<![CDATA[Backround - The rapid advancement of Artificial Intelligence (AI) has transformed higher education, including Hadith Studies, which requires comprehensive Arabic academic literacy. However, instruction remains largely teacher-centered, limiting students' ability to analyze Arabic morphological and syntactic structures, interpret the contextual meaning of Hadith, and develop critical academic reading skills. Urgency of Research - Moreover, the pedagogical use of AI to enhance language competence in Hadith learning has received limited scholarly attention. Research Objectives - This study investigates the implementation of AI in Hadith instruction and its contribution to improving students' Arabic academic literacy. Research Method - A mixed-methods approach with a sequential explanatory design was employed, involving 65 undergraduate students of the Arabic Language Education Program enrolled in the Hadith Studies course during the 2025/2026 academic year. Data were collected through Hadith-based Arabic literacy tests, classroom observations, interviews, questionnaires, and documentation. Quantitative data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, paired-samples t-tests, and normalized gain (N-gain), while qualitative data were analyzed using the interactive model of Miles, Huberman, and Saldaña. Research Findings -The findings indicate that AI contributed to students’ ability to analyze Arabic morphological and syntactic structures, interpret the lexical and contextual meanings of Hadith, expand academic vocabulary, and develop critical reading and reflective thinking. In the observed classes, 85% of students in PBA 4A demonstrated improved understanding of complex Hadith commentaries with AI support, while 80% of students in PBA 4B successfully reconstructed distorted Hadith texts using AI-assisted linguistic analysis. AI also functioned as a cognitive scaffold by providing adaptive linguistic support and facilitating student-centered learning. Research Conclusion & Novelty - However, the findings also highlight the need for lecturer supervision and source verification to prevent overreliance on AI and inaccurate outputs.]]>
