A CRITICAL DISCOURSE ANALYSIS OF QUR’ANIC EXEGESIS

BHINNEKA TUNGGAL IKA (UNITY IN DIVERSITY)

Abstract

The interpretation of Bhinneka Tunggal Ika (Unity in Diversity) has long been invoked in Indonesia’s religious, national, and cultural discourse. While normatively understood as a call for tolerance and harmony, it has rarely been examined critically through the lenses of Qur’anic exegesis and discourse analysis. This article investigates how the discourse of Bhinneka Tunggal Ika is constructed and deployed within religious texts and broader social narratives, highlighting its implications for power and ideology. Using Critical Discourse Analysis, the study explores how narratives of unity often function less as inclusive engagements with diversity and more as instruments for legitimizing the dominance of majority groups or state authorities. Such interpretations tend to suppress alternative perspectives, particularly those voiced by marginalized communities. The findings indicate that the discourse of Bhinneka Tunggal Ika in tafsir is not neutral or universal but shaped by hegemonic interests and institutional frameworks that privilege uniformity over plurality. The study argues that religious interpretation must move toward a more critical and inclusive hermeneutics—one that not only affirms common values but also recognizes difference as an epistemic and spiritual resource. The broader implication is the necessity of opening tafsir studies to interdisciplinary approaches and dialogical engagement. By doing so, religious discourse can become more just, reflective, and liberating, contributing to a pluralistic public sphere that genuinely honors Indonesia’s foundational principle of Bhinneka Tunggal Ika.

References

‘Abduh, Muḥammad.Tafsīr al-Manār. Edited by Rashīd Riḍā. Vol. 9. Cairo: Al-Manār, 1904.

An, Andri Nirwana, Fahmi Arfan, Fahmi Dolles Marshal, Candra Maulana, and Nazar Fadli. “Methods of Qur’an Research and Quran Tafseer Research Its Implications for Contemporary Islamic Thought: (Metodologi Tafsir Al-Qur’an).” Bulletin of Islamic Research 2, no. 1 (June 2024): 33–42. https://doi.org/10.69526/bir.v2i1.34.

Anwar, Rosihon, Dadang Darmawan, and Cucu Setiawan. “Kajian Kitab Tafsir dalam Jaringan Pesantren di Jawa Barat.” Wawasan: Jurnal Ilmiah Agama dan Sosial Budaya 1, no. 1 (February 2016): 56–69. https://doi.org/10.15575/jw.v1i1.578.

Azra, Azyumardi. Islam Nusantara: Jaringan Global dan Lokal. Bandung: Mizan, 2002.

———. Islam in the Indonesian World: An Account of Institutional Formation. Bandung: Mizan, 2006.

Baharuddin, Andi Farid. “Critical Discourse Analysis.” In Practical Approaches to Qualitative Language Research: Trend Terbaru dalam Penelitian Bahasa, edited by Muhammad Basri, Ismail Anas, Nofvia De Vega, and Achmad Wahdi. Nganjuk: Dewa Publishing, 2022.

Bogdan, Robert C, and Sari Knopp Biklen. Qualitative Research for Education: An Introduction to Theory and Methods. Boston: Pearson Education, 2007.

Bruinessen, Martin van. Pesantren and Kitab Kuning: Continuity and Change in a Tradition of Religious Learning. Jakarta: P3M, 1994.

Carranza, Isolda E. “Critical Discourse Analysis: The Critical Study of Language. Norman Fairclough. London: Longman, 1995. Pp. 265.” Applied Psycholinguistics 18, no. 4 (October 1997): 537–39. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0142716400010973.

Dellarosa, Maretha. “Where Am I?” A Critical Discourse Analysis of Religious Representation in Indonesia. IAFOR Journal of Education 9, no. 6 (December 2021): 126–43. https://doi.org/10.22492/ije.9.6.07.

Demi̇r, Zakir. “Kur’ân Lafızlarının Aidiyetine Dair Tefsir Geleneğindeki Tartışmalar ve Bunların Kritiği.” Kader 20, no. 1 (June 2022): 345–68. https://doi.org/10.18317/kaderdergi.1052480.

Denzin, Norman K, and Yvonna S. Lincoln. The SAGE Handbook of Qualitative Research. Thousand Oaks: Sage Publications, 2011.

Dijk, Teun A. van. Ideology and Discourse: A Multidisciplinary Introduction. Barcelona: Pompeu Fabra University, 2000.

Fairclough, Norman. Discourse and Social Change. Cambridge: Polity Press, 1992.

———. Language and Power. London: Longman, 2009.

Federspiel, Howard. Popular Indonesian Literature of the Qur’an. Ithaca: Cornell Southeast Asia Program, 1994.

Hanafi, Muchlis M., Abdul Ghofur Maimoen, Rosihon Anwar, M. Darwis Hude, Ali Nurdin, A. Husnul Hakim, and Abas Mansur Tamam. Tafsir Tematik Moderasi Beragama. Jakarta: Lajnah Pentashihan Mushaf Al-Qur’an Badan Litbang dan Diklat Kementerian Agama Republik Indonesia, 2022.

Hart, Christopher. “Critical Discourse Analysis.” In Introducing Linguistics, edited by Jonathan Culpeper, Dimitrinka Atanasova, Aina Casaponsa, Sam Kirkham, Claire Nance, Daniel Van Olmen, and Beth Malory. London: Routledge, 2022.

Hefner, Robert W. Civil Islam: Muslims and Democratization in Indonesia. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2000.

Hermawan, Agus Dadang. “Critical Discourse Analysis of Norman Fairclough on Online Media Reporting about the Rohingya Refugee Crisis.” Matapena: Jurnal Keilmuan Bahasa, Sastra, dan Pengajarannya 6, no. 2 (December 2023): 549–57. https://doi.org/10.36815/matapena.v6i02.3064.

Irsyadunnas, Irsyadunnas, and Nurmahni Nurmahni. “Rekonstruksi Tafsir Al-Quran Kontemporer (Studi Analisis Sumber dan Metode Tafsir).” Substantia: Jurnal Ilmu-Ilmu Ushuluddin 22, no. 1 (May 2020): 21. https://doi.org/10.22373/substantia.v22i1.6119.

Kathīr, Ibn. Tafsīr al-Qur’ān al-‘Aẓīm. Vol. 7. Riyāḍ: Dār Ṭayyibah, 1999.

Kara, Mustafa, and Muna Haj Saleh. “Mawqif al-Mufassirīn min al-Isrā'īliyyāt wa Madā ʿAlāqatihā bi-Tafsīr al-Qaṣaṣ al-Qurʾāniyyah.” Tefsir Araştırmaları Dergisi 4, no. 2 (October 2020): 287–311. https://doi.org/10.31121/tader.740592.

Kementerian Agama RI. Moderasi Beragama. Jakarta: Badan Litbang dan Diklat Kemenag, 2019.

Khovid, Roja Lukmanul. “Analisis Wacana Kritis Norman Fairclough Atas Wacana Kepemimpinan dalam Tafsir Al-Manār Karya Muḥammad ‘Abduh dan Rasyīd Ridhā.” Ta’wiluna: Jurnal Ilmu Al-Qur’an, Tafsir dan Pemikiran Islam 5, no. 3 (December 2024): 662–79. https://doi.org/10.58401/takwiluna.v5i3.1824.

Kurzman, Charles. Modernist Islam, 1840–1940: A Sourcebook. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2002.

Kusumawardana, Muhammad Ardi. “Metodologi Kontekstual dalam Tafsir Ayat Hukum: Studi Literatur Atas Tafsir Klasik dan Kontemporer.” TSAQOFAH 4, no. 6 (September 2024): 3882–95. https://doi.org/10.58578/tsaqofah.v4i6.3877.

Mamonto, Irwandi. “Ontologi, Epistimologi, dan Aksiologi Serta Aktualisasinya Pada Studi Islam (Tafsir).” Mauriduna: Journal of Islamic Studies 5, no. 2 (December 2024): 965–75. https://doi.org/10.37274/mauriduna.v5i2.1356.

Marāghī, Aḥmad Muṣṭafā al-. Tafsīr Al-Marāghī. Vol. 26. Kairo: Dār Iḥyā’ al-Turāth, n.d.

Marshall, Catherine, and Gretchen B. Rossman. Designing Qualitative Research. Thousand Oaks: Sage Publications, 2016.

Martalia, Martalia, Andri Ashadi, and Susilawati Susilawati. “Wacana Moderasi Beragama Kementerian Agama: Analisis Wacana Kritis Norman Fairclough.” Jurnal Sosiologi Agama Indonesia (JSAI) 5, no. 1 (March 2024): 88–106. https://doi.org/10.22373/jsai.v5i1.4312.

Miles, Matthew B, and A. Michael Huberman. Qualitative Data Analysis: An Expanded Sourcebook. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Publications Ltd, 1994.

Miles, Matthew B, A. Michael Huberman, and Johnny Saldaña. Qualitative Data Analysis: A Methods Sourcebook. Los Angeles: SAGE Publications Ltd, 2014.

Moleong, Lexy J. Metodologi Penelitian Kualitatif. Bandung: PT. Remaja Rosdakarya, 2017.

Mujiburrahman. Feeling Threatened: Muslim–Christian Relations in Indonesia’s New Order. Amsterdam: Amsterdam University Press, 2006.

Mursyid, Achmad Yafik, Muhammad Dzilfikri AlBaihaqi, and Alvy Ra’isatul Murtafi’ah. “Politics and Pluralism: Analyzing State Official Tafsir and Interfaith Discourse in Indonesia.” Jurnal Studi Ilmu-Ilmu Al-Qur’an dan Hadis 25, no. 1 (May 2024): 57–75. https://doi.org/10.14421/qh.v25i1.5379.

Nisa, Sofia Aulia Zakiyatun. “Konsep Toleransi dalam Keberagaman: Analisis Atas Penafsiran Q 49: 13 dalam al-Qur’an dan Tafsir Kemenag Versi Website.” Contemporary Quran 1, no. 1 (June 2021): 40. https://doi.org/10.14421/cq.2021.0101-05.

Nuttavuthisit, Krittinee. Qualitative Consumer and Marketing Research. Singapore: Springer Singapore, 2019. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-13-6142-5_10.

Phillips, Jack J. Accountability in Human Resource Management. Boston: Gulf Professional Publishing, 1999. https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-88415-396-2.50009-1.

Pink, Johanna. “Tradition, Authority and Innovation in Contemporary Sunnī Tafsīr: Towards a Typology of Qur’an Commentaries from the Arab World, Indonesia and Turkey.” Journal of Qur’anic Studies 12, nos. 1–2 (October 2010): 56–82. https://doi.org/10.3366/jqs.2010.0105.

Qadafy, Mu’ammar Zayn. “Menghidupkan Yang Mati Suri: Walid Saleh dan Revitalisasi Kajian Sejarah Intelektual Tafsir Klasik.” SUHUF 15, no. 2 (February 2023): 425–48. https://doi.org/10.22548/shf.v15i2.726.

Qurṭubī, al-. Al-Jāmi‘ li-Aḥkām al-Qur’ān. Vol. 16. Beirut: Dār al-Kutub al-‘Ilmiyyah, 2006.

Ranabhat, Bijaya Kumar. “Critical Insights: A Perspective on Discourse Analysis.” Journal of Language and Linguistics in Society, no. 22 (March 2022): 30–36. https://doi.org/10.55529/jlls.22.30.36.

Riḍā, Muḥammad Rashīd. Tafsir al-Manār. Vol. 26. Kairo: Al-Hay’ah al-Miṣriyyah li al-Kitāb, 1947.

Rosyida, Hanik, Mohammad Abdul Aziz, Asfaq Danial, and Yusuph Dauda Gambari. “The Discourse on Counter-Narratives to Extremism in The Qur’an: A Study of Tafsīr al-Fātiḥah by Abu Nur Jazuli Amaith.” Mutawatir: Jurnal Keilmuan Tafsir Hadith 14, no. 1 (June 2024): 64–83. https://doi.org/10.15642/mutawatir.2024.14.1.64-83.

Sukmawati, Sudarmin, and Salmia. “Development of Quality Instruments and Data Collection Techniques.” Jurnal Pendidikan dan Pengajaran Guru Sekolah Dasar (JPPGuseda) 6, no. 1 (March 2023): 119–24. https://doi.org/10.55215/jppguseda.v6i1.7527.

Shihab, Muhammad Quraish. Tafsir al-Mishbāh: Pesan, Kesan dan Keserasian al-Qur’an. Vol. 13. Jakarta: Lentera Hati, 2002.

Sin, Muhammad Lukman Mat, and Khalilullah Amin Ahmad. “Kitab-Kitab Tafsir dalam Pengajian Takmir di Institusi Masjid di Perlis: Kajian Tinjauan: Books of Tafsir in Takmir Studies in The Mosque Institutions in Perlis: A Review Study.” Ma‘ālim Al-Qur’ān Wa al-Sunnah 17 (December 2021): 51–65. https://doi.org/10.33102/jmqs.v17i2.329.

Sordi, Jose Osvaldo De. Qualitative Research Methods in Business. Cham: Springer Nature Switzerland, 2024.

Ṭabarī, al-. Jāmi‘ al-Bayān fī Ta’wīl al-Qur’ān. Vol. 22. Cairo: Dār al-Ma‘ārif, 1968.

Zuo, Xinya. “A Study of Discourse Strategies from the Perspective of Critical Analysis.” Theory and Practice in Language Studies 9, no. 8 (August 2019): 996. https://doi.org/10.17507/tpls.0908.1.