Abstract:
This study explores the innovative perspectives of three prominent Muslim thinkers; Imam Abu Hamid al-Ghazali, Sir Syed Ahmad Khan and Dr. Mahmood Ahmad Ghazi, regarding the reformation and modernization of the curriculum of Islamic studies. The research aims to critically evaluate and compare their thoughts, contextualizing them within their respective historical, social and intellectual milieus, and assessing their relevance to contemporary curriculum development in Islamic education. Imam al-Ghazali, writing during the Islamic Golden Age, emphasized the integration of rational and revealed knowledge. He advocated a balanced curriculum where spiritual purification, ethical refinement and intellectual rigor coalesce to produce holistic human development. His works promoted the inclusion of philosophy, logic and kalām alongside traditional religious sciences. Sir Syed Ahmad Khan, in colonial British India, argued for a rationalist and scientific approach to education among Muslims. He proposed a curriculum that harmonized Western sciences with Islamic values, emphasizing the reinterpretation of Islamic teachings in light of reason and modern knowledge. Through the establishment of the Muhammadan Anglo-Oriental College (later Aligarh Muslim University), he practically implemented his vision. Dr. Mahmood Ahmad Ghazi, a modern Pakistani scholar, contributed significantly to the discourse on Islamic education by proposing a comprehensive and interdisciplinary curriculum. He emphasized the inclusion of contemporary disciplines like comparative religion, international law and interfaith dialogue, ensuring Islamic studies remained intellectually dynamic and socially relevant. The study concludes that these three scholars, though from different periods, share a common vision of intellectual dynamism, curriculum reform and the synthesis of tradition with modernity. Their insights provide essential guidance for developing a balanced, contemporary Islamic curriculum that addresses the needs of the modern Muslim world without compromising core Islamic values.
Keywords: Islamic Studies curriculum, Muslim thinkers, Innovative perspectives, reformation, Modernization
