Birr al-Wālidayn Sebagai Pembentukan Moral Anak dalam Tafsir al-Azhar: Perspektif Surah al-Isrā’ Ayat 23

Abstract

The concept of birr al-Wālidayn is often framed merely as an obligation of filial piety. In contrast, its dimension as a process of shaping a child’s morality—grounded in the relational ethics found in Surah al-Isrā’ [17]:23—has not received sufficient analytical attention, particularly within Buya Hamka’s Tafsir al-Azhar. This study aims to analyze the construction of birr al-Wālidayn in Hamka’s exegesis and to explore how a child’s moral character is formed through the foundations of iḥsān (excellence), communication discipline, self-restraint, the parent-child relationship, and the internalization of values ​​into moral consciousness and spiritual responsibility. A qualitative, library-based research approach was employed, utilizing the Qur’an (specifically Surah al-Isrā’ [17]:23) and Tafsir al-Azhar as primary sources, supplemented by relevant exegetical literature and academic studies as secondary sources. Data were analyzed using an interpretive-critical method involving the identification of textual meanings, the mapping of moral value structures, and an analysis of the moral formation process. The study reveals that birr al-Wālidayn in Tafsir al-Azhar constitutes a relational ethic rooted in iḥsān that transcends mere formal obedience. The prohibitions against uttering “uff” (an expression of annoyance) and speaking harshly, alongside the command to use qawl karīm (noble speech), foster communication discipline and self-restraint; the command to lower oneself with affection cultivates humility, empathy, respect, and ego control; and the supplication rabbi irḥamhumā kamā rabbayānī ṣaghīran (My Lord, have mercy upon them as they brought me up [when I was] small) internalizes respect through spiritual awareness, gratitude, and moral responsibility. This structure demonstrates a progression in moral formation from behavioral discipline toward moral disposition and inner consciousness. These findings contribute to the fields of Qur’anic exegesis and ethics by framing birr al-Wālidayn as a process of shaping the child as a moral subject through relational and spiritual ethics, rather than viewing it solely as a norm of familial obedience.