Paradigm Shifts in Indonesian Qur'anic Interpretation: A Kuhnian Analysis of Infanticide and Child Protection Verses

Khairunnisa Nadhilah Ismail, Novizal Wendry, Faizin Faizin

Abstract


The Qur'anic prohibition of child killing in QS. al-An‘ām [6]:151 and QS. al-Isrā’ [17]:31 has traditionally been interpreted within the historical context of pre-Islamic infanticide. Although widely discussed, the evolution of these interpretations in Indonesian Qur'anic exegesis remains insufficiently explored, as previous studies have focused primarily on thematic issues and ethical values rather than changes in interpretive paradigms. This study examines the transformation of interpretive orientations toward these verses from the classical to the contemporary periods of Indonesian tafsir, identifying the epistemological and methodological patterns underlying this development. Employing a qualitative documentary approach, it analyses five major Indonesian Qur'anic commentaries selected through purposeful sampling. The study combines Qualitative Text Analysis with comparative exegesis (tafsīr muqāran) and interprets the findings through Thomas S. Kuhn's model of normal science, anomaly, and paradigm shift. The analysis reveals a gradual movement from a textual-classical paradigm, which confines the prohibition to literal infanticide motivated by poverty, toward increasingly contextual approaches—early contextualization, contextual-humanistic, and contextual-semantic—that extend its meaning to the moral, educational, social, and collective dimensions of children's protection. Rather than representing a radical epistemic break, this transformation proceeds incrementally, with successive exegetes preserving earlier interpretive traditions while assigning greater importance to social context in meaning construction. By applying Kuhn's framework diachronically, this study demonstrates that Indonesian tafsir reflects a continuous process of interpretive development rather than static textual reproduction. Theoretically, it enriches comparative exegesis by highlighting the dynamic nature of Qur'anic interpretation; methodologically, it demonstrates the value of Kuhnian analysis for tracing interpretive change; and practically, it reaffirms the enduring relevance of Qur'anic ethical principles to contemporary discussions on children's rights and welfare.


Keywords


Indonesian tafsir; child killing; comparative exegesis (tafsīr muqāran); paradigm shift; Thomas S. Kuhn

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DOI: https://doi.org/10.15548/mashdar.v8i1.13703

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