The Epistemology of Tafsir Siyasi and Its Relevance to Indonesia’s Contemporary Constitutional Law System

Abstract

This study examines the epistemological foundations of Tafsir Siyasi (Political Exegesis) and its relevance to contemporary Indonesian constitutional governance. It addresses the limited discussion on how political Qur’anic interpretation is epistemologically constructed and how its normative principles interact with Indonesia’s Pancasila-based constitutional system. Using qualitative library research with descriptive-analytical, comparative, and normative-juridical approaches, the study analyzes the political thought of Al-Mawardi, Ibn Taymiyyah, Sayyid Qutb, and Abul A‘la Al-Maududi, and maps Muhammad Salim Al-‘Awwa’s principles of shura, ‘adl, hurriyyah, musawah, and amanah onto Pancasila and the 1945 Constitution. The findings show that the four thinkers represent distinct yet interconnected epistemological orientations: juridical-formal, textual-rational, ideological-revolutionary, and theological-constitutional. The study also finds substantial normative compatibility between the principles of Fiqh Siyasah and Indonesia’s constitutional framework. However, their practical realization remains constrained by corruption, abuse of power, socioeconomic inequality, religious politicization, intolerance, and radicalism. The study is limited by its library-based design, its focus on four thinkers, and the absence of empirical analysis of political and institutional practices. Future research should examine how Tafsir Siyasi is interpreted and implemented by state institutions, religious authorities, political actors, and Muslim communities in Indonesia. This study contributes an epistemological and comparative framework for understanding the relationship between Islamic political ethics and democratic constitutional governance.