Between the Interactive and Justificative: Methodological Notes on the Exegesis of the Qur’an in Reformation Era Indonesia

Abstract

The study of the methodology of the exegesis of the Qur’an in Indonesia directed at exegetical works during the Reformation era is still scarcely done. This study explains the methodology of exegesis of Tafsir Tematik Al-Qur’an (Thematic Interpretation on the Qur’an) compiled by Lajnah Pentashihan Mushaf (Committee for Refinement of Mushaf), The Ministry of Religious Affairs of the Republic of Indonesia, which contained 23 series of studies. With a comparative and critical approach, this study shows that The Thematic Interpretation on Qur’an used a thematic approach to analyze diverse topics facing contemporary Indonesian issues. However, the use of the thematic approach with its several stages in their entirety was not carried out in all the topics. Consequently, it gave birth to the justification of ideas without sufficient support from the verses of the Qur’an.