Gender Hierarchy Interpretation in Disaster Context: A Critical Analysis of Qawwamah in the Sumatra Floods

Authors

  • Saidul Amin Universitas Islam Negeri Sultan Syarif Kasim Riau, Indonesia
  • Nuraini Universiti Muhammadiyah Malaysia, Malaysia
  • An Najmi Fikri Ramadhan Universiti Muhammadiyah Malaysia, Malaysia

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.29240/alquds.v10i2.16249

Keywords:

Sumatra Flood Disaster, Karen Bauer, Qawwamah, Gender Vulnerability, Exegetical Reconstruction.

Abstract

The 2025 Sumatra floods exposed acute structural vulnerabilities among women, exacerbated by the internalization of medieval patriarchal theological constructs. This study aims to deconstruct the traditional gender hierarchy in Islamic exegesis using Karen Bauer's historical-contextual approach to assess its functional validity during modern disaster crises. Employing Qualitative Content Analysis (QCA) and a critical hermeneutical framework, this research analyzes classical texts regarding qawwamah (QS. An-Nisa: 34) and female testimony (QS. Al-Baqarah: 282) alongside empirical field reports from the PERMAMPU Consortium. The findings reveal the phenomenon of "Structural Qawwamah Dysfunction" in disaster zones; because male authority is legally conditioned upon physical protection (faddala) and economic provision (infaq), this authority becomes functionally void during force majeure scenarios where such capacities collapse. Furthermore, the study debunks the theological stigma of women's intellectual deficiency (nuqsan al-aql) as a contextual-sociological limitation rather than a biological absolute. While these findings are methodologically bound to extreme crises, the study concludes that maintaining rigid gender hierarchies during emergencies contradicts the maqasid principle of hifz al-nafs (preservation of life). It urgently calls for a "Gender-Responsive Disaster Theology" that shifts the paradigm from female subordination to strategic partnership, acknowledging women as autonomous subjects with full religious legitimacy to lead self-rescue initiatives.

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Published

2026-08-17

How to Cite

Saidul Amin, Nuraini, & Ramadhan, A. N. F. (2026). Gender Hierarchy Interpretation in Disaster Context: A Critical Analysis of Qawwamah in the Sumatra Floods. AL QUDS : Jurnal Studi Alquran Dan Hadis, 10(2), 284–297. https://doi.org/10.29240/alquds.v10i2.16249

Issue

Vol. 10 No. 2 (2026)

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