The Qur’an, the Holy Book, the guidance for Muslims’ lives, was revealed in Arabic. It is believed that Arabic was chosen as the language of the Qur’an, because of its compatibility with and capability of representing the meanings of God’s message. As the Qur’an was sent down to the Earth in context, interpreters from time to time need to contextualize it to find out its relevance to the changes and demands of the age. A contextual approach could be fitted with many methods of interpretation, one of them being thematic interpretation. In its application, this method contextualizes the Qur’an with its first audience, its following generations up to its contemporary audience and interpreters where new practices and information are taken into consideration. The method deploys a linguistic approach and approaches which consider the importance of history and development of discourse. In addition, by applying this approach an interpreter is expected to make the message compatible with the needs of the time and a realistic prediction over its direction in the future.
