مطالب

The concept of myth within the Qur’an has been a subject of extensive scholarly inquiry among Orientalists, offering diverse perspectives and methodologies. Angelika Neuwirth, a prominent Qur’anic scholar, has made significant contributions to this field by examining the Qur’anic historical narratives and proposing a connection between these narratives and the concept of myth. In her view, myths function as narratives that employ archetypes to illuminate and interpret the world. To substantiate her claims, Neuwirth adopts a contextual approach, drawing upon the methodologies of biblical criticism. Emphasizing microstructures and contextual details of Qur’anic verses, this approach aims to uncover the origins of the stories and historical narratives in the Qur’an, attributing them to the social and theological milieu of early Muslims. It posits that these narratives are deeply rooted in the socio-theological milieu of early Muslims. Aligning with this approach, Neuwirth characterizes numerous Qur’anic stories and events as myths that have been shaped by archetypes embedded in the collective unconscious of the Qur’an’s audience. This paper employs a descriptive-analytical methodology, coupled with a comprehensive review of relevant literature, to critically evaluate the methodological underpinnings and presuppositions of the contextual approach to Qur’anic myth. Neuwirth's perspective is examined as a representative of this scholarly trend. The findings of this study reveal that, beyond methodological shortcomings, Neuwirth's approach is subject to several criticisms. These include an overemphasis on context as the sole determinant of Qur’anic knowledge, a neglect of the fundamental distinctions between the Qur’an and the Bible concerning the concept of revelation, and an overlooking of the distinct processes of compilation and canonization that shaped these two texts.

This article introduces Ichwani tafsīr method, an integrative approach to Qur’anic interpretation that combines various traditional and contemporary methods. The main issue raised is the need for a more comprehensive approach to interpretation, which includes not only classical interpretation but also takes into account modern contexts and socio-historical dynamics. The purpose of this method is to provide a more relevant interpretation while maintaining the authenticity of the message of the Qur’an. The Ichwani method consists of nine steps, starting with language analysis (tafsīr lughawī), classical tafsīr analysis (bil-maʾthūr), and contemporary tafsīr (bil-raʾy), followed by understanding the background of the verse (asbāb al-nuzūl) and socio-historical analysis. These steps culminate in thematic interpretation (tafsīr mawḍūʿī), assessment based on maqasid al-shariah, as well as renewal (tajdīd) and reform (iṣlāḥ). The findings of this article show that Ichwani method can produce a holistic and contextual interpretation, answering modern challenges without abandoning its traditional roots. The author recommends this method as a new approach that can enrich the study of Qur’anic interpretation and encourage dialogue between various disciplines to understand the sacred text more deeply and in a more relevant manner.