<![CDATA[Purpose: This study critically examines contemporary interpretations of Qur'anic verses commonly labeled as scientific verses concerning the earth and cosmic space, aiming to restore their meanings within Arabic linguistic conventions and classical Qur’anic exegesis while challenging epistemologically anachronistic readings shaped by modern scientific paradigms. Methodology: Employing a thematic tafsīr (tafsīr mawḍū‘ī) approach, this research analyzes key Qur’anic expressions describing the earth, such as farāsh, bisāṭ, mahād, madda, qarār, suṭiḥat, and manākib, and examines their semantic relationship with the terms binā' and aqṭār. The study is grounded in close Arabic linguistic analysis and a critical engagement with classical tafsīr literature, combined with an epistemological critique of contemporary scientific-oriented interpretations. Results: The findings demonstrate that classical exegetes consistently interpret these expressions within a phenomenological and functional framework, depicting the earth as it is experienced, perceived, and inhabited by human beings, rather than as a technical cosmological construct or a geometrical model. Moreover, verses emphasizing cosmic vastness, such as the Verse of the Throne (Qur’an 2:255), Qur’an 3:133, and Qur’an 55:33, function theologically and pedagogically, affirming divine majesty and human limitation rather than anticipating or validating modern cosmological theories. Value: This study reaffirms classical tafsīr as a normative methodological standard for interpreting ayat kawniyyah and argues that reading modern scientific cosmology into the Qur’an constitutes an epistemological anachronism. By rejecting the reduction of the Qur’an to a scientific textbook and reaffirming the primacy of Arabic linguistic meaning and classical exegetical tradition, this research offers a disciplined and theologically grounded framework for contemporary Qur’anic studies.]]>
