Reformasi Pendidikan Islam: Kontribusi Pemikiran Harun Nasution dalam Membangun Paradigma Pendidikan Islam Rasional

Abstract

The backwardness of Indonesian Muslim society in education has historically been linked to the narrow orientation of Islamic education, which overemphasized fiqh and ritual worship while neglecting rational thought, philosophy, and science. Harun Nasution (1919-1998) stands as one of the most influential reformers in Indonesian Islamic education, whose contributions fundamentally reshaped the paradigm of higher Islamic education. This study aims to analyze the socio-cultural biography of Harun Nasution, reconstruct his core educational thought, and assess the relevance of his reform ideas to contemporary Islamic education in Indonesia. The research employs a library research method with a historical and sociological approach, drawing on primary sources including Nasution's original works and secondary sources from scholarly studies on his thought. Findings show that Nasution's educational reforms encompass three interconnected pillars: (1) curricular transformation at IAIN institutions to incorporate philosophy, kalam, mysticism, and research methodology alongside fiqh; (2) methodological renewal from rote learning to rational, critical, and dialogical pedagogies; and (3) the promotion of a written intellectual culture as a foundation for scholarly civilization. His conception of Islamic rationalism positioning reason as a co-instrument with divine revelation offers a framework that remains highly relevant to the demands of twenty-first century Islamic higher education. The article concludes that Nasution's legacy constitutes a foundational contribution to contemporary Islamic thought in Indonesia, and that his educational philosophy provides practical guidance for ongoing curriculum reform in Indonesian Islamic universities.