Meaning of Majnun in the Quran: A Socio-Historical Study through Tafsir al-Misbah

Abstract

Prophet Muhammad is recognized as a figure of perfect moral character, even before being appointed as a prophet and messenger, yet during his mission he frequently faced opposition including accusations of being insane (majnun) which are recorded in the Quran as part of the polemics of the Quraysh disbelievers; a fundamental question arises as to how a man of the most exemplary character could be ridiculed as insane, while classical exegetes generally interpret majnun as mockery, semantic and socio-historical analysis reveals a more complex dynamic of meaning; the purpose of this article is to explore the meaning of majnun in the Quran through a socio-historical approach, emphasizing the dimensions of action and social context embedded in the relevant verses; this study employs a qualitative method with content analysis, using Tafsir al-Misbah as the primary interpretive reference; the analytical findings indicate that the term majnun in the Quran appears in three main contexts, namely God’s rebuttal of the Quraysh disbelievers’ accusations, insults directed at Prophet Muhammad, and insults aimed at earlier prophets, and further demonstrate that majnun is not merely a pejorative label but part of the rhetorical strategy of opponents of prophetic missions reflecting the social and cultural conditions of Arab society at the time; the implications of the analytical findings underscore the importance of reading pejorative terms in the Quran contextually, thereby enriching the understanding of the dynamics of Prophet Muhammad’s mission and its relevance for contemporary Quranic exegesis.