The Analytical Exegesis of Verse 101 of Surah Al-Nisā’ and Its Impact on Expanding Jurisprudential Rulings: An Analytical Study 10.35781/1637-000-132-001

Abstract

This study investigates the methodology adopted by classical scholars in incorporating into Qur’anic verses legal rulings not explicitly conveyed by their apparent wording, with a particular focus on verse 101 of Surat al-Nisāʾ. It explores the contribution of analytical exegesis in uncovering the scholarly approaches employed to reconcile the general legal scope of Qur’anic verses with the detailed prescriptions found in Prophetic traditions. The research examines both the convergences and divergences between the semantic content of the verse and the hadiths concerning the shortening of prayer during travel, and it highlights interpretive strategies used by scholars to bridge seemingly disparate meanings and substantiate them with sound argumentation. The findings reveal a partial divergence between the verse’s general purport and the Sunnah’s rulings on combining and shortening prayers while traveling. Nevertheless, scholars- may God have mercy on them- utilized the exegetical device of taḍmīn (semantic incorporation) to harmonize the objectives and rulings of the Qur’anic text with those of the Prophetic traditions. Accordingly, the study recommends further in-depth examination of taḍmīn, its methodological foundations among exegetes and jurists, and its role in preference (tarjīḥ) , particularly in reconciling Qur’anic and Prophetic texts and applying the legal implications of each to the other.