The Irfani's Epistemology - Based Islamic Education at University of Muhammadiyah: A Critical Study in Building an Epistemological Framework of Integrative-Holistic Islamic Education

Abstract

This study focused on the phenomenon of constructing Islamic education based on Irfani's epistemology at Universitas Muhammadiyah Sumatera Utara and Universitas Muhammadiyah Malang. This study focused to seeks the answers of two research questions; (1) how is the construction of Islamic education based on Irfani's epistemology? and (2) how is the urgency implicative in the construction of Islamic education? Therefore, this study used a phenomenological qualitative approach where the selection of informants is determined based on purposive techniques. It was found that Irfani's epistemology in Islamic education at university of Muhammadiyah is the form of blending scientific traditions that integrates al-hikmah al-bahtsiyah (discursive-logical philosophy) and al-hikmah al-isyraqiyah (intuitive philosophy). This combination actually perfects the epistemology of education (Islam) that is based on Aristotelian paripatetic. The effort to reconstruct Islamic education developed by university of Muhammadiyah is actually based on the integrative-holistic epistemology; that includes bayani, burhani, and irfani. Therefore, the construction of Islamic education come from the optimizing of potential ratio based on purgative and revealed instructions, thinking based on empirical data balanced by remembrance of God (contemplative), and increasing the sensitivity of the soul through fana' fi Allah (illuminative) that oriented to the reality of humanity.