The Construction of Santri Epistemology: The Role of Aqidah Education in Shaping the Islamic Worldview at SMP Darul Hijrah

Abstract

Contemporary Islamic education faces a fundamental challenge in the form of epistemological confusion resulting from the hegemony of a secular worldview. This study aims to analyze the construction of santri epistemology through Aqidah education at Pondok Pesantren Tahfidz SMP Darul Hijrah 1 Surabaya. Employing a qualitative case study approach, data were collected through indepth interviews, participant observation, and documentation. Data analysis was conducted using the interactive model proposed by Miles, Huberman, and Saldaña. The findings indicate that Aqidah education does not merely function as the transmission of dogmatic theological knowledge, but rather serves as a metadiscourse in shaping the Islamic worldview. The epistemological construction process occurs through three phases: (1) dewesternization of science by rejecting skepticism; (2) internalization of the hierarchy of knowledge that places revelation above reason; and (3) manifestation of the ethics of Insan Kamil, which gives rise to awareness of the “primordial covenant” (mitsaq) and true freedom within the santri. These findings affirm that an Aqidah curriculum grounded in Ta’dib is effective in forming an integrative santri rationality that transcends the dichotomy between religious and general sciences.