Equilibrium: Jurnal Pendidikan
Vol. 14 No. 3 (2026): EQUILIBRIUM: JURNAL PENDIDIKAN

Reconceptualizing the Meaning of Time: Muhammad Abduh's Critique of the Ummah's Backwardness in the Interpretation of Surah Al-'Asr

Muhammad Fachry (Islamic Da'
wah and Culture Study Program, Al-Azhar University, Egypt)



Article Info

Publish Date
10 Sep 2026

Abstract

This study aims to analyze the intellectual biography of Muhammad Abduh, the methodological characteristics of Tafsir Juz ‘Amma, and his hermeneutic-sociological construction of Surah Al-‘Asr as an instrument of social criticism. The research employs a qualitative library research method with descriptive-analytical and sociological approaches. The findings reveal that Abduh's reformist thoughts were shaped by his academic trauma regarding conventional pedagogical methods at the Al-Ahmadi Mosque in Tanta, which was later reconstructed through the spiritual guidance of Sheikh Darwish Khadr and cosmopolitan intellectual dialectics with Sayyid Jamaluddin al-Afghani. In Tafsir Juz ‘Amma, Abduh implements the Adab al-Ijtima’i (socio-literary) approach, which focuses on the aspect of hidayah (practical guidance) and rejects rigid, dry interpretations (jaf mub’idun ‘anillah). Through his interpretation of Surah Al-‘Asr, Abduh deconstructs the theological fatalism of society that frequently scapegoats time for civilizational decline, asserts the neutrality of the historical dimension, and reconstructs the meaning of faith and righteous deeds from a passive-eschatological scope into indicators of emancipatory sociological productivity in the real world. This study concludes that Abduh's interpretation of Surah Al-‘Asr functions as a blueprint for social transformation and an active social contract to extricate the Muslim community from intellectual stagnation and colonialism.  

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Journal Info

Abbrev

equilibrium

Publisher

Subject

Education Languange, Linguistic, Communication & Media Library & Information Science Social Sciences Other

Description

Equilibrium: Jurnal Pendidikan dengan ISSN Cetak: 2339-2401 dan ISSN Online: 2477-0221 merupakan jurnal peer-review untuk publikasi artikel ilmiah di bidang pendidikan dan sosiologi, merupakan jurnal akses terbuka yang bertujuan untuk menyediakan forum untuk para peneliti, dosen, guru, praktisi, dan ...