Imam Al-Ghazali’s Critique of Modern Islamic Education in Al- Munqidz min al-Dhalal

Abstract

This study aims to examine the critique of modern Islamic education through the perspective of Imam al-Ghazali's classic work, Al-Munqidz min al-Dhalal . This study uses a qualitative approach with a literature review method, namely reviewing various literature relevant to al- Ghazali's thoughts and the development of modern Islamic education. The results of the study indicate that al-Ghazali put forward a fundamental critique of the education system that only emphasizes rational and material aspects without paying attention to the spiritual dimension and the formation of morals. In the context of modern Islamic education, this critique is relevant because many Islamic educational institutions tend to adopt Western educational patterns that are pragmatic and secular. Al-Ghazali emphasized the importance of balance between worldly knowledge and the afterlife, between reason and intuition, and between intellectuality and spirituality. Thus, education should not only be oriented towards academic achievement, but also on the purification of the soul and the formation of character based on Islamic values. This study concludes that al-Ghazali's ideas in Al-Munqidz min al-Dhalal can be a conceptual basis in formulating a holistic, integrative, and transformative Islamic education paradigm, which is able to answer the challenges of modernity without losing its spiritual and moral essence.