<![CDATA[Studies on Q.S. al-Nisā’ [4]:34 often conclude that classical Qur’anic exegesis reinforces patriarchal authority by positioning men as superior to women in family leadership. However, this view tends to overlook the diversity of interpretations within the classical tafsir tradition. This article re-examines classical interpretations of the phrase al-rijālu qawwāmūna ‘alā al-nisā’ by identifying progressive perspectives that have received limited scholarly attention. Using qualitative library research and a comparative hermeneutic approach, the study analyzes major classical tafsir works from the fourth to eighth centuries Hijri, including those of al-Ṭabarī, al-Māwardī, al-Rāzī, and Abū Ḥayyān. The findings show that classical tafsir is not a monolithic patriarchal tradition. Rather, it contains diverse understandings of qiwāmah that can be grouped into three progressive models. First, the mas’ūliyyah model emphasizes responsibility and care, portraying the husband as a guardian responsible for family welfare. Second, the niẓām model understands qiwāmah as a functional organizational arrangement rather than a sign of male superiority. Third, the qudrah model links qiwāmah to the capacity to provide protection and effective leadership, allowing role flexibility based on competence rather than biological sex. These interpretations indicate that egalitarian and non-hierarchical views of family relations were already present within parts of the classical exegetical tradition. This study challenges the assumption that classical tafsir uniformly legitimizes patriarchy and highlights the plurality of classical Islamic thought. It also demonstrates the relevance of classical interpretations for developing contextual and gender-sensitive readings of the Qur’an in contemporary Muslim societies.]]>
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