Prophethood of Maryam in the Qur'an: Comparative Study of Tafsīr Al-Mīzān with Tafsīr Al-Mishbāh

Abstract

This study examines the issue of Mary's prophethood in the Qur'an through a comparative approach between Tafsīr Al-Mīzān by Sayyid Muhammad Husain Thabāthabā'ī and Tafsīr Al-Mishbāh by M. Quraish Shihab. Prophethood is one of the principles in Islam, including the issue of female prophethood that continues to squirm in the world of interpretation. The scholars responded to this issue by producing two different attitudes: some were in favor and some were rejected, each with its own arguments. This research aims to discuss the existence of the issue of women's prophethood in the intellectual tradition of Islamic scholars, then explore how the issue of the prophethood of Maryam is present in the two interpretations, and identify the reasons why this issue is accommodated by the two Indonesian mufassir. The methods used are maudhū'ī (thematic) and critical-comparative analysis methods with a philosophical-qualitative approach. The results of the study show that there are two camps in responding to this issue. The camp that rejected Mary's prophethood was represented by Ibn Katsir, Fakhruddin al-Razi, al-Ash'ili, and al-Qusyairi, while those who accepted it were represented by al-Qurthubi, Ibn Hazm al-Andalusi, Ibn Hajar al-'Asqalani, and Abu Bakr al-Tujibi al-Qabri. The issue of Mary's prophethood is contained in Tafsīr Al-Mīzān and Tafsīr Al-Mishbāh, especially when discussing Surah Āli-'Imrān/3: 42. This study confirms that Mary was not a prophet in the conventional sense of nubuwwah, although she had prophetic categories such as revelation, maksuman, and extraordinary privileges.