values in the Digital Age. Journal of Social Studies Education Research, 12(4), 302–319. https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-85124532379&partnerID=40&md5=bcf108f6069af857e787da43b073500c

Auladi, A., Fitriana, N., Khaqiqi, A. F., Mutiara, M., Ningrum, U., Nadila, T., Haikal, M. A., Alfi, S. U. N., & Arsyad, N. (2025). Dialectical engagement with biblical narratives in Ibn ‘Ashur’s Tafsīr Al-Taḥrīr wa Al-Tanwīr: Study of Aaron, Jesus, and Noah’s Wife narratives. Research Journal in Advanced Humanities, 6(3). https://doi.org/10.58256/84c1wd64

Billaud, J. (2016). Snapshots of British Islam: Exploring Self, Identity, and the Good Ethical Life in the Global Megalopolis. Journal of Contemporary Ethnography, 45(5), 503–528. https://doi.org/10.1177/0891241615578904

Briki, W., & Amara, M. (2018). Perspective of Islamic Self: Rethinking Ibn al-Qayyim’s Three-Heart Model from the Scope of Dynamical Social Psychology. Journal of Religion and Health, 57(3), 836–848. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10943-017-0414-0

Dimyati, K., & Absori, A. (2018). The formulation of welfare state: The perspective of Maqāid al-Sharī’ah. Indonesian Journal of Islam and Muslim Societies, 8(1), 117–146. https://doi.org/10.18326/ijims.v8i1.117-146

Fuadi, A. (2021). Quraish Shihab’s quranic exegesis on interreligious harmony and its relevance to the contemporary western hermeneutics. Ulumuna, 25(1), 137–161. https://doi.org/10.20414/ujis.v25i1.441

Hadiz, V. R. (2017). Indonesia’s year of democratic setbacks: towards a new phase of deepening illiberalism? Bulletin of Indonesian Economic Studies, 53(3), 261–278. https://doi.org/10.1080/00074918.2017.1410311

Harris, K. M. A. (2022). Secularisation Of Ethics And Contemporary Moral Crisis. Afkar, 23(2), 121–170. https://doi.org/10.22452/afkar.vol23no2.4

Hasan, A. F., Al-Fatih, S., Siyo, S., & Nur, A. I. (2025). Interfaith Marriage In Indonesia’s Law: A Comparative Study Of Tafsir Al-Misbah And Al-Maraghi. Petita: Jurnal Kajian Ilmu Hukum Dan Syariah, 10(1), 322–337. https://doi.org/10.22373/petita.v10i1.458

Hefner, C.-M. (2019). On fun and freedom: young women’s moral learning in Indonesian Islamic boarding schools. Journal of the Royal Anthropological Institute, 25(3), 487–505. https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-9655.13079

Hefner, C. (2022). Morality, religious authority, and the digital edge: Indonesian Muslim schoolgirls online. American Ethnologist, 49(3), 359–373. https://doi.org/10.1111/amet.13088

Herlambang, S., Muttaqin, I., & Suratman, B. (2025). New media in the Interpretation of the Qur’an: study of Quraish Shihab’s interpretation of Covid-19 on Youtube. Cogent Arts and Humanities, 12(1). https://doi.org/10.1080/23311983.2025.2493463

Herlambang, S., & Parwanto, W. (2023). Paradigm Shifts in the Interpretation of Heaven Illustration Among Indonesian Mufassirin: A Comparative Analysis of As-Singkili, Hamka, and M. Quraish. Jurnal Studi Ilmu-Ilmu Al-Qur’an Dan Hadis, 24(1), 181–204. https://doi.org/10.14421/qh.v24i1.4454

Hidayat, S. (2023). The Qoranic View Of The World’s Religions Study Of The Indonesia Ministry Of Religious Affairs’ Al-Quran Dan Tafsirnya And M. Quraish Shihab’s Tafsir Al-Mishbâh. Revista de Gestao Social e Ambiental, 17(5). https://doi.org/10.24857/rgsa.v17n5-010

Houshmand, H. (2020). Human rights, religion, and decent hierarchical societies: A Rawlsian analysis. Human Rights, 15(1), 69–90. https://doi.org/10.22096/hr.2020.102323.1089

Kadivar, M. (2020). Democracy and ethical values from Islamic perspective. Philosophy and Social Criticism, 46(5), 563–575. https://doi.org/10.1177/0191453720909583

Kamri, N. A., Sarif, S., Ali, N. A., & Mokti, H. A. (2024). Ethics of Ikram al-Dayf for Quality Muslim-Friendly Hospitality Services. Millah: Journal of Religious Studies, 23(1), 467–504. https://doi.org/10.20885/millah.vol23.iss1.art15

Kholid, A., Bakar, A., & Zamzami, M. (2021). Rereading the indonesian interpretation of the qur’an on awliya’: The cases of hamka and m. quraish shihab. Qudus International Journal of Islamic Studies, 9(1), 37–72. https://doi.org/10.21043/QIJIS.V9I1.7567

Latifah, S. N., Fathorrazi, M., Yuliati, L., & Yunitasari, D. (2024). Modeling Poverty Alleviation in Indonesia according to Ibnu Khaldun Philosophy (an approach to morality in the Qur’an). Pharos Journal of Theology, 105(1), 1–14. https://doi.org/10.46222/pharosjot.1059

Lu, X. (2025). Religious Ethics And Digital Fairness: Theological Reflections On Anti-Unfair Competition Law And Online Advertising Blocking. European Journal for Philosophy of Religion, 17(2), 110–125. https://doi.org/10.24204/ejpr.2025.4481

Lukman, F. (2024). Evolution of the Evolution: Dealing with the Question of Evolution in Three Generations of Modern Indonesian Tafsīr (Exegesis) (pp. 121–146). Taylor and Francis. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003364931-6

Mohammed, A. M., & Abuzaid, N. M. (2023). The Secrets of Repetition in the Holy Qur’an, its Implications and Objectives Sūrah Al-Shu’Arā’ in Ibn ’Āshūr Tafseer as a Model. Quranica, 15(1 Special issue 10), 427–458. https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-85218715985&partnerID=40&md5=dc41d72ffabfce954f63f70a7d748c97

Mujahidin, A., Itmam, M. S., & Rofiq, A. C. (2024). The Dynamic of Contextualization in Indonesian Qura`Anic Tafsirs: A Comparative Study of Tafsir Al-Azhar And Tafsir Al-Mishbāh on The Story of The Prophet Moses. Jurnal Studi Ilmu-Ilmu Al-Qur’an Dan Hadis, 25(2), 221–246. https://doi.org/10.14421/qh.v25i2.5397

Mujib, L. S. B., & Hamim, K. (2021). Religious freedom and riddah through the maqāṣidī interpretation of ibn ‘Āshūr. HTS Teologiese Studies / Theological Studies, 77(4). https://doi.org/10.4102/HTS.V77I4.6928

Nur, I., Adam, S., & Muttaqin, M. N. (2020). Maqāṣid Al-Sharī‘at: The Main Reference and Ethical-Spiritual Foundation for the Dynamization Process of Islamic Law. Ahkam: Jurnal Ilmu Syariah, 20(2), 331–360. https://doi.org/10.15408/ajis.v20i2.18333

Özturan, H. (2025). Can Islamic Morality (Akhlāq) be Considered Virtue Ethics? Islam Arastirmalari Dergisi, 2025(54), 35–75. https://doi.org/10.26570/isad.1607973

Padela, A. I. (2017). Social responsibility and the state’s duty to provide healthcare: An Islamic Ethico-legal perspective. Developing World Bioethics, 17(3), 205–214. https://doi.org/10.1111/dewb.12140

Qomaruzzaman, B. (2021). Doing hijrah through music: A religious phenomenon among indonesian musician community. Studia Islamika, 28(2), 385–412. https://doi.org/10.36712/sdi.v28i2.13277

Reda, A. (2019). Human Vicegerency and the Golden Rule: The Islamic Case Against Exclusion. American Journal of Economics and Sociology, 78(4), 895–922. https://doi.org/10.1111/ajes.12290

Roudenko, A., Kotlyarova, V., Polozhenkova, E., Shubina, M., Shestakov, Y., Mogilevskaya, G., & Sysoeva, O. (2016). Religious tolerance as a factor of spiritual security in the south of Russia. Central Asia and the Caucasus, 17(2), 37–46. https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-84979026574&partnerID=40&md5=4fcf6ae58a2f176d81e5a2713d667cc2

Sartell, E., & Padela, A. I. (2015). Adab and its significance for an Islamic medical ethics. Journal of Medical Ethics, 41(9), 756–761. https://doi.org/10.1136/medethics-2014-102276

Savitri Hartono, H. (2018). Virtually (Im)moral: Pious Indonesian Muslim Women’s Use of Facebook. Asian Studies Review, 42(1), 39–52. https://doi.org/10.1080/10357823.2017.1407290

Şencal, H. (2021). An Analysis of Institutionalization of Societal Relationships from the Perspective of Islamic Economics. Cumhuriyet Ilahiyat Dergisi, 25(2), 661–677. https://doi.org/10.18505/cuid.973750

Shaukat, M. A., & Basharat, T. (2022). A Study of Relativistic Theory of Ethics in the Light of Islamic Theory of Morality. Journal of Islamic Thought and Civilization, 12(2), 286–298. https://doi.org/10.32350/jitc.122.20

Suleiman, H., Alatas, A., & Busari, S. A. (2024). Examining The Reformist Thoughts Of Al-Tāhir Ibn ‘Āshūr. Malaysian Journal of Syariah and Law, 12(2), 272–281. https://doi.org/10.33102/mjsl.vol12no2.467

Susamto, B., Hakim, M. A., Firdaus, D. H., & Nasyiah, I. (2024). The Morality of Commercial Advertising Broadcast in Indonesian Television According to Islamic Economic Law Perspective. Samarah, 8(3), 1623–1643. https://doi.org/10.22373/sjhk.v8i3.19475

Syamsuddin, S. (2021). DIFFERING RESPONSES TO WESTERN HERMENEUTICS A Comparative Critical Study of M. Quraish Shihab’s and Muhammad ‘Imara’s Thoughts. Al-Jami’ah, 59(2), 479–512. https://doi.org/10.14421/ajis.2021.592.479-512

Umami, U., & Ghofur, A. (2022). Human Rights in Maqāṣid al-Sharī’ah al-Āmmah: A Perspective of Ibn ‘Āshūr. Al-Ahkam, 32(1), 87–108. https://doi.org/10.21580/ahkam.2022.32.1.9306

Yunus, M. M., & Zulkifli Hj Mohd Yusoff, M. Y. (2023). Multicultural Verse in Al-Qur’an: Solution of Humanitarian Crisis Following the Perspective of Hamka and M. Quraish Shihab. Quranica, 15(2), 136–169. https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-85218779077&partnerID=40&md5=6eb813a04474dbc8148a808f85eb2b06

Yurtseven, M., Çınar, F., Akbay, Y. E., & Tekin, A. (2025). The Qurʾān Teaching Activities of Jaʿfarī Communities in Türkiye: An Analysis from the Perspective of Instructors. Religions, 16(4). https://doi.org/10.3390/rel16040424


Dimensions, PlumX, and Google Scholar Metrics

10.33650/mushaf.v6i2.14315


Refbacks

  • There are currently no refbacks.


Copyright (c) 2026 Maftukh Khanan Al Faiz, Abdul Kholiq Hasan, Mohammad Zakki Azani, Muhammad Badat Alauddin, Fahmi Ulum Al Mubarok

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

This ejournal system and it's contents licensed under

a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License 

MUSHAF: Jurnal Tafsir Berwawasan Keindonesiaan
Published by: Program Studi Ilmu Alqur'an dan Tafsir Fakultas Agama Islam Universitas Nurul Jadid, Indonesia.
Jl. PP. Nurul Jadid, Dsn. Tanjung Lor, Karanganyar Paiton Probolinggo Jawa Timur Indonesia 67291.