A Comparative Study of Abraham Geiger and Al-Aṣfahānī on the Concept of Rabb
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.22373/arj.v6i1.34743Keywords:
Rabb, Abraham Geiger, Al-Aṣfahānī, Hermeneutics, Comparative StudyAbstract
Rabb is one of the central terms in the Qur’an that encompasses complex linguistic, semantic, and theological dimensions. This study aims to analyze and compare the views of Abraham Geiger and Al-Raghib al-Aṣfahānī regarding the concept of Rabb, while also examining the epistemological frameworks underlying their interpretations. This research employs a qualitative method with a comparative-analytical library research approach. The theoretical framework applied in this study is Hans-Georg Gadamer’s hermeneutics, particularly the concept of fusion of horizons in textual interpretation. The primary sources include Al-Aṣfahānī’s Al-Mufradāt fī Gharīb al-Qur’ān, Abraham Geiger’s Judaism and Islam, and Was hat Mohammed aus dem Judenthume aufgenommen?. The findings reveal that although both scholars depart from relatively similar etymological roots, they arrive at different understandings of the concept of Rabb. Al-Aṣfahānī interprets Rabb within the framework of Islamic theology as a divine concept related to tarbiyah, sustenance, and the absolute sovereignty of God. In contrast, Geiger approaches Rabb through a historical-comparative perspective, viewing it as a term shaped within Jewish rabbinic and broader Semitic traditions. These differences demonstrate that interpretations of the concept of Rabb are strongly influenced by intellectual traditions, historical backgrounds, and the pre-understandings of each interpreter
References
Ahmad Said, H. (2018). POTRET STUDI ALQURAN DI MATA ORIENTALIS. JURNAL At-Tibyan: Jurnal Ilmu Alquran Dan Tafsir, 3(1), 27. https://doi.org/10.32505/tibyan.v3i1.474
Akbar, A. (2021). Philosophical hermeneutics and contemporary Muslim scholars’ approaches to interpreting scripture. Philosophy & Social Criticism, 47(5), 587–614. https://doi.org/10.1177/0191453720931912
Al-Asfahani, A.-R. (2009). Al-Mufrodat Fii Gharibil Qur’an.
Al-Daghistani, S. (2025). On Creation, Nature, and the Ethical Self: a Comparative Analysis of Ikhwān al-Ṣafāʾ, al-Rāghib al-Iṣfahānī, and Abū Ḥāmid al-Ghazālī. Journal of Islamic Ethics, 9(1–2), 1–23. https://doi.org/10.1163/24685542-20250001
Chandra, T. U. (2024). KARAKTERISTIK DAN CORAK PENAFSIRAN AL-RAGIB AL-ASFAHANI DALAM KITAB TAFSIR AL-RAGHIB AL-ASFAHANI. Amsal Al-Qur’an: Jurnal Al-Qur’an Dan Hadis, 1(2), 174–188. https://doi.org/10.63424/amsal.v1i2.40
Fathah, M. U. A. F. (2021). membenarkan bacaan yaitu Tahsin . Tahsin merupakan kata dari bahasa Arab yang asal katanya. Ilmu Ushuluddin, 20(2), 188–202. https://doi.org/10.18592/jiiu.v
Gramatikal, A. (n.d.). ARTI KATA RABB DALAM SURAH AL- ISRA’: Ditinjau dari Aspek Gramatikal.
Huda, N. (2010). Karakteristik Metodologis dan Tafsir Teologis Al-Asfahani dalam Kitab Tafsir Ar-Raqib Al-Asfahani. Analisa, 17(2), 215. https://doi.org/10.18784/analisa.v17i2.39
Hunt, S. (2017). Judaism and Islam. In S. Hunt (Ed.), Judaism and Islam. Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315251332
Knotts, M. W. (2014). Readers, Texts, and the Fusion of Horizons: Theology and Gadamer’s Hermeneutics. AUC THEOLOGICA, 4(2), 233–246. https://doi.org/10.14712/23363398.2015.6
Kurniasih, U. (2021). Memahami Makna RABB Dalam Al-Qur’an (Studi Tematik Dalam Tafsir Tematik Kemenag RI) (Vol. 3, Issue 2).
Lestari, L. (2015). Abraham Geiger dan Kajian Al-Qurâ€TMan Telaah Metodologi atas Buku Judaism and Islam. SUHUF, 7(1), 41–60. https://doi.org/10.22548/shf.v7i1.22
Mahfudin, M. (2021). Muhammad dan Orisinalitas Al-Quran dalam Pandangan Abraham Geiger. MAGHZA: Jurnal Ilmu Al-Qur’an Dan Tafsir, 6(1), 135–150. https://doi.org/10.24090/maghza.v6i1.4547
Marsella, M., & Turjiman, L. (2025). The Intellectual Controversy Between Abraham Geiger and Al-Ghazali in Interpreting Islam. Abrahamic Religions: Jurnal Studi Agama-Agama, 5(1), 13. https://doi.org/10.22373/arj.v5i1.27307
Muzayyin, M. (2017). AL-QUR’AN MENURUT PANDANGAN ORIENTALIS (Studi Analisis ‘Teori Pengaruh’ dalam Pemikiran Orientalis). Jurnal Studi Ilmu-Ilmu Al-Qur’an Dan Hadis, 16(2), 203. https://doi.org/10.14421/qh.2015.1602-04
Noorhayati, S. M. (2019). Konsep Robbani Dalam Pendidikan Islam. Jurnal Al-Riwayah, 11(1), 67–87. https://e-jurnal.iainsorong.ac.id/index.php/Al-Riwayah/article/view/183
Pemikiran, S., Geiger, A., Nöldeke, T., Neuwirth, A., Nur, Z., Kahfi, D., Iballa, M., & Azima, M. F. (2024). Komparasi Studi Historis-Kritis Al-Qur ’ an Orientalis. Hamalatul Qur’an, 5(2), 654–662.
Pertiwi, L., Rahman, T., & Syachrofi, M. (2023). Otentisitas al-Qur’an: Bantahan Pandangan Abraham Geiger terhadap Al-Qur’an. Jurnal Riset Agama, 3(2), 282–295. https://doi.org/10.15575/jra.v3i2.20576
Pohan, N. (2021). Penempatan Konteks Lafaz Ilāh Dan Rabb Didalam Al-Quran. Skripsi.
Rahmah, W. S. (2020). PEMIKIRAN AL-RAGHIB AL-ASFAHANI TENTANG AL-QUR’AN, TAFSIR DAN TA’WIL. Cakrawala: Jurnal Manajemen Pendidikan Islam Dan Studi Sosial, 4(2), 169–19. https://doi.org/10.33507/cakrawala.v4i2.251
Sugianto, F., Michael, T., & Afdhal, M. (2021). Konstelasi Perkembangan Hermeneutika dalam Filsafat Ilmu sebagai Atribusi Metode Penafsiran Hukum. Negara Hukum: Membangun Hukum Untuk Keadilan Dan Kesejahteraan, 2, 307–328.
Sweta, A. A., Kamil, M. H. S. bin A. H., Ullah, A., & Mukhamedov, N. (2022). THE URGENCY OF SIYAQ (INTERPTRETATION OF THE WORD AL-INS AND BASYAR PERSPECTIVE OF AR-RAGHIB AL-ASHFAHANI) IN KITAB AL-MUFRODAT FI GHARIB AL-QUR’AN. QiST: Journal of Quran and Tafseer Studies, 1(3), 329–342. https://doi.org/10.23917/qist.v1i3.2221
Umi Wasilah, F. (2021). Pengaruh Bahasa Ibrani Pada Teks Al-Qur’an dalam Perspektif Abraham Geiger. Al-Manar: Jurnal Kajian Alquran Dan Hadis, 7(2), 43–60.
Weinsheimer, J., & Marshall, D. G. (2004). Gadamer Truth and Method (3rd Ed.).
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Priyantika Lesyaina Az Zahra, Syafiin Mansur, Mus’idul Millah
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
Authors who publish in this Journal agree to the following terms:
- Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-SA 4.0) allows others to share the work with an acknowledgment of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgment of its initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work. (See The Effect of Open Acces)
