From Lā Ikrāha fī al-Dīn to the Classroom Semantic Fields of Religious Freedom across Exegetical Traditions
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.51278/bse.v6i3.2398Abstract
The phrase lā ikrāha fī al-dīn is frequently associated with religious tolerance, yet its educational significance depends on how interpretive reasoning is translated into teaching. This article examines selected configurations of the semantic field of religious freedom in Qur’anic exegesis and develops a framework for Islamic religious education. The study uses qualitative, interpretive library research combining a semantic comparison informed by Izutsu with maqāṣid-oriented educational reconstruction. Commentary on Q. 2:256 provides the principal textual focus, while scholarship on curriculum and religious education informs the proposed pedagogical implications. The analysis distinguishes historical-juristic, rational-theological, and maqāṣid-oriented emphases without treating them as mutually exclusive chronological stages. Classical discussions already contain disagreement about scope, abrogation, and the relationship between compulsion and belief, challenging a simple narrative of movement from a uniformly restrictive past toward an expansive present. The article further distinguishes the lexical meaning of ikrāh, its relational configuration, and contemporary applications concerning responsible choice. Its educational contribution is a translation framework connecting exegetical reasoning, educational purposes, learning activities, and assessment of demonstrated understanding. A comparative matrix and a proposed lesson-design matrix make these connections explicit. Tolerance is consequently presented as a reasoned ethical outcome rather than an unexplained proof-text. Because an identifiable curricular corpus and classroom observations are not available, the article does not establish the prevalence of reductive teaching or the effectiveness of an intervention. It concludes that semantic comparison can inform curriculum design when source statements, normative reconstruction, and pedagogical proposals remain clearly distinguished. Future research should examine identifiable syllabi and classroom practices before testing the proposed framework empirically.
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