<![CDATA[The implementation of character education in Islamic Religious Education in educational environments is often still positioned as a mere supplementary aspect, not as the main substance, so that the process of character formation of students often lags behind the achievement of academic aspects and mastery of the material. This study aims to prove the central position of character education in the scientific structure of Islamic Religious Education through a review of philosophical perspectives, as well as formulate its implications for the development of a comprehensive Islamic education. This study uses a qualitative approach with library methods, where data are analyzed in depth through three main dimensions of the philosophy of science, namely ontological, epistemological, and axiological. The results of the study indicate that ontologically, character education is the essence and core of all Islamic teachings. Epistemologically, character education functions as a unifying axis of the knowledge system that includes the bayani, irfani, and burhani approaches. Meanwhile, axiologically, character education occupies a position as the ultimate goal as well as the standard for measuring the absolute success of education. It is concluded that character education is not additional material, but the soul and core of Islamic Religious Education. These findings underscore the need for a paradigm shift in education delivery to prioritize the formation of holistic and high-quality character.]]>
