Reconstructing the Meaning of Leadership through a Thematic Analysis of Leadership Verses in Tafsir al-Mishbah by M. Quraish Shihab

Anugrah Ramadon; Abu Sari

doi:10.21009/JSQ.22.2.5

Authors

Anugrah Ramadon Institut Al Fithrah Surabaya, Indonesia
Abu Sari Institut Al Fithrah Surabaya, Indonesia

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.21009/JSQ.22.2.5

Keywords:

Tafsir Al-Misbah, Leadership, Reconstruction of Meaning, M. Quraish Shihab, Bernard M. Bass

Abstract

Leadership is a mandate given to a person to guide, direct, and serve the community in realizing the common good through moral integrity, justice, deliberation, and responsibility to Allah and fellow humans. This research aims to reconstruct the meaning of leadership in Tafsir Al-Misbah through thematic analysis of leadership verses and identify its contribution to the development of the contemporary Qur'anic leadership paradigm. The research uses a thematic-based qualitative method on Tafsir Al-Misbah as a primary source, supported by classical and modern interpretations, namely Jāmi' al-Bayān, Mafātīḥ al-Ghayb, Al-Taḥrīr wa al-Tanwīr, Tafsīr al-Manār, and Al-Mīzān fī Tafsīr al-Qur'ānas comparative sources. Data were collected through a documentary study of the verses of leadership and their interpretation, then analyzed through thematic coding of the leadership lexicon, including khalīfah, imām, qawwām, ulī al-amr, and shūrā, to reconstruct the principles of leadership that developed in Tafsir Al-Misbah. The results of the study show that Quraish Shihab reconstructs leadership as a mandate that integrates spiritual, moral, social, and humanitarian dimensions through five main principles, namely amānah, uswah, ʿadl, shūrā, and maṣlaḥah. A comparison with the tradition of tafsir shows that Tafsir Al-Misbah does not break the continuity of previous interpretations, but contextualizes them to meet the needs of contemporary Indonesian society. When read through the perspective of transformational leadership by Bernard M. Bass, some of these principles show conceptual suitability in the aspects of ethical and transformational leadership, although they still have different theological foundations. This research contributes to the development of tafsir studies by formulating contextual Qur'anic leadership paradigms and provides a conceptual foundation for leadership development in Islamic educational institutions.

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