Revisiting the Origins of Ilm al-Kalam: Interreligious Dialogues and Their Impact on Islamic Educational Thought

Dian Jelita; Nisa Islami; Muhammad Taufiqurrahman; Zelvia Liska Afriani

doi:10.14421/hjie.2025.51-04

Authors

Dian Jelita Universitas Islam Negeri Fatmawati Sukarno Bengkulu, Indonesia https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3312-4061
Nisa Islami Universitas Nahdlatul Ulama Al Ghazali Cilacap, Indonesia
Muhammad Taufiqurrahman Universitas Islam Negeri Fatmawati Sukarno Bengkulu, Indonesia
Zelvia Liska Afriani University of Waikato, New Zealand

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.14421/hjie.2025.51-04

Keywords:

Ilm al-Kalam, Interreligious Dialogue, Educational Epistemology, Historical Theology, Islamic Pedagogy

Abstract

This article revisits the historical and interreligious origins of Ilm al-Kalam and explores its implications for contemporary Islamic educational thought. Drawing on Alexander Treiger’s seminal analysis in The Oxford Handbook of Islamic Theology, the study employs qualitative textual methods to examine the formative dialogues between early Muslim theologians and Arab Christian thinkers, revealing that Kalam developed through dynamic epistemological engagement rather than in isolation. By critically tracing its philosophical, theological, and pedagogical transformations across time, the study argues that Kalam’s rational and dialectical methodologies offer significant potential for revitalizing Islamic education. The findings highlight the limitations of internalist historiographies and call for a reimagined curriculum model that integrates historical consciousness, critical reasoning, and ethical responsibility. Positioned within a transdisciplinary framework, the article proposes that Ilm al-Kalam be recontextualized not merely as a theological discipline but as a living epistemic tradition capable of informing pedagogical innovation in the face of global educational and ethical challenges.

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