The Topic of Jihad in Islamic Education and its Implications in Students’ Character Building

Abstract

The subject matter in the Islamic education system refers to comprehensive Islamic teachings and its sources, Al-Qur'an and Hadith. The topic of jihad is an important part of Islamic teachings that cannot be separated from other topics, such as aqidah (faith), syari'ah (law), ibadah (worship), morals and muamalah (interactions). The discourse of eliminating the topic of jihad from the Islamic education curriculum raises controversy among education observers, considering that the subject had actually sparked the spirit for independence and did not indicate rejection of the sense of nationalism of the Muslims. The aim of this paper is to analyze the learning concept of the topic of jihad in Islamic educational institutions and to see its implications towards the character building of students. The method used is literature review which relies on information and data from various books, journals, articles and documents. This paper concludes that learning the topic of jihad in Islamic education is able to foster a brave and emphatic attitude in defending the honor of religion and country, perseverance in achieving success in the world and the hereafter, as well as inspire the spirit of nationalism and unity. All these characters are built on the basis of strong tauhid (monotheism) as the spirit of jihad grows on the foundation of faith in Allah. This conclusion refutes the opinion that learning the topic of jihad in Islamic boarding schools and madrasas is the cause of the growth of radicalism and terrorism.