The Discourse of Locality in Indonesian Exegesis: Meaning, Development, and Significance in Qur’anic Interpretation
Keywords:
Indonesian tafsir, local culture, locality, Nusantara tafsir, Qur’anic interpretationAbstract
The study of Qur’anic interpretation in Indonesia has developed through the interaction between Islamic teachings and the socio-cultural realities of Nusantara society. One important characteristic of this development is the emergence of local elements in Qur’anic exegesis. This article examines the discourse of locality in Indonesian tafsir, including the meaning of locality, the elements of locality in tafsir, the historical development of these elements in Indonesian tafsir literature, and the urgency of locality in Qur’anic interpretation. This study employs a qualitative approach with a library research method. The data were collected from scholarly articles, theses, and tafsir literature related to the Nusantara tafsir locality. The data analysis technique used is descriptive-analytical with a historical approach. The results show that locality in Indonesian tafsir appears in the use of regional languages, local culture, social conditions of society, and contextual interpretative approaches. The development of locality in tafsir evolved from the use of the Malay language in the early period to the emergence of modern tafsir responding to contemporary social issues. The presence of locality in tafsir plays an important role in bringing the Qur’an closer to society, making tafsir more communicative and relevant, and demonstrating the dynamic development of Islam in Indonesia. Thus, locality in tafsir represents a dialogue between the universal values of the Qur’an and the socio-cultural realities of Indonesian society. Unlike previous studies that have largely confined locality to its linguistic dimension, this study offers a novel contribution by examining locality as a multidimensional phenomenon encompassing language, culture, social critique, and contemporary contextualization, thereby filling a gap that earlier research on Nusantara tafsir has not comprehensively addressed.
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