Beyond Tafsir A hermeneutic reading of Qur’anic narrative and the crisis of interpretive authority in contemporary Islamic thought

Abstract

Contemporary Qur’anic studies increasingly confront tensions between inherited exegetical authority and modern hermeneutic approaches that emphasize interpretive plurality, historicity, and the dynamic production of meaning. Despite the growing integration of philosophical hermeneutics into religious studies, much of the traditional tafsir discourse continues to privilege doctrinal closure and authoritative interpretation over open-ended textual engagement. This tension becomes particularly visible in the interpretation of Qur’anic narratives, where theological, political, and epistemological projections frequently shape exegetical outcomes.

This study investigates the epistemological structure of interpretive authority within classical and contemporary Qur’anic exegesis through a critical hermeneutic analysis of selected Qur’anic narratives. The article aims to examine how authoritative tafsir traditions construct interpretive closure and to explore the extent to which philosophical hermeneutics may provide alternative approaches to Qur’anic meaning production. Methodologically, the study adopts a critical-hermeneutic analytical framework integrating philosophical hermeneutics, discourse analysis, and comparative textual interpretation. Drawing on the works of Gadamer, Ricoeur, Heidegger, and contemporary Islamic hermeneutic thinkers, the analysis focuses on selected narrative models including Adam, Cain, Joseph, and the vicegerency narratives.

The study argues that Qur’anic narratives function as open interpretive structures whose meanings cannot be exhaustively contained within singular doctrinal readings. It further demonstrates that many traditional exegetical frameworks reproduce epistemological authority through mechanisms of interpretive stabilization that limit semantic plurality and historical contextualization. The findings suggest that a hermeneutic re-reading of Qur’anic narratives enables a more dynamic understanding of meaning, textuality, and religious interpretation beyond rigid exegetical closure.

The article contributes to contemporary debates in Qur’anic hermeneutics, religious epistemology, and Islamic thought by proposing a theoretically grounded framework for re-evaluating interpretive authority within modern Qur’anic studies.