Reconceptualizing Context and Audience in Qur’anic Discourse

A Modern Linguistic Analysis of Q.S. Al-Muṭaffifīn [83]: 1–6

Abstract

Contextual Qur’anic interpretation faces the challenge of relating the historical meaning of a text to contemporary ethical issues without disregarding its original significance. This challenge is evident in the interpretation of taṭfīf in Q.S. Al-Muṭaffifīn [83]: 1–6, which historically concerns fraudulent measurement and weighing but also presents an ethical pattern involving the fulfillment of entitlements in exchange relationships. Previous studies have examined taṭfīf in relation to commercial ethics and contextual interpretation, yet the analytical relationship between its specific meaning and contemporary ethical application requires further clarification. This study develops an interpretive framework integrating textual context, historical context, and audience-oriented interpretation. It employs qualitative library research and contextual textual analysis of the relevant Qur’anic verses, classical exegetical works, and literature on linguistics and hermeneutics. The analysis examines the passage’s internal structure, its historical context, the audience’s role in constructing understanding, and the conditions for contemporary ethical application. The findings indicate that the contrast between yastawfūn and yukhsirūn represents an asymmetry in the fulfillment of entitlements, while historical contextualization confirms that the primary meaning of taṭfīf remains associated with deficient measurement and weighing. Building on this distinction, the study proposes asymmetrical entitlement as an analytical concept describing a situation in which one party demands full fulfillment of its own entitlement while diminishing another party’s legitimate due. Its application is governed by four criteria: legitimate entitlement, a reciprocal relationship, unequal standards, and an advantage obtained by reducing another party’s due. This study offers a framework for extending the ethical relevance of Qur’anic discourse through contextual interpretation while distinguishing contemporary ethical analogy from the original lexical meaning of taṭfīf.

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