Maimun Zubair and Response of Social, Political, and Religious Problems in Indonesia: A Study of Safīnatu Kallā Saya’lamūn fī Tafsīr Maimun Zubair by Lora Ismail Al-Ascholy

Abstract

Tafsir Al-Qur’an always reflects the reality faced by the interpreter. This paper will analyze Kiai Maimun Zubair’s response to social, political, and religious issues in Indonesia through Safīnatu Kallā Saya’lamūn. This interpretation comes from the study of Tafsir al-Jalālayn presented by Kiai Maimun Zubair in Javanese, then translated into Arabic by his student, Lora Ismail Al-Ascholy. Kiai Maimun Zubair is an active figure in the pesantren environment and has extensive experience in the Indonesian political sphere. Therefore, an in-depth exploration of his interpretation is essential. The research methods used in this study are descriptive, historical, and explanatory, applying Teun A. Van Dijk’s critical discourse analysis. The results of this study show that Kiai Maimun Zubair uses tafsir to understand God’s words in the Qur’an and as a platform to express his views and responses to social, political, and religious phenomena in contemporary Indonesia. He highlighted issues such as agriculture in Indonesia, criticism of democracy in Indonesia, and independence of the Republic. Safīnatu Kallā Saya’lamūn describes the social, political, and religious situation in contemporary Indonesia and significantly contributes to discussing these issues. His attitude reflects the paradigm of thought of pesantren scholars who are firm in their attitudes and beliefs, thus making pesantren play an active role in Indonesia’s development process.