The Relevance of Taha Abdurrahman's Islamic Education Thought to the Challenges of Modern Education: (Relevansi Pemikiran Pendidikan Islam Taha Abdurrahman terhadap Tantangan Pendidikan Modern)

Abstract

Contemporary education is increasingly dominated by instrumental rationality, technocratic management, and efficiency-oriented approaches, which often marginalize ethical, spiritual, and moral dimensions. In Islamic education, this condition creates a tension between normative ideals that emphasize moral and spiritual formation and the uncritical adoption of modern educational paradigms. This study aims to examine the relevance of Taha Abdurrahman’s Islamic educational thought in addressing the challenges of modern education, particularly moral crisis, secularization, and the reduction of education to technical skill transmission. Using a qualitative library research approach, the study analyzes primary works of Taha Abdurrahman and relevant secondary literature on Islamic education, philosophy of education, and modernity. Data were examined through content analysis with a philosophical-critical perspective to identify and synthesize key concepts such as ethical rationality (al-‘aql al-akhlāqī), moral responsibility (amanah), and spiritual consciousness. The findings indicate that Taha Abdurrahman offers a coherent ethical-spiritual framework that critiques instrumental rationality and secularized education while proposing an integrative model that unites knowledge, ethics, and spirituality. His thought highlights education as a process of moral and character formation rather than mere cognitive achievement. The study implies that Islamic education can benefit from reorienting its goals, curriculum, and pedagogical practices toward ethical and spiritual integration. In conclusion, Taha Abdurrahman’s educational philosophy provides a relevant conceptual foundation for renewing Islamic education in responding to modern challenges, while maintaining its moral identity and humanistic orientation, and offers direction for further theoretical and applied research.Contemporary education is increasingly dominated by instrumental rationality and technocratic management that tends to marginalize the ethical and spiritual dimensions. In the context of Islamic education, this condition raises a tension between the  normative goal of moral formation and the adoption of a less critical modern educational paradigm. This research aims to analyze the relevance of Taha Abdurrahman's thinking in responding to the challenges of modern education, especially moral crises, secularization, and the reduction of education to the transmission of technical skills. This research uses  a qualitative research approach based on literature studies analyzing the main works of Taha Abdurrahman as well as international literature related to Islamic education and philosophy of education. Data are analyzed through content analysis with a philosophical-critical approach to examine key concepts such as ethical rationality (al-'aql al-akhlāqī), trust, and spiritual awareness. The results of the study show that Taha Abdurrahman offers a coherent ethical-spiritual framework as a critique of instrumental rationality and secular education, while proposing an integrative educational paradigm that unites knowledge, ethics, and spirituality. The theoretical contribution of this article lies in the reaffirmation of the role of ethics as the epistemological foundation of Islamic education, as well as the enrichment of contemporary Islamic philosophical discourse through a normative-critical approach to educational modernity. This article confirms that Taha Abdurrahman's thinking is not only normatively relevant, but also significant as a conceptual foundation for the development of the study of Islamic educational philosophy and further research oriented towards the integration of ethics and spirituality in the context of modern education. Pendidikan kontemporer semakin didominasi oleh rasionalitas instrumental dan manajemen teknokratis yang cenderung meminggirkan dimensi etika dan spiritual. Dalam konteks pendidikan Islam, kondisi ini memunculkan ketegangan antara tujuan normatif pembentukan moral dan adopsi paradigma pendidikan modern yang kurang kritis. Penelitian ini bertujuan menganalisis relevansi pemikiran Taha Abdurrahman dalam merespons tantangan pendidikan modern, khususnya krisis moral, sekularisasi, dan reduksi pendidikan menjadi transmisi keterampilan teknis. Penelitian ini menggunakan pendekatan penelitian kualitatif berbasis studi kepustakaan menganalisis karya-karya utama Taha Abdurrahman serta literatur internasional terkait pendidikan Islam dan filsafat pendidikan. Data dianalisis melalui analisis konten dengan pendekatan filosofis-kritis untuk mengkaji konsep-konsep kunci seperti rasionalitas etis (al-‘aql al-akhlāqī), amanah, dan kesadaran spiritual. Hasil kajian menunjukkan bahwa Taha Abdurrahman menawarkan kerangka etika-spiritual yang koheren sebagai kritik terhadap rasionalitas instrumental dan pendidikan sekuler, sekaligus mengajukan paradigma pendidikan integratif yang menyatukan pengetahuan, etika, dan spiritualitas. Kontribusi teoretis artikel ini terletak pada penegasan kembali peran etika sebagai fondasi epistemologis pendidikan Islam, serta pengayaan diskursus filsafat Islam kontemporer melalui pendekatan normatif-kritis terhadap modernitas pendidikan. Artikel ini menegaskan bahwa pemikiran Taha Abdurrahman tidak hanya relevan secara normatif, tetapi juga signifikan sebagai landasan konseptual bagi pengembangan kajian filsafat pendidikan Islam dan penelitian lanjut yang berorientasi pada integrasi etika dan spiritualitas dalam konteks pendidikan modern.