A Contextual Interpretation of the Secrets of Surah al-Fatiḥah in al-Ghazali's Jawāhir al-Qur'an
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.12928/taqaddumi.v4i2.12234Keywords:
Surah al-Fatihah, al-Ghazali, Contextual Hermeneutics, Abdullah SaeedAbstract
This study examines the contextual interpretation of Surah al-Fatihah in Jawāhir al-Qur’an, a work by al-Ghazali, through the lens of Abdullah Saeed’s contextual hermeneutics. Al-Ghazali’s approach to Surah al-Fatihah combines esoteric and philosophical dimensions, emphasizing its spiritual and transcendental messages. Unlike traditional interpretations, his thematic focus refrains from detailed grammatical analysis, instead highlighting its role as a reflection of a believer’s spiritual journey. Employing a qualitative and library research methodology, this study contextualizes al-Ghazali’s interpretations for modern relevance, particularly in addressing contemporary issues of servitude and obedience to Allah. The findings suggest that al-Ghazali’s model of exegesis, rooted in Sufi thought, offers a dynamic framework for reinterpreting Qur’anic messages to maintain their applicability in contemporary life.
References
Ayyubi (al), M. Zia. “Penafsiran Kontekstual Abdullah Saeed (Metodologi dan Aplikasi pada Ayat Jilbab)”, Rausyan Fikr 19, no. 01, (2023), 53-80.
Elshimi, Amani. “Al-Ghazali’s Integral Epistemology: A Critical Analysis of the Jewels of The Quran” (Master Thesis in American University Cairo, 2017).
Ghazali (al), Abu Hamid. Jawāhir Al-Qur’an (Beirut: Dar Ihya al-Ulum, 1986).
Griffel, Frank. Al-Ghazali’s Philosophical Theology (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2009).
Gusmian, Islah. “Epistemologi Tafsir Al-Qur’an Kontemporer,” Al-A’raf 12, No. 2 (2015): 21–32.
Habib Habib and Muslich Shabir, “Al-Ghazali’s Qur’anic Sufi Hermeneutics: Study on the Story of Abraham In Search of God,” Kalam 15, no. 2 (2022): 121-135.
Ḥājī, Muḥammad ‘Umar. Mawsū’at Al-Tafsīr Qabla ‘Ahd Al-Tadwīn (Damaskus: Dar al-Maktabi, 2007), 49-56.
Hendricks, Mogamat Mahgadien. “The Qur’ānic Sufi Hermeneutics of Shaykh Muṣṭafā’al-‘Alāwī: A Critical Study of His Lubāb Al-‘Ilm Fī Sūrah Al-Najm” (n.d.).
MF Haq, Miyah Qudsia. “Revitalisasi Hermeneutika Sebagai Pendekatan Tafsir (Kajian Hermeneutika Abdullah Saeed),” Miyah: Jurnal Studi Islam 16, no. 1 (2020): 1–25.
Muhamad Yoga Firdaus and Khader Ahmad, “Telaah Atas Hermeneutika Kontekstual Abdullah Saeed,” Mashadiruna: Jurnal Ilmu Al-Qur’an dan Tafsir 3, no. 1 (2024): 31–40.
Ormsby, Eric Linn. Ghazali: The Revival of Islam (Oxford: Oneworld Publication, 2007).
Rachmawan, H. “Hermeneutika Al-Qur’an Kontekstual: Metode Menafsirkan Al-Qur’an Abdullah Saeed,” Afkaruna: Indonesian Interdisciplinary Journal of Islamic Studies 9, no. 2 (2013): 148–161.
Rizvi, Sajjad H. “Al-Ghazālī and the Qurʾān: One Book Many Meanings By Martin Whittingham,” Journal of Qur’anic Studies 10, no. 1 (2008): 133–136.
Saeed, Abdullah. “The Qur’an: An Introduction,” The Qur’an: An Introduction (January 25, 2008).
Suyuthi, Jalaluddin. Asbabun Nuzul (Sebab-sebab Turunnya al-Qur’an). Trans. Andi Muhammad Syahril and Yasir Maqasid (Jakarta: Pustaka al-Kautsar, 2014).
Syamsuddin, Sahiron. Hermeneutika Al-Qur’an Dan Hadis (Yogyakarta: eLSAQ Press, 2010), 14.
Umma, Farida. Pemikiran Dan Metode Tafsir Al-Qur’an Kontemporer (Yogyakarta: Idea Press, 2010).
Wahid, Abd. “Tafsir Isyari Dalam Pandangan Imam Ghazali” Journal Ushuluddin 16, no. 2 (2010): 123–135.
Waḥidi (al), Abu al-Hasan Ibn Ali. Asbāb al-Nuzūl al-Qur’an (Beirut: Dar al-Kutub al-Ilmiyyah, 1411 H).
Wildan Imaduddin Muhammad and Yusuf Rahman, “The Quran and Muslim Minority Scholar’s Perspective: A Comparative Study of Abdullah Saeed and Farid Esack,” Jurnal Studi Ilmu-ilmu al-Qur’an dan Hadis 23, no. 2 (2022): 347–372.
Zaid, Naṣr Ḥāmid Abu. Tekstualitas Al-Qur’an: Kritik Terhadap Ulumul Qur’an, ed. Khoiron Nahdliyyin (Yogyakarta: LKiS, 2016).
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2024 Abdullah Hadani, Elina Nurjannah

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
License and Copyright Agreement
In submitting the manuscript to the journal, the authors certify that:
- They are authorized by their co-authors to enter into these arrangements.
- The work described has not been formally published before, except in the form of an abstract or as part of a published lecture, review, thesis, or overlay journal. Please also carefully read the Taqaddumi Author Guidelines at http://journal2.uad.ac.id/index.php/taqaddumi/about/submissions#onlineSubmissions
- That it is not under consideration for publication elsewhere,
- That its publication has been approved by all the author(s) and by the responsible authorities – tacitly or explicitly – of the institutes where the work has been carried out.
- They secure the right to reproduce any material that has already been published or copyrighted elsewhere.
- They agree to the following license and copyright agreement.
Copyright
Authors who publish with the Taqaddumi Journal agree to the following terms:
- Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY-SA 4.0) that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgment of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgment of its initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work.