Epistemology of maslahah and its implementation in gender-related Qur’anic verses: Insights from a bibliometric review (2015–2025)
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Abstract
Research on maslahah, Islamic law, and gender has expanded significantly between 2015 and 2025, driven by strong scholarly collaboration and citation networks. Yet, studies specifically addressing the intersection of maslahah and gender from a Qur’anic perspective remain limited, leaving a gap in both academic and legal discourse. This study aims to map the intellectual landscape of gender research in Islamic law and to highlight the role of maslahah and maqasid as epistemological tools for reinterpreting gender-related Qur’anic verses. The research employed the SALSA framework (Search, Appraisal, Synthesis, and Analysis) using the Scopus database. Bibliometric techniques were applied to analyze publication trends, geographical distribution, collaboration networks, and thematic concentrations within the field. The findings show that SAMARAH is the most productive journal, publishing 65 articles with 435 citations, while EL-USRAH and AL-IHKAM demonstrate high impact despite fewer outputs. Affiliation analysis highlights the central role of Islamic universities in Indonesia and Malaysia—particularly UIN Ar-Raniry, IIUM, and Universiti Malaya—positioning Southeast Asia as the hub of scholarship on gender and Islamic law. Thematically, debates remain concentrated on family issues such as inheritance and marriage, while research explicitly integrating maslahah with gender perspectives remains underdeveloped. These results imply the necessity of strengthening Qur’anic epistemology-based studies that integrate maslahah into contemporary gender and legal debates. Doing so can enrich scholarly discourse and provide alternative frameworks for addressing questions of gender equality in both national legal systems and global contexts.
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