EL-IBTIKAR: Jurnal Pendidikan Bahasa Arab
Vol. 15 No. 1 (2026): EL-IBTIKAR

Revisiting Ibn Khaldun's Arabic Language Education Theory: A Pedagogical Framework for Contemporary Learning

Pradi Khusufi Syamsu (UIN Siber Syekh Nurjati Cirebon)
Muhamad Towil Akhirudin (Universiti Sains Islam Malaysia, Malaysia)



Article Info

Publish Date
18 Jun 2026

Abstract

Contemporary Arabic language education faces a serious pedagogical crisis: the dominance of grammatical rote learning, the absence of immersive language environments, and the failure to integrate socio-cultural dimensions into curricula. Despite numerous studies on Ibn Khaldun's thought, no research has constructed a unified, operational pedagogical framework from his work. This study aims to construct a comprehensive pedagogical framework from Ibn Khaldun's Arabic language education theory in Al-Muqaddimah and elaborate its relevance for contemporary Arabic language learning. Employing a qualitative approach with a systematic literature review (SLR) design and thematic-comparative content analysis, this study examines the primary source Al-Muqaddimah alongside 76 secondary sources in Indonesian and English, collected via Google Scholar, SINTA, and Scopus. Source triangulation ensures data trustworthiness. The study identifies six pedagogical pillars in Ibn Khaldun: malakah (linguistic habitus), tadarruj (gradual staging), tikrār (structured repetition), munāẓarah (scholarly dialogue), riḥlah (authentic experience), and asabiyyah (socio-cultural ecology). These pillars correspond profoundly to Vygotsky's scaffolding, spaced repetition, CLT, Kolb's experiential learning, and Wenger's community of practice — establishing Ibn Khaldun as a pedagogical pioneer six centuries ahead of these theories. This study contributes an operational six-pillar pedagogical framework and identifies asabiyyah as a critically neglected pedagogical variable, with implications for Arabic language curriculum reform and the design of digital learning platforms.

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Journal Info

Abbrev

ibtikar

Publisher

Subject

Description

EL-IBTIKAR is a peer-reviewed academic journal published by the Department of Arabic Language Education at UIN Siber Syekh Nurjati Cirebon. It encompasses Arabic linguistics, literature, educational technology, and pedagogy for non-native ...