Addressing the Epistemological Crisis of Islamic Education Through the Islamization of Knowledge

Abstract

Digitalization has transformed how Islamic knowledge is accessed, produced, and circulated, creating new challenges for Islamic education. The resulting epistemological crisis refers to the interconnected fragmentation of knowledge, reconfiguration of religious authority, and persistent dichotomy between religious and general knowledge, while digital environments intensify the need for reliable epistemic criteria and ethical guidance. This study examines how digitalization affects the epistemological foundations and authority of Islamic education and develops a conceptual framework for its reconstruction. A qualitative normative-philosophical design was employed through library research. Relevant literature was identified, screened, thematically classified, and critically synthesized using hermeneutical reading and conceptual analysis. The analysis indicates that digitalization does not inherently undermine Islamic education but changes the conditions of knowledge access and authority. Revelation, reason, and empirical knowledge require constructive integration, while adab provides an ethical-epistemic orientation for responsible knowledge use. The study proposes a five-dimensional reconstructive framework comprising access, verification, contextualization, ethical formation through adab, and knowledge integration within an Islamic worldview. The framework provides a conceptual basis for responding to digital epistemological challenges, although it remains conceptually derived and requires empirical validation.