Rethinking Contemporary Qur’anic Epistemology: Neurotheology, Double Consciousness, and Non-Arabcentric Hadith Traditions

Indonesian hadith scholars working outside Arab-centric Islamic traditions are developing a neurotheological reinterpretation of the Qur'an by blending classical hadith methodology with indigenous Javanese spiritual epistemology and contemporary cognitive neuroscience. Through interviews, discourse analysis, and ethnographic observation, the study documents how these scholars construct a form of epistemological double consciousness, theorize the collective neurotheological effects of Qur'anic recitation, and reinterpret the classical concept of nafs by integrating hadith anthropology, Javanese spirituality, and modern psychology. The work argues that non-Arabcentric Islamic scholarship is a productive site of neurotheological innovation, where cultural and cognitive diversity enriches rather than deviates from normative Islamic hermeneutics.

Study at a glance

Abstract

This study investigates the neurotheological reconstruction of Qur'anic foundations undertaken by Indonesian muhaddith operating within non-Arabcentric Islamic intellectual traditions, examining how these scholars negotiate classical hadith methodology alongside indigenous Indonesian spiritual epistemology and contemporary cognitive neuroscience. Employing a qualitative interpretive methodology integrating in-depth semi-structured interviews, critical discourse analysis of institutional texts, and ethnographic observation within Indonesian Islamic learning communities, this study systematically documents the epistemological strategies through which Indonesian muhaddith reconstruct the neurological and psychological dimensions of Qur'anic engagement beyond Arab-normative hermeneutical frameworks. The findings reveal that Indonesian muhaddith construct a distinctive form of epistemological double consciousness, theorize the collective neurotheological dimensions of Qur'anic recitation practice, and reconstruct the classical concept of nafs through the convergence of hadith anthropology, indigenous Javanese spiritual epistemology, and contemporary psychological science. The novelty of this study lies in its theorization of non-Arabcentric Islamic scholarship as a productive site of neurotheological innovation, demonstrating that cultural and cognitive diversity within global Muslim intellectual traditions constitutes an epistemological resource rather than a deviation from normative Islamic hermeneutical standards. Contribution: This study contributes by advancing neurotheological approaches in Islamic studies, repositioning non-Arabcentric scholarship as a locus of epistemological innovation, and offering an integrative framework linking hadith studies, Islamic anthropology, and cognitive science to explain the embodied and socially mediated dimensions of Qur’anic engagement.