Mahabbah as Curriculum: Actualizing a Love-Based Framework for Cultivating Intellectual-Ulama in Indonesian Islamic Boarding Schools

Baso Syafaruddin; Harling Danil; M. Sarda; Ahmad Rahanyaan

doi:10.51574/ijrer.v5i4.4934

Authors

Baso Syafaruddin Universitas Islam As'adiyah Sengkang
Harling Danil Universitas Islam As’adiyah Sengkang
M. Sarda The University of Queensland, Brisbane
Ahmad Rahanyaan Sekolah Tinggi Ilmu Tarbiyah As-Salama Tual

Keywords:

Curriculum Theory, Intellectual Ulama, Islamic Boarding School, Love-Based Curriculum, Mahabbah

Abstract

Contemporary Islamic education confronts a persistent epistemological dichotomy between religious and secular knowledge, producing graduates who are intellectually competent yet morally underdeveloped, or ritually observant yet socially disengaged. This study investigates how a mahabbah-based (love-based) curriculum is actualized at the As’adiyah Sengkang Islamic Boarding School (pesantren), Indonesia, aiming to reconstruct an intellectual-ulama profile that integrates revelatory and rational knowledge within a holistic educational paradigm. An intrinsic qualitative case study design was employed. Data were generated through twelve months of participatory observation, purposively sampled in-depth interviews with 18 participants (leaders, curriculum specialists, and students), and systematic document analysis. Thematic analysis followed the interactive model of Miles, Huberman, and Saldaña. Trustworthiness was established through source/methodological triangulation, member checking, and prolonged engagement. The findings reveal that five interconnected dimensions of mahabbah—transcendental, humanistic, intellectual, ecological, and civic—function as the ontological and epistemological spine of the curriculum. Each dimension features discernible curricular, pedagogical, and evaluative manifestations that collectively reinforce the intellectual-ulama profile. This mahabbah-based curriculum represents a theoretically grounded and practically viable model for resolving the knowledge dichotomy in Islamic education. It advances a holistic curriculum paradigm wherein love operates as a transformative educational force, offering a replicable framework for pesantren and broader Islamic educational institutions globally.

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