ISLAM SEBAGAI OBJEK STUDI: ANALISIS EPISTEMOLOGIS DAN PENDEKATAN METODOLOGIS DALAM STUDI KEISLAMAN

Abstract

Perkembangan studi Islam dalam beberapa dekade terakhir menunjukkan pergeseran signifikan dari pendekatan teologis-normatif menuju pendekatan akademik yang lebih reflektif dan interdisipliner, sehingga menimbulkan pertanyaan mengenai bagaimana menempatkan Islam sebagai objek studi ilmiah tanpa menghilangkan dimensi sakralitasnya. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk menganalisis konseptualisasi Islam sebagai objek studi, memetakan perkembangan pendekatan metodologis dalam studi keislaman kontemporer, serta merumuskan A

The development of Islamic studies in recent decades has shown a significant shift from a theological-normative approach to a more reflective and interdisciplinary academic approach, raising questions about how to place Islam as an object of scientific study without eliminating its sacred dimension. This study aims to analyse the conceptualisation of Islam as an object of study, map the development of methodological approaches in contemporary Islamic studies, and formulate an integrative epistemological synthesis. The research uses library research with a descriptive qualitative approach and content analysis techniques on scientific literature published between 2016 and 2026 that is relevant to the methodology and epistemology of Islamic studies. The results of the study indicate that the tension between the sacredness of religion and scientific objectivity is a productive dynamic that encourages the reconstruction of the epistemology of Islamic studies through dialogue between theological and scientific paradigms, as well as between insider and outsider perspectives. Historically, Islamic studies developed from the normative-authoritative tradition of classical scholars, to a phase of historical-critical Orientalism, to a global and interdisciplinary post-Orientalist phase with various approaches such as historical, philosophical, sociological, anthropological, and interdisciplinary. This research concludes that Islam as an object of study must be understood as a multidimensional phenomenon that requires epistemological and methodological integration in order to remain relevant in the contemporary global context.

epistemologis yang integratif. Penelitian menggunakan metode kepustakaan (library research) dengan pendekatan kualitatif deskriptif dan teknik analisis isi terhadap literatur ilmiah terbitan 2016–2026 yang relevan dengan metodologi dan epistemologi studi Islam. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa ketegangan antara sakralitas agama dan objektivitas ilmiah merupakan dinamika produktif yang mendorong rekonstruksi epistemologi studi Islam melalui dialog antara paradigma teologis dan ilmiah, serta antara perspektif insider dan outsider. Secara historis, studi Islam berkembang dari tradisi ulama klasik yang normatif-otoritatif, menuju fase orientalisme historis-kritis, hingga fase pasca-orientalis yang global dan interdisipliner dengan beragam pendekatan seperti historis, filosofis, sosiologis, antropologis, dan interdisipliner. Penelitian ini menyimpulkan bahwa Islam sebagai objek studi harus dipahami sebagai fenomena multidimensional yang memerlukan integrasi epistemologis dan metodologis agar tetap relevan dalam konteks global kontemporer.