KUPI Approach to Qur’an and Hadith Re-interpretation

Abstract

Critical theory argues that knowledge is not value free. It is influenced by the interest, context, and background of the knowledge producers. Many books of tafsir (Qur’anic exegesis) have been written, primarily by men based on their experiences. These tafsirs are not free from male interest. As Farid Esack argues, classical tafsirs, mostly written by men, tend to be male-biased and discriminatory against women. Since the late 1990s, with the growing influence of global Muslim feminism, there have been increasing number of books in Indonesia that criticize the male-biased interpretations of the Qur’an and produce alternative readings from an equal gender perspective, such as those written by Nasaruddin Umar, Zaitunah Subhan, Nurjannah Ismail, Husein Muhammad, and many others. Recent works have been produced by Badriyah Fayumi, Nur Rofiah and Faqihuddin Abdul Kodir, the leading founders and organizers of the Congress of Indonesian Women Ulama (KUPI). This article explores three new methodologies of tafsir developed in the current Indonesian context by three scholars: Badriyah Fayumi’s reading of maʿrūf (religiously, reasonably, and socially acceptable), Nur Rofiah’s concept of women’s haqiqi (real) justice, and Faqihuddin Abdul Kodir hermeneutical approach of qirā’ah mubādalah (reciprocal reading). These new approaches to understanding Islamic sources were launched during KUPI II in 2022 to be KUPI’s methodology.