Discursive Equality in Revelation: Gender, Agency, and Moral Authority   in Qur’anic Communication

Sumadi Sumadi; Lilis Nurteti; Arjen Robben GS

doi:10.58355/maqolat.v4i2.239

Authors

Sumadi Sumadi Universitas Islam Negeri Bandung PDPK UID Ciamis
Lilis Nurteti Universitas Islam Darussalam (UID) Ciamis, Indonesia
Arjen Robben GS Universitas Negeri Semarang, Indonesia

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.58355/maqolat.v4i2.239

Keywords:

Discursive Equality, Qur’anic Communication, Gender Agency, Moral Authority, Feminist Hermeneutics.

Abstract

This article examines whether gender equality in the Qur’an is a product of modern reinterpretation or a feature embedded within the communicative architecture of revelation itself. Focusing on Q 33:35, Q 9:71, Q 4:124, and Q 3:195, the study employs an integrative qualitative approach combining critical discourse analysis, rhetorical examination, and ethical-hermeneutical reflection. The findings demonstrate that discursive equality is textually encoded through structured gender parallelism, reciprocal moral guardianship, and eschatological symmetry. Q 33:35 performs equality through explicit masculine–feminine pairing; Q 9:71 constructs men and women as mutual allies in ethical governance; and Q 4:124 and Q 3:195 affirm universal divine recompense irrespective of gender. Together, these verses establish a dialogic model in which men and women are co-addressed moral subjects and co-bearers of agency. While historical interpretations have often privileged hierarchical readings, the Qur’an’s linguistic and ethical design sustains a recoverable framework of shared accountability and justice. The study argues that discursive equality is not a concession to modernity but a normative principle rooted in revelation’s communicative logic. By aligning interpretive practice with this architecture, the Qur’an emerges as a dynamic ethical text capable of sustaining gender-inclusive moral authority across contexts.

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