Shihab’s perspective on Working Women Issue: An Analysis in his Book, Tafsīr, al-Misbāh

Abstract

This article aims to analyze the methodology used by Prof. Dr. Muhammad Quraish Shihab, a contemporary Islamic scholar from Indonesia and also the writer of Tafsīr al-Misbāh in discussing working women from the Islamic perspective. Content analysis was implemented in the analyzing Shihab’s work. The principal (al-ma’thur), and the opinion (al-ra’y) methodology of exegesis were used to describe the analysis. All the data have been coded based on ideas and categorized according topic and concept. Lastly, the theme has been identified to define the ‘meaning’ of the data. The study has found that Shihab employed an exceptional method in commentating the topic. He also succeeded in combining both method of Quranic exegesis, the principal (al-ma’thur) and the opinion (al-ra’y). Lastly, it has been found that Shihab’s debate was delivered solidly and systematically supported by well-organized facts.