Rasionalisme Tafsir Mu’tazilah: Dari al-Ushul al-Khamsah hingga Relevansinya bagi Hermeneutika al-Qur’an Kontemporer

Abstract

The Mu’tazilite tradition of Qur’anic exegesis occupies a significant position in Qur’anic studies due to its rational approach, which places reason as a primary instrument for understanding revelation. Amid the growing tendency toward literalist interpretation, Mu’tazilite thought has regained scholarly attention as a model of Islamic hermeneutics emphasizing linguistic analysis, rationality, and divine justice. This study aims to analyze the intellectual genealogy of Mu’tazilite exegesis, examine the epistemological foundations of al-Ushul al-Khamsah, explore their application in interpreting selected theological Qur’anic verses, and assess their relevance to contemporary Qur’anic hermeneutics. This research employs a qualitative library research method with a descriptive approach. Primary data are derived from major Mu’tazilite works, including al-Zamakhshari’s al-Kashshaf, Qadi’Abd al-Jabbar’s Sharh al-Ushul al-Khamsah, al-Mughni, and Tanzih al-Qur’an’an al-Mata’in, while secondary data are obtained from relevant classical and contemporary literature. The data were analyzed using content analysis combined with historical-hermeneutical interpretation. The findings reveal that Mu’tazilite exegesis is grounded in the five theological principles of al-Ushul al-Khamsah, producing a rational, linguistic, and interpretive approach based on ta’wil. This methodology is reflected in the interpretation of Qur’anic verses concerning the divine attributes, guidance and free will, the beatific vision (ru’yat Allah), and the problem of divine causation of misguidance. Although some of its theological doctrines remain controversial, the Mu’tazilite rational-linguistic methodology continues to provide valuable contributions to the development of contextual, critical, and contemporary Qur’anic hermeneutics