Verse Explaining Verse: Exploring Mun’im Sirry’s Cross-Reference Method in Qur’anic Studies

Abstract

This article explores the cross-reference method developed by Mun'im Sirry in contemporary Qur’anic studies. Rooted in the classical tradition of tafsīr al-Qur’ān bi al-Qur’ān, Sirry develops an approach that integrates intertextuality, hermeneutics, and chronological sensitivity to the process of Qur’anic revelation. This study employs a qualitative library-based approach by examining Sirry’s major work, The Qur’an and Cross-Reference: Reading the Islamic Scripture with Its Audience in Mind, alongside various classical tafsir works and modern Qur’anic studies literature. The findings demonstrate that Sirry’s cross-reference method is built upon three main principles: the internal coherence of the Qur’an, diachronic sensitivity to the chronology of revelation, and attention to the Qur’an’s original audience. Through lexical, thematic, narrative, and corrective typologies of cross-reference, this method produces a more comprehensive and contextual reading of Qur’anic verses. The analysis of themes such as jihad, relations with Ahl al-Kitāb, and social justice shows that the cross-reference approach can overcome literalist and atomistic readings that often lead to oversimplified interpretations. This article argues that Sirry’s method offers an important bridge between the classical tafsir tradition and modern academic methodologies, while also opening new possibilities for the development of Qur’anic studies in Indonesia that are more dialogical, critical, and relevant to contemporary challenges.