Kausalitas Moral dalam Kehancuran Kaum ʿĀd: Penafsiran Quraish Shihab dalam Tafsir al-Mishbah

Abstract

The destruction of the ʿĀd people as depicted in the Qur’an involves not only the arrival of divine punishment but also reveals the interconnection between moral deviation, collective action, and civilizational vulnerability. This study examines how contemporary exegesis frames this causal relationship, specifically in Quraish Shihab’s Tafsir al-Mishbah. This study analyzes the structure of the ʿĀd people’s moral deviation, the chain of causality leading to their destruction, the relationship between human agency and sunnatullāh (divine laws governing the universe), and the patterns of civilizational vulnerability that emerge when power lacks moral orientation. The research uses a qualitative literature review, drawing on Tafsir al-Mishbah and relevant Qur’anic verses concerning the ʿĀd people as primary sources, supported by pertinent secondary sources. The analysis uses a thematic-analytical exegetical approach, tracing inter-verse connections, interpretive constructs, and moral cause-and-effect relationships within the narrative of destruction. The study yields four key findings. First, the deviation of the ʿĀd people formed a moral structure characterized by a sense of superiority, the abuse of power, and resistance to the corrective guidance of the Prophet Hūd. Second, this deviation progressed through rejection, defiance, and the reinforcement of collective behavior, ultimately culminating in destruction. Third, human agency remains the basis for accountability within the framework of sunnatullāh; thus, the destruction is not portrayed as purely deterministic. Fourth, physical strength, prosperity, and construction capabilities can transform into sources of vulnerability when they reinforce superiority and preclude moral correction. This study affirms moral causality as the pattern linking value orientation, collective action, and the fragility of civilizational resilience.