When a Haraki Exegete Interprets Gender: The Family Structure in Surah An-Nisā’/4:34 in the Tafsir Fī Zhilāl Al-Qur`ān

Abstrak

1. An-Nisa’ [4]:34 is one of the most debated verses in gender studies because it contains the concepts of qiwāmah, al-faḍl, woman’s piety (ṣāliḥāt), nusyūz, and waḍribūhunna, which are often viewed as legitimizing the subordination of women. On the other side, the development of gender studies in exegesis has produced various new interpretations that generally emphasize the social construction (nurture) aspect in understanding the relationship between men and women. This article aims to analyze how Sayyid Quthb constructs a gender narrative in his exegesis of QS. An-Nisa’ [4]:34 and how this narrative challenges the common assumption that identifies male exegesis with patriarchy. This study is a literature review employing a qualitative approach and descriptive-analytical methods. The primary source of this study is Sayyid Quthb’s Tafsir Fī Ẓilāl al-Qur’ān, while secondary sources include gender studies, nature-versus-nurture theory, and contemporary exegetical studies. The results indicate that Quthb understands qiwāmah not as a form of male superiority over women, but rather as the responsibility for the protection, management, and maintenance of the family. His interpretation aligns more closely with the nature perspective, as it grounds the division of roles within the family in biological and psychological differences. However, Quthb does not fully dismiss the influence of social factors, so his approach cannot be categorized as rigid biological determinism. Based on these findings, this study concludes that the gender narrative in Quthb’s exegesis is characterized by a protective-complementary model, a relationship that positions men and women as partners who mutually protect and complement one another based on their respective functions and responsibilities. This finding indicates that gender interpretation in modern Islam cannot always be understood through the binary opposition between patriarchy and egalitarianism but rather presents a reading style situated between these two poles.