Children Education in Qur'anic Perspective: Al-Ghazali's Pedagogical Thought and M. Quraish Shihab's Tafsir Al-Misbah

Abstract

Purpose This study compares the child education pedagogy of Abu Hamid Al-Ghazali, as articulated in Ihya' Ulumuddin and Ayyuhal Walad, with M. Quraish Shihab's Qur'anic exegesis of child education verses in Tafsir Al-Misbah, while clarifying the distinct exegetical status of each scholar's engagement with the Qur'anic text. Method Using a qualitative library research design, primary sources were analysed through thematic coding organised around the five pedagogical domains of QS. Luqman (31:13–19), then compared using content-analysis principles adapted for textual, hermeneutic data. Results/findings Al-Ghazali develops five methods—habituation, exemplary conduct, narrative and counsel, proportional discipline, and environmental supervision—organised across three developmental phases (0–2, 2–7, and 7–15 years), oriented toward tazkiyat al-nafs as a foundation for individual piety and social responsibility. Shihab develops five complementary methods—dialogue, affection, contextualisation of values, cultivation of fitrah, and integration of knowledge and faith—oriented toward forming a socially engaged khalifah. Both converge on tawhid as the foundational goal, parental exemplariness, and rejection of excessive punishment. Conclusion The study proposes a three-phase integrative model combining Al-Ghazali's habituative depth with Shihab's dialogical responsiveness, offering a conceptually grounded framework for Islamic education in Indonesian madrasah, pesantren, and family contexts.