Stratifikasi Sosial dan Etika Konsumsi Dalam Al-Qur’an: Kajian Tafsir Ekonomi Atas Perilaku Konsumen Muslim Social Stratification and Consumption Ethics in the Qur’an: An Economic Exegetical Study of Muslim Consumer Behavior

Abstract

Consumer behavior is not merely a mechanism for satisfying needs; in contemporary society it also functions as a medium for expressing prestige, identity, and social status. Existing studies on Islamic consumption have mainly examined halal-thayyib, israf and tabdhir, or the contrast between utility and maslahah, while the relationship between social stratification and Qur’anic consumption ethics remains insufficiently integrated. This study aims to reconstruct Muslim consumer rationality by examining how the Qur’an recognizes social differentiation while simultaneously disciplining status-oriented consumption. The study employs qualitative library research using thematic exegesis (tafsir maudhu’i) with a maqasidi-economic lens. Primary data consist of Qur’anic verses related to social differentiation, justice, wealth circulation, and consumption, read comparatively through classical and contemporary commentaries, including al-Tabari, Ibn Kathir, al-Maraghi, and Tafsir al-Misbah. The analysis proceeds through verse mapping, semantic-contextual reading, comparison of exegetical positions, and synthesis into an economic-ethical framework. The findings show that the Qur’an recognizes differences in livelihood and social position as an empirical reality, but rejects class as a basis of moral superiority. Consumption is instead governed by halal-thayyib, moderation, avoidance of israf and tabdhir, fulfillment of social rights, and distributive justice. The study proposes a status-to-maslahah reorientation model: social class may explain purchasing capacity and preferences, but it cannot normatively justify conspicuous consumption. The contribution of this study lies in connecting Qur’anic social ethics with consumption theory, thereby positioning maslahah, rather than prestige, as the central criterion of Muslim consumer rationality.