Surat Maryam and the Formation of the Value-Based Educational Framework: A Study in Light of the Jurisprudence of Values

Abstract

This study examines Surat Maryam as a rich Qur’anic source for constructing a value-based educational framework aligned with the higher objectives of Islamic law (maqāṣid al-sharīʿah). It proceeds from the premise that the Qur’anic text does not merely impart doctrinal and ethical values; rather, it offers pedagogical structures that can be extracted and employed within contemporary educational contexts when approached through the jurisprudence of values (fiqh al-qiyam) and a maqāṣid-oriented reading. The study adopts an interpretive and foundational methodology that combines a contextual analysis of the sūrah—its narrative flow, thematic architecture, and rhetorical features—with a maqāṣid-based approach that identifies its overarching and subsidiary objectives of pedagogical relevance. The analysis reveals that Surat Maryam establishes a spectrum of theological and ethical values—such as monotheism, trust in God, and patience in trials—which directly correspond to the maqāṣid of preserving faith, life, lineage, intellect, property, and human dignity. The sūrah likewise highlights social and educational dimensions: the exemplary role of prophets, the centrality of righteous role models, the family’s formative influence, the dignified status of women and motherhood, and the importance of nurturing purity, truthfulness, and justice. Its rhetorical style-including narrative depiction, strategic repetition, and emphatic discourse-functions as an effective mechanism for embedding values and ensuring their transmission across generations. The study concludes that applying the jurisprudence of values to Surat Maryam yields a coherent methodological foundation for developing Qur’an-based educational curricula that integrate maqāṣid, reinforce the complementary role of the Prophetic Sunnah, and link doctrinal understanding with ethical and behavioral competencies. It recommends incorporating structured Qur’anic narratives into educational programs and designing pedagogical activities that cultivate maqāṣid-awareness among learners, thereby sustaining a balanced and value-centered human character.