Academics and Morals According to Islamic Educational Philosophy

I still remember a conversation with a high school friend some time ago. He told me about his younger sibling, who is now in the third year of junior high school. The sibling’s report card was excellent, ranking in the top five, but their behaviour worried the parents. They were often caught lying, liked to bully friends deemed ‘uncool’, and would talk back when scolded. The mother was confused: ‘Already clever, but why such poor morals?’ That question has haunted me ever since. What is actually wrong with our education?

This phenomenon does not only occur in my friend’s environment. Look at the news lately. On one hand, the academic achievements of Indonesian children are continuously improving. Exam scores are rising. Many of our students are winning olympiads. But on the other hand, cases of bullying, student brawls, and intolerant behaviour are rampant. Honestly, I feel something is amiss.

Our education seems to be racing to chase numbers and rankings. Parents compete to enrol their children in favourite schools. Teachers are overwhelmed chasing curriculum targets. Meanwhile, character building seems to have become a secondary concern. In fact, if I may say so, this is like building a magnificent edifice without a solid foundation. High academic achievement means nothing if our children’s morals collapse.

This is where the philosophy of Islamic education offers an interesting perspective. In Islam, education is not merely about being intellectually smart. More than that, education is a process of shaping a complete human being, knowledgeable and moral. I am reminded of the popular saying of the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH): ‘Indeed, I was sent to perfect noble character.’ This shows that morals are not a supplement, but the core of the prophetic mission. So, if our education only succeeds academically but fails morally, there is something wrong with our understanding of the purpose of education.

This writing aims to invite us all to reflect. What is the actual purpose of Islamic education? Why cannot academics and morals be separated? What has caused our current education system to lose its balance? And most importantly, what can we do to fix it?

If we are honest, many of us still view knowledge as something neutral, merely information that can be used for anything. But in the philosophy of Islamic education, such a view does not apply. Knowledge in Islam always has a transcendental purpose, which is to draw closer to Allah SWT.

Imam Al-Ghazali, one of the most influential figures in the history of Islamic thought, wrote in Ihya’ Ulum al-Din that the result of knowledge is to draw closer to Allah and elevate human status to the level of angels. I personally often reflect on this statement. It means that every time we learn, we are performing an act of worship. Every time we seek knowledge, we should become more aware of God’s greatness and more humble, not arrogant because we feel smarter than others.

So, what is morals in the philosophy of Islamic education? According to scholars, morals are a trait firmly embedded in the soul, which becomes the source of actions that emerge spontaneously. K.H. Imam Zarkasyi, the founder of Pondok Modern Gontor, provided a more practical definition: morals are guidelines that humans must follow in daily life, sourced from the Qur’an and Hadith. I like the way he defines morals as ‘guidelines’ because it reminds us that morals are not something abstract or difficult to understand. They are concrete guides for acting and behaving.

If we combine these two understandings, it becomes clear that knowledge and morals are inseparable. Knowledge without morals is like a sharp knife in the hands of a madman, dangerous and destructive. And morals without knowledge are like a blind person trying to walk on a road full of potholes; they may have good intentions, but they do not know the right direction.

I am reminded of religious lessons at school in the past. My teacher often repeated that humans were created to worship Allah and that the Prophet Muhammad’s mission was to perfect morals. These two things, worship and morals, are actually the main goals of education in Islam.

But unfortunately, in our daily educational practice, these goals are often forgotten. We are too busy chasing grades, rankings, and quantitatively measurable achievements. We forget that humans are complex beings, needing not only a smart brain but also a clean heart and a healthy soul. Education that focuses on only one aspect, the cognitive aspect, will actually produce unbalanced humans. Intellectually smart, but spiritually and socially poor.