Tawhidic Ontology and the Reconstruction of Islamic Education:  A Counter-Hegemonic Response to Neoliberalism

Abstract

Neoliberal hegemony in global education has reduced Islamic education to the rationalities of standardization, efficiency, and market orientation. This study aims to reconstruct Islamic educational philosophy as a counter-hegemonic paradigm against neoliberal epistemology. It employs critical library research, integrating deconstructive hermeneutics, epistemic decolonization, and critical Islamic pedagogy. The findings demonstrate that tawhidic ontology provides a philosophical foundation for resisting materialistic reductionism and restoring education to its transcendental orientation. Global standardization further underscores the importance of philosophical leadership in preserving the autonomy of meaning, identity, and the purposes of Islamic education. The concept of insan kamil requires reactualization through critical pedagogy grounded in ‘adl and rahmah as emancipatory praxis. The study offers a critical-proactive paradigm enabling Islamic education to engage modernity while preserving epistemic sovereignty, transcendental orientation, and civilizational identity.