Reclaiming Justice: Abu Zayd’s Contextual Hermeneutics and the Political Ethics of the Qur’an

This paper applies Nasr Hamid Abu Zayd’s contextual hermeneutics to four Qur’anic verses often invoked in Islamic political discourse: QS. al-Nisā’ [4]:59, QS. al-Baqarah [2]:30, QS. al-Shūrā [42]:38, and QS. al-Mā’idah [5]:44. Traditional interpretations have frequently endorsed literal and authoritarian readings, framing obedience, governance, and divine law as rigid imperatives. By engaging Abu Zayd’s concept of tārīkhiyyat al-dalālah (the historicity of meaning), this study reinterprets these verses through their socio-historical contexts and ethical substance. The analysis finds that each verse contains dynamic ethical imperatives: conditional obedience, ecological stewardship, participatory governance, and values-based jurisprudence. Abu Zayd’s methodology reframes Islamic political thought as a field grounded not in legal absolutism, but in moral dialogue. This approach supports a pluralistic, just, and context-sensitive reading of the Qur’an, offering new possibilities for integrating Islamic teachings with contemporary values of justice, human rights, and ethical leadership