MENUMBUHKAN SIKAP TAWADHU (RENDAH HATI) DALAM MENUNTUT ILMU BERDASARKAN PEMIKIRAN AL-GHAZALI

Abstract

Academic pragmatism in higher education has gradually shifted students’ learning orientation from the pursuit of meaning and moral formation toward grades, degrees, and worldly achievements. This condition has contributed to the weakening of tawadhu’ (humility) in the process of seeking knowledge, including among students of Islamic Religious Education (PAI) as future educators. This article aims to examine the concept of tawadhu’ in seeking knowledge based on the educational thought of Al-Ghazali, and to analyze its relevance as a solution to the crisis of learning orientation faced by PAI students in the modern academic context. This study employs a qualitative approach using library research methods, with primary sources drawn from Al-Ghazali’s major works such as Ihya’ Ulum al-Din and Bidayat al-Hidayah, supported by contemporary scholarly literature. Data were analyzed through content analysis techniques. The findings reveal that tawadhu’ constitutes an essential ethical and spiritual foundation in seeking knowledge, closely linked to sincere intention, purification of the soul, and the practice of knowledge. Revitalizing Al-Ghazali’s concept of tawadhu’ is crucial in shaping PAI students who are not only intellectually competent but also morally and spiritually integrated.