The Hermeneutical Approach in Understanding Islamic Law: A Philosophical Study

Abstrak

Ideally, Islamic law is understood as a dynamic and ethical normative system capable of responding to the changes of the times. However, in reality, traditional approaches to legal texts often fall into literal and formalistic readings, thereby limiting the space for contextual and reflective ijtihad. This study aims to explore the hermeneutical approach as a philosophical foundation for understanding and reconstructing Islamic law in a way that is more adaptive to social and historical dynamics. Using a library research method and a philosophical-interpretive approach, the analysis is conducted through a critical hermeneutic lens on the works of Western hermeneutic thinkers, along with contemporary literature on Islamic legal studies.The findings reveal that the hermeneutical approach can revitalize ijtihad methodology by ethically and historically bridging the gap between text and context. The integration of hermeneutics into Islamic legal studies offers a significant contribution to the development of a legal system that is not only normatively valid but also contextually meaningful and humane.