AL-MUSTAḌʿAFĪN AND AL-MUSTAKBIRĪN IN THE QUR’AN : A Critical Thematic Exegesis of Asymmetric Power in the Iran-Israel-United States Conflict

Akhmad Aidil Fitra; Sulastri Sulastri; Muhammad A'thoillah Mubarok; Rismanuddin Rismanuddin; Idi Warsah

doi:10.47454/bkn19512

Authors

Akhmad Aidil Fitra Universitas Islam Negeri Fatmawati Sukarno Bengkulu Author
Sulastri Sulastri Banten Islamic Institute (IAIB) Serang, Indonesia. Author
Muhammad A'thoillah Mubarok Walisongo State Islamic University Author
Rismanuddin Rismanuddin Universitas PTIQ Jakarta Author
Idi Warsah Institut Agama Islam Negeri Curup Author

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.47454/bkn19512

Keywords:

mustadh'afīn, mustakbirīn, thematic exegesis, geopolitics, Iran–Israel–United States, muqāwamah

Abstract

The geopolitical conflict involving Iran, Israel, and the United States reflects an asymmetric power relation shaped by military, ideological, and theological claims. The main problem this study addresses is how to interpret the Qur’an thematically to understand global conflict without falling into partisan reductionism. This study is important because the Qur’anic concepts of mustadh‘afīn and mustakbirīn are frequently invoked in contemporary political discourse, yet they require critical exegetical examination. This research aims to analyze the concepts of mustadh‘afīn and mustakbirīn in the Qur’an and relate them to the triangular geopolitical conflict among Iran, Israel, and the United States. It employs a qualitative library research method by combining tafsir maudhu‘i, Fazlur Rahman’s double movement hermeneutics, and critical discourse analysis. The findings show that mustadh‘afīn and mustakbirīn are not merely historical categories, but transhistorical typologies for examining asymmetric power structures. The Qur’anic narrative of Pharaoh serves as an archetype of the mustakbir, remaining relevant for analyzing contemporary global hegemony, political expansionism, and the instrumentalization of Qur’anic terminology for political legitimacy. The study also finds that the Qur’anic ethics of resistance are grounded in justice, proportionality, protection of life, and liberation, rather than sectarian violence. This research contributes to the development of contextual thematic exegesis and offers an ethical framework, grounded in maqāshid al-sharī‘ah, for contemporary Islamic diplomacy oriented toward global justice and humanitarian solidarity.

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