<![CDATA[Islamic Religious Education (IRE) faces significant challenges in responding to the demands of twenty-first-century education, which emphasizes the development of critical thinking, creativity, collaboration, communication, and character building. However, the implementation of IRE in many educational institutions remains dominated by teacher-centered learning, resulting in limited opportunities for students to engage in contextual and meaningful learning experiences. This study aims to analyze the concept of Project-Based Learning (PjBL), formulate a project-based instructional design integrated with Islamic values, and examine its implications for developing students' competencies in Islamic Religious Education. This study employed a qualitative approach using a library research method. Data were collected through a systematic review of relevant scientific journal articles, academic books, and scholarly documents, and subsequently analyzed using content analysis and thematic analysis. The findings indicate that Project-Based Learning is an appropriate instructional model for Islamic Religious Education because it effectively integrates cognitive, affective, and psychomotor domains through systematic learning stages, including defining essential questions, project planning, implementation, monitoring, authentic assessment, and reflection. Furthermore, PjBL enhances students' critical thinking, creativity, communication, and collaboration skills while fostering the internalization of Islamic values and strengthening their religious character. Therefore, Project-Based Learning can serve as an innovative instructional model to support the transformation of Islamic Religious Education toward a more contextual, participatory, and competency-oriented learning process in the twenty-first century]]>
