Power Relations in the Family

A Critical Discourse Analysis of Hamka and Husein Muhammad's Interpretation of Q.S. An-Nisā’ [4]: 34

Abstract

The concepts of qiwāmah, nushūz, and wa-ḍribūhunna in Q.S. An-Nisā’ [4]: 34 remain debated in tafsir studies because they are closely related to household power relations, family leadership, and domestic violence. This study aims to analyze and compare Hamka’s and Husein Muhammad’s interpretations of the verse using Norman Fairclough’s Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA). This qualitative study employs a literature study approach, focusing on Tafsir al-Azhar by Hamka and Islam Agama Ramah Perempuan by Husein Muhammad. The findings reveal three main points. (1) At the textual level, Hamka employs naturalization by presenting qiwāmah as part of a normative family order, nushūz as disobedience, and ḍaraba as a physically permissible act subject to ethical limits. Husein Muhammad employs recontextualization by relating qiwāmah to social responsibility, nushūz to unequal gender relations, and ḍaraba to firm non-violent action. (2) At the level of discursive practice, Hamka’s authority is constructed through continuity with classical exegetical sources, whereas Husein Muhammad’s is developed through engagement with contemporary Islamic thought and contextual approaches. (3) At the sociocultural level, Hamka maintains the normative structure of male leadership while ethically restricting violence, whereas Husein Muhammad opens greater space for reinterpreting husband-wife relations amid social change. This study demonstrates the usefulness of Fairclough’s CDA for examining the relationship between textual meaning, interpretive authority, and social change in Qur’anic interpretation.

References

Abdullah, Noor, and Firas Abduljaleel. 2025. “Al-Ālūsī and Qur’anic Bayān: Employing Arabic Rhetorical Science in Interpreting Qur’anic Meaning: A Case Study of Verses 1 and 70 of Sūrat al-Mā’idah.” Dragoman Journal of Translation Studies, no. 19: 442–55. https://doi.org/10.63132/ati.2025.alalus.8120.

Akbar, Rizamul Malik, and Achmad Khudori Soleh. 2025. “The Classification of Knowledge Based on Al-Ghazali’s Perspective and Its Relevance to Qur’anic Exegesis.” FiTUA: Jurnal Studi Islam 6 (2): 218–28. https://doi.org/10.47625/fitua.v6i2.1066.

Amir, Ahmad Nabil, and Tasnim Abdul Rahman. 2024. “Hamka and the Rise of Kaum Muda (the Modernist) in Indonesia.” Jurnal Muhammadiyah Studies 9 (1): 1–8. https://doi.org/10.22219/jms.v9i1.35642.

Amir, Ahmad Nabil, and Tasnim Abdul Rahman. 2025a. “Early Ideas of Reform in Hamka’s Ayahku: A Historical and Religious Struggle of Muhammadiyah in Minangkabau.” Journal of Indonesian Islamic Studies 4 (2): 68–78. https://doi.org/10.24256/jiis.v4i2.6166.

Amir, Ahmad Nabil, and Tasnim Abdul Rahman. 2025b. “Hamka’s Reformist Epistemology: Modernist Genealogies, Hermeneutical Strategies, and the Making of Islamic Renewal in the Malay-Indonesian World.” Kuriositas: Media Komunikasi Sosial dan Keagamaan 18 (2): 132–42. https://doi.org/10.35905/kur.v18i2.12840.

Amrullah, Mohammad Ghaffar, and Malik Ibrahim. 2021. “Sakinah Family Establishment in The Modern Era from The Perspectives of Hamka and Quraish Shihab.” Al-Mazaahib: Jurnal Perbandingan Hukum 9 (2): 185–206. https://doi.org/10.14421/al-mazaahib.v9i2.2388.

Anisa, Lina Nur. 2023. “The Psychological Well-Being in Building Resilience of Indonesian Muslim Families: A Study of Hussein Muhammad’s Thought.” De Jure: Jurnal Hukum dan Syar’iah 15 (1): 163–77. https://doi.org/10.18860/j-fsh.v15i1.22102.

Awalul, Abdurrohman, Putri Mawariza, Jefry Ardian Syah, and Nuranisah Nuranisah. 2025. “Maqāṣidī’s Approach to Qiwāmah and Nafaqah: Finding Gender Justice in Modern Islamic Family Law.” Al Hairy: Journal of Islamic Law 1 (2): 161–79. https://doi.org/10.64344/hry.v1i2.69.

Aziz, Thoriqul, Ahmad Zainal Abidin, and Muthmainnatun Nafiah. 2020. “Tafsir Nusantara Dan Isu-Isu Global: Studi Kasus Relevansi Pemikiran Hamka Tentang Keadilan Sosial, Kesetaraan Gender dan Pluralisme.” Refleksi 19 (2): 217–36. https://doi.org/10.15408/ref.v19i2.16791.

Baidowi, Ahmad, Irwan Abdullah, Saifuddin Zuhri Qudsy, and Nurun Najwah. 2021. “Promoting Qur’anic Verses That Reject Violence.” Academic Journal of Interdisciplinary Studies 10 (6): 23–34. https://doi.org/10.36941/ajis-2021-0150.

Bourdieu, Pierre. 1991. Language and Symbolic Power. Polity Press.

Fairclough, Norman. 1989. Language and Power. Longman.

Fairclough, Norman. 2013. Critical Discourse Analysis: The Critical Study of Language. Routledge.

Fattahizadeh, Fathyieh, and Fereshteh Motamad Langrodi. 2022. “Application of Fairclough’s Critical Discourse Analysis Model to Quranic Verses Discussing Peaceful Dealing with Hypocrites.” Journal of Islamic Thought and Civilization 12 (1): 231–46. https://doi.org/10.32350/jitc.121.13.

Fauzi, Ahmad, Baiatun Nisa, Darmawan Napitupulu, et al. 2022. Metodologi Penelitian. Pena Persada.

Firdawaty, Linda, Ahmad Munji, Ahmad Sukandi, Nurnazli Bukhari, and Ira Apriani. 2023. “Husein Muhammad’s Thoughts on Gender Equality in Islamic Inheritance Law.” Al-’Adalah 19 (2): 223–44. https://doi.org/10.24042/adalah.v19i2.13123.

Hamka. 2014. Buya Hamka Berbicara tentang Perempuan. Edited by Jumi Haryani. Gema Insani.

Hamka. 2015. Tafsir Al-Azhar. Vol. 2. Edited by Arif Anggoro. Gema Insani.

Izzan, Ahmad, Mohammad Irfan Farraz Haecal, and Nadya Fitri. 2025. “Minangkabau Cultural Imprints in Hamka’s Tafsīr al-Azhar: Contextualizing the Qur’an through Critical Discourse Analysis.” Islamica: Jurnal Studi Keislaman 20 (1): 76–95. https://doi.org/10.15642/islamica.2025.20.1.76-95.

Jahroh, Siti. 2022. “Not Nine but Eighteen: Husein Muhammad on Aisha’s Marriage Age.” Al-Ahwal: Jurnal Hukum Keluarga Islam 15 (1): 61–82. https://doi.org/10.14421/ahwal.2022.15104.

Kathīr, Ismā‘īl ibn ‘Umar ibn. 1999. Tafsīr Al-Qur’ān al-‘Aẓīm. Vol. 2. Dār Ṭayyibah li al-Nashr wa al-Tawzī‘.

Kementerian Agama Republik Indonesia. 2026. “Al-Qur’an dan Terjemahannya: Surat An-Nisa Ayat 34.” https://quran.kemenag.go.id/quran/per-ayat/surah/4?from=34&to=34.

Komnas Perempuan. 2025. Menata Data, Menajamkan Arah: Refleksi Pendokumentasian Dan Tren Kasus Kekerasan Terhadap Perempuan 2024. Jakarta. https://komnasperempuan.go.id/catatan-tahunan-detail/catahu-2024-menata-data-menajamkan-arah-refleksi-pendokumentasian-dan-tren-kasus-kekerasan-terhadap-perempuan.

Labibah, Umniyatul, Imam Taufiq, and Yasir Alimi. 2022. “Living Qur’an of Pesantren Women: A Manifestation of Surat An-Nisa 34 in A Woman Leadership Role of Nyai Munjidah Wahab.” Jurnal Studi Ilmu-Ilmu al-Qur’an dan Hadis 23 (1): 89–110. https://doi.org/10.14421/qh.2022.2301-05.

Moleong, Lexy J. 2017. Metodelogi Penelitian Kualitatif. PT. Remaja Rosdakarya.

Muhammad, Husein. 2001a. Fiqh Perempuan: Refleksi Kiai atas Wacana Agama dan Gender. LKiS Yogyakarta.

Muhammad, Husein. 2001b. Islam Agama Ramah Perempuan. LKiS.

Muhammad, Husein, Faqihuddin Abdul Kodir, Lies Marcoes Natsir, and Marzuki Wahid. 2011. Modul Dawrah Fiqh Perempuan. Fahmina Institute.

Najib, Muhammad Ainun. 2020. “Tasawuf dan Perempuan Pemikiran Sufi-Feminisme KH. Husein Muhammad.” Kontemplasi: Jurnal Ilmu-Ilmu Ushuluddin 8 (1): 203–28. https://doi.org/10.21274/kontem.2020.8.1.203-228.

Najjarzadehgan, Fateme. 2026. “The Disaffected Wife: Reinterpreting Nushūz, Authority, and Punishment in Qurʾān 4:34.” The Muslim World 116 (1): 31–66. https://doi.org/10.1111/muwo.70018.

Nelli, Jumni, Adi Harmanto, Sofia Hardani, Kholil Syu’aib, and Devi Megawati. 2024. “Qiwamah’s Reconception of Muhammad Shahrur’s Thoughts and Their Implications for the Feminist Movement in the World.” Al-Istinbath: Jurnal Hukum Islam 9 (1): 309–34. https://doi.org/10.29240/jhi.v9i1.9797.

Nugroho, Bambang Husni, Ahmad Mustaniruddin, and Ahmad Taufik. 2024. “Ideological Contestation on the Production of Gender Exegesis within Institutional Quranic Interpretation in Indonesia.” Jurnal Studi Ilmu-Ilmu al-Qur’an dan Hadis 25 (2): 346–69. https://doi.org/10.14421/qh.v25i2.5388.

Nuroniyah, Wardah. 2023. “Gender Discourses within Pesantren in Cirebon: Understanding the Typologies of Kyais’ Interpretations of the Concept of Qawwām.” Samarah: Jurnal Hukum Keluarga dan Hukum Islam 7 (2): 875–96. https://doi.org/10.22373/sjhk.v7i2.15689.

Phares, Deborah. 2026. “Ex-Muslims’ Digital Dissent: A Case for Multimodal Critical Discourse Analysis and Enunciative Pragmatics.” Mediální Studia 20 (SI1): 124–50. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.65502/si1-2026.07.

Rohmaniyah, Inayah, Samia Kotele, Mustaqim Pabbajah, and Hasna Safarina Rasyidah. 2022. “Female Ulama’s Authority: Deconstructing Masculine Domination in Islamic Norms and Practices.” International Journal of Islamic Thought 6 (June): 54–61. https://doi.org/10.24035/ijit.21.2022.225.

Shomad, Bukhori Abdul, Anwar Mujahidin, and Ahmad Choirul Rofiq. 2024. “Implications of Hamka’s Thoughts in Tafsir al-Azhar on the Standpoint of Islamic Social Organizations in Preventing Authoritarianism in Indonesia.” Indonesian Journal of Islam and Muslim Societies 14 (1): 91–116. https://doi.org/10.18326/ijims.v14i1.91-116.

Sijistānī, Abū Dāwūd Sulaymān ibn al-Ash‘ath al-Azdī al-. 2009. Sunan Abī Dāwūd. Vol. 2. Al-Maktabah al-‘Aṣriyyah.

Siregar, Kombang Tua, Ilyas Zhakypkazy, and Badrah Uyuni. 2025. “Indonesian Muballigh and Religious Authority: From Sanadto Algorithmic Transformation of Islamic Knowledge Transmission in the Digital Era.” Jurnal Indo-Islamika 15 (2): 298–314. https://doi.org/10.15408/jii.v15i2.47052.

Sm, M. Muji Buddin, Dody Sulistio, Mochammad Irfan Achfandhy, Muhammad Alfan Sidik, and Muhammad Nurul Mubin. 2025. “Islamic Law, the Constitution, and Digital Media: A Study of Islamic Discourse Construction in Contemporary Indonesia.” Al-Risalah: Forum Kajian Hukum dan Sosial Kemasyarakatan 25 (2): 20–36. https://doi.org/10.30631/alrisalah.v25i2.1951.

Sofiana, Neng Eri, Miftahul Huda, Nor Ismah, Agus Purnomo, and Luthfi Hadi Aminuddin. 2024. “Gender-Responsive Construction in Nikah-Kawin Traditions in West Java: A Qiwamah Perspective.” El-Mashlahah 14 (1): 71–94. https://doi.org/10.23971/el-mashlahah.v14i1.7691.

Syarifah, Zulfi Ida, Muhammad Ulinnuha, Said Agil Husin Al Munawar, and Habli Husna Muhammad. 2025. “Trends in Modern Women’s Relations in Social Problems: Islamic Law in Tafsir Al-Qurtubi.” Al-Risalah: Forum Kajian Hukum dan Sosial Kemasyarakatan 25 (2): 218–32. https://doi.org/10.30631/alrisalah.v25i2.1540.

Wardatun, Atun, and Bianca J. Smith. 2020. “Woman-Initiated Divorce and Feminist Fiqh in Indonesia: Narrating Male Acts of Nushūz in Marriage.” Ulumuna 24 (2): 266–95. https://doi.org/10.20414/ujis.v24i2.416.

Wijaya, Aksin, Ahmad Zainal Abidin, and Muh Syaifudin. 2025. “State-Sponsored Qur’anic Exegesis and Interreligious Relations.” Ascarya: Journal of Islamic Science, Culture, and Social Studies 5 (2): 279–91. https://doi.org/10.53754/iscs.v5i2.854.

Yuni, Lilik Andar, and Akhmad Haries. 2024. “Protection of Women’s Rights After Divorce in Religious Courts: What Makes This Mission Difficult to Achieve?” Mazahib 23 (2): 595–630. https://doi.org/10.21093/mj.v23i2.7958.

Yuwafi, Ah. Syukron, and Ghorbanali Karimzadeh Gharamaleki. 2023. “Rereading Surah Al-Nisa’ [4]: 34: Muḥammad Ḥusayn Faḍl Allāh’s Contextual Approach to Gender Equality in Islam.” Journal of Ushuluddin and Islamic Thought 1 (1): 1–30. https://doi.org/10.15642/juit.2023.1.1.1-30.

Zainuddin, Iskandar, Ahmad Yusam Thobroni, Muhammad Arief Ridha Rosyadi, Fakhruddin Lahmuddin, and Muhammad Yusuf Qardlawi. 2026. “Negotiating the Authority of Female Ulama in the Reinterpretation of the Qur’an in Islamic Family Law in East Kalimantan.” Samarah: Jurnal Hukum Keluarga dan Hukum Islam 10 (1): 26–48. https://doi.org/10.22373/sjhk.v10.i1.32158.

Zara, Muhammad Yuanda, Miftahuddin, Ajat Sudrajat, Danar Widayanta, and Hanafi bin Hussin. 2023. “Bound by History, Culture, Religion and Kinship.” Indonesia and the Malay World 51 (150): 191–208. https://doi.org/10.1080/13639811.2023.2221926.