Integration of Sufistic Epistemology in the Development of Islamic Religious Education Curriculum to Foster Students' Spiritual and Social Piety
Keywords:
Sufistic epistemology; Islamic Religious Education curriculum; spiritual and social pietyAbstract
This study examines the integration of Sufistic epistemology into the development of Islamic Religious Education (IRE) curricula as a conceptual framework for fostering students' spiritual and social piety. Contemporary Islamic education continues to exhibit a persistent gap between cognitive religious attainment and its behavioral manifestation, indicating the need for an epistemological reorientation that unites reason ('aql) and heart (qalb) as complementary faculties of knowing. Employing a qualitative approach through a library research design, this study systematically traces, examines, and synthesizes classical Sufi thought and contemporary scholarly literature to construct a coherent conceptual model bridging Sufi epistemology and curriculum theory. Data were analyzed using content analysis, strengthened through source triangulation to ensure argumentative consistency. The findings reveal that Sufistic epistemology conceives knowledge not merely as discursive reasoning but as spiritual illumination attained through self-purification, offering a structural foundation for curriculum objectives, content, pedagogical methods, and evaluation. Sufi values such as zuhud, ikhlas, and muhāsabah demonstrate operational relevance in cultivating both vertical piety toward God and horizontal social responsibility among learners. This study concludes that Sufistic epistemology provides a holistic pathway for restoring Islamic education's original purpose, integrating intellect, spirituality, and social ethics within a unified curricular framework.
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