INTEGRASI ILMU AGAMA DALAM PERSPEKTIF IMAM AL GHAZALI

Abstract

This study aims to describe and analyze the concept of knowledge, the classification of knowledge, and the integration of religious knowledge in the perspective of Imam Al-Ghazali, as well as to examine their relevance for the development of contemporary Islamic education. This research employs a descriptive qualitative method with a library research approach, using Al-Ghazali’s works and scholarly literature on his thought as the main data sources. Data were collected through literature review, critical reading, and note-taking on texts related to the concept of knowledge, the classification of knowledge, and the relationship between religious and other forms of knowledge, and were then analyzed using descriptive-analytical techniques. The findings indicate that Al-Ghazali views knowledge as a light that God casts into the human heart and as a path to ultimate truth, so that the nobility of knowledge is measured by the extent to which it leads a person to ma‘rifatullah, purification of the soul, and righteous deeds. Knowledge is classified into fard ‘ayn and fard kifayah, and is also differentiated based on its sources (al-‘ulum al-shar‘iyyah and al-‘ulum al-‘aqliyyah) and its ethical value (virtuous, permissible, and blameworthy knowledge). Within an integrative framework, Al-Ghazali asserts that all true knowledge ultimately originates from God and returns to Him; theological knowledge (tauhid) occupies the highest position as an orienting framework, while other disciplines—including the natural and social sciences—are regarded as part of fard kifayah that must not be neglected as long as they are directed toward public benefit and the strengthening of faith. These findings are relevant for formulating models of Islamic education that no longer dichotomize between religious and secular sciences, but instead unify them under a single value orientation grounded in tauhid and moral formation.