PROBLEM OF ISIS’S QUR’ANIC INTERPRETATIONS AND CLAIM OF THE IMPLEMENTATION OF SHARIA LAW

This paper discusses the problem of ISIS’s Qur’anicinterpretations regarding the implementation of sharia law andthe concept of jihad. It is essential to address this topic becausethe self-proclaimed Caliphate have claimed that their barbaricactions such as indiscriminate killing of civilians, plundering,and declaring other Muslims as apostates are based on Qur’anicverses. They also consider these actions as part of the jihad touphold sharia law. This paper argues that there are two mainproblems in ISIS’s Qur’anic interpretations, namely (1) cherrypicking Qur’anic verses that support their causes. According tothe principles of Qur’anic exegesis (ushul al-tafsir), thismethod of interpretation is certainly not justified because it willlead to the partial understanding of the message of the Qur’an;(2) attempting to enforce the sharia law without properunderstanding of the law. As a result, ISIS’s implementation ofsharia goes against the ultimate purposes of the sharia (maqasidal-shari’ah).