Al-Ghazali’s Contributions to Islamic Education
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.58485/elrusyd.v11i1.688Keywords:
Al-Ghazali, Islamic education, virtuous character, purification of the soulAbstract
As a thinker, Imam al-Ghazali has made significant intellectual contributions to the advancement of Islamic education. However, the application of al-Ghazali’s concepts has not yet been widely observed in Islamic educational institutions. The purpose of this paper is to examine the contribution of al-Ghazali’s thought to Islamic education. This paper focuses on three aspects: the first relates to ethics, the second to the curriculum, and the third to teaching methods. This research is descriptive qualitative in nature, employing content analysis. This involves examining and analyzing books, literature, magazines, notes, and reports related to the subject under study. The analysis revealed that al-Ghazali’s contributions to Islamic education are as follows: i) Ethics. According to al-Ghazali, good character (Akhlaq Mahmudah) is the fruit and ultimate goal of the entire educational process and the pursuit of knowledge. ii) Curriculum. Al-Ghazali views the curriculum not merely as a list of subjects, but as a roadmap for transforming the soul (tazkiyatun nafs) from blameworthy traits (akhlaq mazmumah) toward praiseworthy traits (akhlaq maḥmudah). iii) Teaching methods. According to al-Ghazali, the method of learning (tariqah al-ta’allum) cannot be separated from the goals of education, namely the purification of the soul (tazkiyatun nafs) and the attainment of ma’rifat of Allah.
References
Al-Ghazali. (2004). Ihya’ Ulum al-Din (H (T. ). R. Ismail Yakub (trans.)).
Al-Ghazali. (2014). Ayyuhal Walad Muhibbu. Dar al-Ma’arif.
Al-Ghazali, I. (2005). Ihya’ Ulumiddin: Basis Pendidikan dan Akhlak: Vol. Cet. 12. Dar Al-Kutub Al-Ilmiyyah.
Amin, F. (2024). Etika Pendidikan Islam: Kajian Pemikiran Al-Ghazali. Pustaka Al-Hidayah.
Artika, L., Rabbani, M. Y., Nafis, M. R. R., Siregar, N., & Gusnanda, I. (2023). Biografi Tokoh Tasawuf Al-Ghazali. Jurnal Kajian Penelitian Pendidikan Dan Kebudayaan, 1(2), 29–55. https://doi.org/10.59031/jkppk.v1i2.108
Fadila, A. R., Alauddin, A. A., Fadillah, R. A., & Bakar, M. Y. A. (2026). Kontribusi Pemikiran Al-Ghazali dalam Pengembangan Pendidikan Bahasa Arab di Era Globalisasi. Jurnal Ilmiah Penelitian Mahasiswa, 4(1), 74–86. https://doi.org/10.61722/jipm.v4i1.1824
Habibi, E., Nawangsari, D., Zain, H., Ubaidillah, U., & Rafiqie, M. (2025). Pemikiran Pendidikan Imam Al Ghazali dalam Kitab Ihya’ Ulumiddin. EDUSHOPIA : Journal of Progressive Pedagogy, 2(1). https://doi.org/10.64431/edushopia.v2i1.138
Hamzah, S. (2024). Sejarah Intelektual Islam: Kontribusi Dan Pengaruh Pemikiran Al-Ghazali Terhadap Dunia Islam Abad Ke 11 M. Batuthah: Jurnal Sejarah Padaban Islam, 3(2), 115–130. https://doi.org/10.38073/batuthah.v3i2.1785
Harahap, R. (2023). Akhlak Peserta Didik: Perspektif Tokoh Klasik. Aksara Baru.
Hidayati, A. (2025). Pendidikan Akhlak sebagai Inti Konsep Pendidikan Islam dalam Pemikiran Al-Ghazali. Jurnal Pengabdian Masyarakat Dan Riset Pendidikan, 4(1), 2606–2616. https://doi.org/10.31004/jerkin.v4i1.1764
Ihya’, A.-G. (2021). Ulum al-Din. Dar al-Kutub al-‘Ilmiyyah.
Irawan, D. (2016). The Great Teacher (Rekam JejakGuru Hebat dari Masa ke Masa. Hakim Publishing.
Jamil, U. (2024). Filsafat Pendidikan Islam: Konsep Guru dan Murid dalam Ihya’. Nusa Media.
Julis, D. (2015). Al-Ghazali : Pemikiran Kependidikan dan Implikasinya Terhadap Pendidikan Islam di Indonesia. Al-Fikrah: Jurnal Kependidikan Islam, Vol. 6, 129–140. https://www.neliti.com/publications/56661/al-ghazali-pemikiran-kependidikan-dan-implikasinya-terhadap-pendidikan-islam-di
Kaputra, S., Engkizar, E., Akyuni, Q., Rahawarin, Y., & Safarudin, R. (2021). Dampak Pendidikan Orang Tua Terhadap Kebiasaan Religius Anak Dalam Keluarga Jama’ah Tabligh. Al-Tadzkiyyah: Jurnal Pendidikan Islam, 12(2), 249–268. https://doi.org/10.24042/atjpi.v12i2.9979
Kasheem, M., Yahya, N., Shalghoum, N., Masuwd, M., Alriteemi, A., Abdullah, M., Alsaeh, F., & Alrumayh, S. (2025). Artificial Intelligence in Academic Research: Adoption, Opportunities, and Barriers among Faculty in Libya Higher Education. Multidisciplinary Journal of Thought and Research, 1(3), 109–127. https://mujoter.intischolar.id/index.php/mujoter
Kesuma, N. R., Sholikah, L. N., Adilla, S., Rochani, V., Lestari, I. H., Ash-Shidiq, I., & Mu’in, S. A. (2025). Kerangka Filosofis Pendidikan Al-Ghazali dan Implementasinya dalam Pembelajaran Antara Guru dan Murid. Indonesian Journal of Multidisciplinary Studies, 1(3), 70–92.
Kurniawati, I., Silvya, W., & Sari, H. P. (2023). Pemikiran Al-Ghazali Tentang Filsafat Pendidikan Islam Dan Pembentukan Karakter : Relevansinya Untuk Masyarakat. Tawshiyah: Jurnal Sosial Keagaman Dan Pendidikan Islam, 18(2), 57–72. https://doi.org/10.32923/taw.v18i2.4014
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
Mujrimin, B., Ali, D., & Tinggi Agama Islam Ibnu Sina Batam, S. (2025). Kontribusi Pemikiran al-Ghazali terhadap Pembentukan Guru Ideal dalam Pendidikan Islam Modern. Jurnal Arriyadhah, XXII, No. I(1), 46–60. https://jurnalstaiibnusina.ac.id/index.php/ary
Widyastuti, I., & Dartim, D. (2025). Pemikiran al-Ghazali dalam Pengembangan Kurikulum Pendidikan Agama Islam di Era Digital. Ideguru: Jurnal Karya Ilmiah Guru, 10(2), 1041–1049. https://doi.org/10.51169/ideguru.v10i2.1616
Yusliani, H., Muarrif, M. R., Emawati, E., & Anggraeni, R. N. (2024). Urgensi Pendidikan Adab Sebelum Ilmu Bagi Usia Kanak: Kontribusi Pemikiran Imam Al-Ghazali Bagi Zaman Kontemporer. Bunayya : Jurnal Pendidikan Anak, 10(1), 112. https://doi.org/10.22373/bunayya.v10i1.24770
