<![CDATA[Islamic Religious Education (Pendidikan Agama Islam/PAI) in Islamic higher education institutions is increasingly challenged to remain relevant amid rapid social, cultural, and religious transformations. In practice, PAI has long been dominated by normative and textual approaches, which tend to limit its responsiveness to contemporary social realities. Although the discourse on transforming PAI has grown, existing studies are largely conceptual and normative, with limited empirical evidence at the program study level. This study aims to examine the transformation of PAI through a case study of the PAI Program at IAI Al Jihad Shalahuddin Al Ayyubi Jakarta, focusing on shifts in paradigm, pedagogy, and social praxis. Using a qualitative case study approach, data were collected through document analysis, including institutional self-evaluation reports, curriculum documents, strategic plans, and reports on research and community engagement, and analyzed thematically. The findings reveal a significant shift in PAI from a normative-textual orientation toward a more contextual, reflective, and socially responsive approach. This transformation is evident in the integration of Islamic values with social realities, the adoption of participatory and reflective pedagogical practices, and the expansion of PAI’s role in community engagement. The study contributes empirically to the field of Islamic Religious Education by demonstrating how PAI can be developed as a transformative discipline grounded in institutional practice. It concludes that PAI has strong potential to function as a dynamic and relevant field of study capable of responding to contemporary challenges while maintaining its normative Islamic foundations.]]>
