PEMIKIRAN PENDIDIKAN IMAM AL-GHAZALI DALAM IHYA’ ULUM AL-DIN: SATU TINJAUAN SISTEMATIK TERHADAP PRINSIP SAHSIAH DAN PERANAN GURU DALAM PENDIDIKAN AWAL KANAK-KANAK

IMAM AL-GHAZALI’S PHILOSOPHY OF EDUCATION IN IHYA’ ULUM AL-DIN: A SYSTEMSTIC REVIEW PRINCIPLES AND TEACHERS’S ROLE IN EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION

Abstract

Kemerosotan nilai moral dan akhlak dalam kalangan kanak-kanak pada era globalisasi menjadi isu yang semakin membimbangkan, khususnya apabila sistem pendidikan lebih menekankan pencapaian akademik berbanding pembangunan sahsiah dan spiritual. Motivasi utama kajian ini adalah untuk meneliti bagaimana pemikiran klasik Islam, khususnya karya agung Imam al-Ghazali Ihya’ Ulum al-Din, dapat menawarkan kerangka pendidikan holistik yang relevan dengan cabaran pendidikan awal kanak-kanak masa kini. Kajian ini dilaksanakan melalui Tinjauan Literatur Sistematik (Systematic Literature Review, SLR) dengan berpandukan protokol PRISMA 2020 dan kerangka PICo. Sebanyak 29 artikel yang diterbitkan antara 2019 hingga 2025 dikenal pasti melalui pangkalan data utama seperti Scopus, Web of Science, ERIC, ProQuest dan Wiley Online. Artikel dipilih berdasarkan kriteria inklusi melibatkan topik pendidikan Islam, peranan guru, pendidikan awal kanak-kanak, serta pemikiran al-Ghazali. Analisis data dijalankan menggunakan kaedah tematik induktif, menghasilkan dua tema utama: (i) prinsip pembentukan sahsiah menurut al-Ghazali yang menekankan tazkiyah al-nafs, integrasi ilmu-akhlak, dan pembangunan holistik; serta (ii) peranan guru sebagai qudwah hasanah, pendidik berasaskan rahmah, dan pembimbing rohani dalam pembentukan sahsiah murid prasekolah. Dapatan ini menegaskan bahawa pemikiran al-Ghazali masih signifikan untuk diaplikasikan dalam pendidikan awal kanak-kanak sebagai asas pembangunan insan seimbang, berilmu dan berakhlak. Kajian ini mencadangkan agar prinsip tarbiyah dan tasawuf al-Ghazali diintegrasikan ke dalam latihan guru, kurikulum pendidikan awal, dan dasar pendidikan Islam kontemporari bagi melahirkan generasi berakhlak mulia dan sejahtera. 

The decline of moral and moral values among children in the era of globalization is becoming an increasingly worrying issue, especially when the education system emphasizes academic achievement rather than personal and spiritual development. The main motivation of this study was to examine how classical Islamic thought, in particular Imam al-Ghazali's masterpiece Ihya’ Ulum al-Din, can offer a holistic educational framework relevant to the challenges of today's early childhood education. This study was conducted through Systematic literature Review (SLR) based on PRISMA 2020 protocol and PICo framework. A total of 29 articles published between 2019 and 2025 were identified through major databases such as Scopus, Web of Science, ERIC, ProQuest and Wiley Online. Articles were selected based on inclusion criteria involving topics of Islamic education, the role of teachers, early childhood education, as well as Al-Ghazali's thoughts. Data analysis was conducted using inductive thematic methods, resulting in two main themes: (I) the principle of personality formation according to al-Ghazali which emphasizes tazkiyah al-nafs, integration of knowledge-morals, and holistic development; and (ii) the role of teachers as qudwah hasanah, rahmah-based educators, and spiritual guides in the formation of the personality of preschool students. This finding confirms that Al-Ghazali's thinking is still significant to be applied in early childhood education as the basis for balanced, knowledgeable and moral human development. This study proposes that the principles of tarbiyah and Sufism al-Ghazali be integrated into teacher training, early education curriculum, and contemporary Islamic education policies to produce a generation of noble and prosperous.