The Application of Maqashidi Exegesis in Optimizing Human Awareness of Positive Behavior: An Analytical Study of Surah Al-Jin

Abstract

This article aimed to reconstruct the interpretation of Surah Al-Jin by applying a Maq??id? (objectives-based) exegetical approach to enhance human awareness of positive behavior. Previous scholarship on Surah Al-Jin within Qur’anic exegesis has largely been dominated by rigid eschatological and metaphysical interpretations that tend toward textualism, potentially limiting the exploration of the surah’s moral and transformative messages for practical human life. Through qualitative descriptive library research, this study integrated Abdul Mustaqim’s contemporary Maq??id? exegetical methodology with Jasser Auda’s systems theory perspective. The findings showed that Surah Al-Jin was not merely a mystical or cosmological narrative but also functioned as a framework for human ethical and moral transformation through the preservation of religion (hif? al-d?n) and the preservation of intellect (hif? al-?aql). Three main pillars of positive character formation were identified in this surah: (1) spiritual transformation through al-inqiy?d li al-?aqq (submission to the truth); (2) purification of taw??d from cognitive distortions and superstition; and (3) strengthening of internal self-control based on mur?qabah awareness. This reconstruction demonstrated that the metaphysical dimension of the Qur’an had a close and systemic relationship with the development of awareness and ethical behavior among modern human beings. The findings suggested that Maq??id? exegesis provided a practical framework for character education and moral development by transforming Qur’anic narratives from theoretical theological concepts into applicable ethical guidance for contemporary society.