The Biography of Imam Al-Ghazali's Thought on Islamic Education and its Relevance to Contemporary Islamic Education

Anggun Putri Melati

doi:10.31943/afkarjournal.v9i3.2445

Authors

Anggun Putri Melati UIN Sunan Kalijaga Yogyakarta

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.31943/afkarjournal.v9i3.2445

Keywords:

Islamic Education, Imam Al-Ghazali, Morality, Character, Contemporary Islamic Education

Abstract

Amid modernization, digitalization, and secular humanism, contemporary Islamic education faces a widening gap between intellectual achievement and moral-spiritual formation. Prior studies have examined isolated dimensions of Imam Al-Ghazali's educational thought, such as character formation or the balance of knowledge and faith, but few have systematically linked his biography with a thematic mapping of his pedagogical concepts and their present-day relevance. This study addresses that gap by examining Al-Ghazali's thought on Islamic education, tracing its formation through his biography, and assessing its contemporary relevance. Using a qualitative library research method, primary sources such as Ihya' Ulum al-Din and Ayyuha al-Walad were analyzed and synthesized. Findings show Al-Ghazali's pedagogy is a coherent, operational framework, integrating knowledge and practice with intellectual, moral, and spiritual dimensions, anticipating the fragmentation between academic competence and character formation still unresolved today. This holistic model offers a substantive solution for restoring moral direction to Islamic education amid globalization.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

References

Adiwijaya, S., Harefa, A. T., Isnaini, S., Raehana, S., Mardikawati, B., Laksono, R. D., Saktisyahputra, S., Purnamasari, R., Ningrum, W. S., & Mayasari, M. (2024). Buku Ajar Metode Penelitian Kualitatif. PT. Sonpedia Publishing Indonesia.

Ariani, R., & Ritonga, M. (2024). Analisis Pembinaan Karakter: Membangun Transformasi Insan Kamil Menurut Pemikiran Imam Al-Ghazali. Jurnal Inovatif Manajemen Pendidikan Islam, 3(2), 174–187.

Azahra, F. (2023). Pendidikan Islam Dalam Perspektif Al-Ghazali. Indonesian Research Journal On Education, 3(1), 772–785.

Azizi, A. F., Hamzah, M., & Mu’tafi, A. (2024). NILAI-NILAI PENDIDIKAN ISLAM DALAM KITAB AYYUHAL WALAD KARYA AL IMAM ABU HAMID AL-GHAZALI. Reflektif: Jurnal Pendidikan Dan Kebudayaan, 1(1), 75–87.

Chadziq, A. L. (2024). Telaah Kitab al-Mustashfa dan Maslahah Mursalah al-Ghazali. Equality Journal of Gender Child and Humanity, 2(1), 12–29.

Gafarurrozi, M., & Rohman, M. F. (2025). Construction of Islamic education in the contemporary era: an analytical study related to the challenges of modernity of Islamic education. Ta’dibuna: Jurnal Pendidikan Islam, 14(3), 228–240. https://doi.org/10.32832/tadibuna.v14i3.18795

Harisah, A. (2018). Filsafat Pendidikan Islam Prinsip dan Dasar Pengembangan. Deepublish.

Hidayati, A. (2025). Pendidikan Akhlak sebagai Inti Konsep Pendidikan Islam dalam Pemikiran Al-Ghazali: Penelitian. Jurnal Pengabdian Masyarakat Dan Riset Pendidikan, 4(1), 2606–2616.

Hudi, S. (2018). Telaah Terhadap Pemikiran Al-Ghazali Tentang Pendidikan Islam dalam Kitab Ihya’Ulumuddin. Jurnal Educazione: Jurnal Pendidikan, Pembelajaran Dan Bimbingan Dan Konseling, 6(2), 129–149.

Khumaidah et. al. (2021). Perbandingan Pemikiran Ibnu Khaldun Dan Al-Ghazali Tentang Pendidikan Islam Dan Relevansinya Terhadap Pendidikan Di Indonesia. Tarbiyatuna: Jurnal Pendidikan Islam, 14(2), 212–252.

Lubis, M. (2023). Relevansi Konsep Pendidikan Islam Al-Ghazali Terhadap Pendidikan Islam Kontemporer. Islamijah: Journal of Islamic Social Sciences, 4(3), 226–251.

Madhar, M. (2024). Pemikiran Pendidikan Imam Al-Ghazali dan Relevansinya dalam Sistem Pendidikan Islam Kontemporer. TARQIYATUNA: Jurnal Pendidikan Agama Islam Dan Madrasah Ibtidaiyah, 3(2), 115–126. https://doi.org/10.36769/tarqiyatuna.v3i2.813

Murdianto. (2018). Mengurai Pendidikan Islam: Perspektif Al-Ghazali. In Sustainability (Switzerland) (Vol. 11, Issue 1). Sanabil Creative. http://scioteca.caf.com/bitstream/handle/123456789/1091/RED2017-Eng-8ene.pdf?sequence=12&isAllowed=y%0Ahttp://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.regsciurbeco.2008.06.005%0Ahttps://www.researchgate.net/publication/305320484_SISTEM_PEMBETUNGAN_TERPUSAT_STRATEGI_MELESTARI

Niamah, K. (2021). Paradigma Pendidikan Islam Perspektif Al-Ghazali. Heutagogia: Journal of Islamic Education, 1(1), 55–65.

Pahlawati, E. F. (2020). Pendidikan Islam Prespektif Imam Al-Ghazali dalam Meningkatkan Nilai Moral Anak. Sumbula: Jurnal Studi Keagamaan, Sosial Dan Budaya, 5(2), 350–373.

Rahmadani, L. (2023). Imam Al-Ghazali dan Pemikirannya. Jurnal Ekshis, 1(1), 23–31.

Romadloniyah, F., Muhasonah, I. U. U., Nisa, N. H. K., & Bakar, M. Y. A. (2026). Relevansi Filsafat Pendidikan Imam Al-Ghazali terhadap Pendidikan Islam Kontemporer. Akhlak: Jurnal Pendidikan Agama Islam Dan Filsafat, 3(1), 1–15.

Sadiyah, M. (2024). PERAN DAN PEMIKIRAN IMAM AL-GHAZALI DALAM PENDIDIKAN ISLAM: LEGACY OF KNOWLEDGE AND SPRIRITUALITY. Tadris: Jurnal Penelitian Dan Pemikiran Pendidikan Islam, 18(2), 71–85.

Sari, M. (2022). Hubungan Ilmu dan Agama dalam Perspektif Imam Al-Ghazali. At-Tafkir, 15(1), 30–43.

Shofan, M. (2021). Pemikiran Pendidikan Islam Menurut Al-Ghazali. TAZKIYAH, 3(1), 147–172.

Surya, L. (2023). Pemikiran Imam AL-Ghozali (Filsafat dan Pemikiran Pendidikan Islam). Jurnal Ilmu Tarbiyah, 2(1), 1–16.

Taufik, M. (2020). FILSAFAT BARAT ERA SKOLASTIK (Telaah Kritis Pemikiran Thomas Aquinas). Jurnal Ilmiah Ilmu Ushuluddin, 19(2), 185–199.

Waruwu, M. (2024). Pendekatan Penelitian Kualitatif: Konsep, Prosedur, Kelebihan dan Peran di Bidang Pendidikan. Afeksi: Jurnal Penelitian Dan Evaluasi Pendidikan, 5(2), 198–211. https://doi.org/10.59698/afeksi.v5i2.236

Wibowo, A. H. (2020). Relevansi Pendidikan Karakter dalam Perspektif Filsafat Al-Ghazali. Al-I’jaz: Jurnal Studi Al-Qur’an, Falsafah Dan Keislaman, 2(2), 150–160.

Zamhariroh, N. M., Azis, A. R., Nata, B. R., Fahmi, M., & Salik, M. (2024). Relevansi Pemikiran Pendidikan Al-Ghazali Dengan Pendidikan Islam Kontemporer Tentang Keseimbangan Intelektual Dan Spiritual. Kariman: Jurnal Pendidikan Keislaman, 12(2), 169–181.