Surah al-Takāthur dan Kritikan "Budaya Flexing": Satu Kajian Maqāṣidī Terhadap Mafātīḥ al-Ghayb Fakhruddin al-Rāzī

Surah al-Takāthur and the Critique of “Flexing Culture”: A Maqāṣidī Study of Fakhr al-Dīn al-Rāzī’s Mafātīḥ al-Ghayb

الملخص

In contemporary digital society, the proliferation of “flexing culture” on social media reflects an intensifying tendency to display wealth, status, and lifestyle in ways that reinforce a worldview centered on material competition and self-presentation. This phenomenon invites critical engagement through the ethical and theological lens of the Qur’an, particularly Surah al-Takāthur, which censures rivalry in worldly accumulation and heedlessness of ultimate accountability. This article aims to examine the Qur’anic critique of such behavior through the exegetical framework of Fakhr al-Dīn al-Rāzī in his Mafātīḥ al-Ghayb, while situating the analysis within a maqāṣidī paradigm. Employing qualitative library-based research with a descriptive-analytical method, the study draws primarily on al-Rāzī’s commentary on Surah al-Takāthur, supplemented by relevant scholarship on maqāṣid al-tafsīr and contemporary socio-cultural analysis. The findings reveal that al-Rāzī conceptualizes al-Takāthur as an excessive preoccupation with worldly pride that diverts human beings from higher existential aims and moral refinement. Through his articulation of a hierarchical model of happiness—encompassing spiritual, physical, and external dimensions—al-Rāzī relegates wealth and social status to a subordinate level of value. This framework provides a compelling normative critique of modern flexing practices, exposing their dissonance with Qur’anic ethical priorities. The study demonstrates the enduring relevance of classical tafsīr in addressing contemporary social phenomena and contributes to the advancement of maqāṣidī approaches in thematic Qur’anic studies, particularly in bridging scriptural insights with modern behavioral patterns.