<![CDATA[Islamic Religious Education (PAI) is a key component of primary and secondary schooling in Indonesia, with the Qur'an and Hadith as its foundational sources of knowledge and values. This study analyzes the vertical progression of Qur'an and Hadith content across elementary, junior high, and senior high school, examining its continuity, development, and differences. Using a qualitative document analysis design, it examines selected PAI curriculum documents and textbooks at the three levels, comparing them across six dimensions: textual mastery, comprehension, interpretation, contextualization and application, critical thinking and reflection, and interdisciplinary connections. The findings show an observable but uneven progression. Elementary content emphasizes reading, basic tajwid, memorization, and simple moral messages. Junior high shifts toward understanding meanings and messages and applying them in daily life. Senior high expands toward broader interpretation, contextualization, and issues of science, technology, the environment, justice, and social responsibility. However, progression is not consistently linear: some topics recur without proportional gains in conceptual depth, and opportunities for critical engagement and interdisciplinary connections remain uneven. The study contributes a vertical analytical mapping of Qur'an and Hadith content, showing that curriculum progression entails not only adding more complex topics but also deepening interpretation, contextual application, reflection, and cross-field connections. The findings underscore the need to strengthen continuity and gradually increase cognitive and contextual demands across PAI curriculum levels.]]>
