Perkembangan Kajian Teoretis Tafsir di Arab Saudi dalam Merespons Modernitas

Nelly Ayu  Apriliani; Muhammad Hariyadi

Authors

Nelly Ayu Apriliani Universitas PTIQ Jakarta Author
Muhammad Hariyadi Universitas PTIQ Jakarta Author

Keywords:

Qur’anic Exegesis, Saudi Arabia, Tafsīr bi al-Ma’thūr, Salafism, Religion and Politics

Abstract

This paper examines the development of theoretical Qur’anic exegesis in Saudi Arabia by highlighting the dialectic between the preservation of the riwāyah-based (bi al-ma'thūr) tafsīr tradition and the surrounding contemporary intellectual dynamics. This study aims to analyze the characteristics, methodologies, as well as historical, ideological, and institutional factors influencing the development of tafsīr in Saudi Arabia from the establishment of the modern kingdom to the contemporary period. This research employs a qualitative method with a library research approach, examining classical and contemporary tafsīr works, religious policies, and academic literature related to modern Qur’anic exegesis. The findings indicate that although the tafsīr tradition in Saudi Arabia is dominated by the tafsīr bi al-ma’thūr methodology in accordance with the Salafi manhaj, it does not lead to methodological stagnation. Conversely, the exegetical tradition in this region has undergone a dynamic transformation. This is evidenced by the massive institutional development of thematic (mawḍū‘ī) tafsīr methodology, the exploration of rational and modern scientific interpretation trends, and the strong efforts toward contextualizing exegesis to respond to contemporary jurisprudential dilemmas (nawāzil). The works of contemporary Saudi exegetes and academicssuch as Fahd ar-Rumi, Shaykh al-Uthaymeen, and Musa'id at-Tayyar demonstrate a high discursive awareness of contemporary challenges integrated into the framework of Salaf scholarship.The study concludes that the development of Qur’anic exegesis in Saudi Arabia is neither slow nor rigidly rejective of modernity; rather, it exhibits its own dynamics within an orthodox framework. Exegetical institutions in Saudi Arabia attempt to filter modernity so that the relevance of the Qur’an to contemporary social and humanitarian issues is maintained without sacrificing the sanctity and authenticity of the divine text.

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